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There are several issues here on training.
First, why are you longing the horse?
Is this a warm up, to get the bucks out, or to train the horse to
better performance?
My opinion - only the last reason is valid. Most horses are lunged until
they are tired and then the rider can finally get on without worrying
about getting bucked off. (Gross generalization here, I know).
What a longing sessions should be is to train a horse to perform.
>From the moment you enter the horse's area, you should command the
horse and the horse should watch you for commands. This means from
the time you get into his stall or corral, he should only be paying
attention to you. When you put the halter on and start to lead him,
you should be commanding him to a particular response. The commands you
use are the same commands you use when the horse is 2 feet from
you or 20 feet from you.
Here is where most people fail (and I'm not talking about all those
great trainers out here in net-land, but rather the people who get
a horse and aren't sure what they are doing). They don't train a horse
to respond to specific commands, but rather if the horse is sort of
walking quietly beside them or a bit in front or back, the person ignores
the horse and just walks along. The horse similarly ignores the person
and walks along unless something better comes along (like some grass,
another horse to talk to, etc.)
If you take charge of the situation and demand that the horse listens
to you while you are at a 2' distance, you'll have better luck when you
put him out at 20'. Of course, this also means that the handler must
also pay attention to the horse all the time.
In this case, you said:
> that he must have been taught to some degree what a longe
>line is all about because he knew what to do when he found himself at
>the end of one the first time I tried to longe him
Why did he "find himself at the end of one"?
Did you not prepare him for lunging? I'm not really trying to be
hard on you, it may only be a case of symantics in what you are saying,
but it does reflect the attitude of put him out there and let him figure
it out.
If you begin by leading the horse in a circle, and making sure that
everything is exactly as you want it when he is 20' from you, then
you'll be able to slowly take him out to 20'. Walk your 20' circle with
the horse by your side - and exactly at your side, not a foot in front
or a foot behind - and with the lung whip in your hand. Use the whip
to maintain distance from you and motion forward and back. Use your
body to indicate quicker and slower and stop. If you step forward ahead of
the horse and turn into him, he should stop (and not turn to the center).
You use the whip to urge him on to a quicker pace. Your hand on the
lead line is like hands and reins. Keep contact.
Once the you have figured this out, let out the lead rope so that the
horse is 5 feet from you. Continue walking so the horse is at 20' circle.
Your circle is now only 15'. The whip at the horse's shoulder tells the
horse to move away from you. The whip in front of the horse tells the
horse to slow or stop. The whip at the horse's hip or side tells the horse
to move forward quicker. And the hand on the rope tells the horse to
stay the same speed but pick up the motion.
Next, move the horse 10 feet from you. Your circle is 10', the horse's
circle is 20'. The amount of pressure on the rope is exactly the same
as it has been all along, not slack, not real tight. Just the same
amount as you'd want from the reins.
Repeat until you can stand in the center of the circle and the horse moves
at 20'.
Now the real test begins. Can you make the horse spiral in and out using
just a light pressure of the rope and pointing with the whip. Try setting
out small cones and making patterns.
The horse should move faster if you point the whip at his side or hip.
The horse should move away if you point the whip at his shoulder.
The horse should collect himself if you give just a slight tighter
grip on the rope and point the whip at his hip.
The horse should stop if you take a step ahead of him.
And the horse should not turn into you when he stops. (Do you want the
the horse to turn when you are riding and asking for a stop?)
When the horse can do all this, then the horse knows how to lunge,
and you know how to lunge a horse.
(Vaulters do it different, but that's another story:-)
-- Wendy\|/ /\ -O- /**\ /|\ /****\ /\ / \ /**\ Here there be dragons / /\ / \ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\/\/\ /\ / / \ / \ / \/\/ \/ \ /\/ \/\ /\ /\/ / / \/ \ / / \/ /\ \ / \ \ / \/ / / \/ \/ \ / \ \ / / \/ \/\ \ / \ / / \ __/__/_______/___/__\___\__________________________________________________
Wendy Milner HPDesk: wendy_milner@hp4000 Hewlett-Packard Company e-mail: wendy@fc.hp.com Mail Stop A2 Telnet: 229-2182 (898-2182 as of Nov 1.) 3404 E. Harmony Rd. AT&T: (970) 229-2182 (898-2182) Fort Collins, CO, 80528-9599 FAX: (970) 229-2038 (898-2038)
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