First off, Happy Fourth of July!! Hopefully everyone has off from work (or isn't working all day) and is going to relax by the beach or a pool with some BBQ and adult beverages. :) I know I will be after work!
I'm sure you're all waiting with anticipation to see if my horse has tried to kill me again between Wednesday and now. Based off the title of this post, you can safely assume that the answer is no. Your assumption would be correct.
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| Such wild. Much craze. |
So the wild hony has been well behaved since his meltdown on Wednesday. On Thursday I had full intentions of working him in hand and doing a quick lunge as a reminder of what proper behavior is without worrying about me being on his back. Lunging isn't my favorite tool since it's hard on their legs but I think it has it's purpose. For me, it's good to get some solid transitions and I tend to keep it as short as possible. Sadly, by the time I got to the barn around 6:15 PM it was raining. There was a 20% chance of rain (go figure) so I turned out the horses. I did make sure that Digby behaved on his way out to the field. It started raining harder. It rained various levels of heaviness from around 6 PM until 8 PM. I waited around until 8 but eventually had to leave as I had other stuff to do in the evening. Of course it stopped raining shortly after I left the barn but such is life!
Friday evening I made it to the barn a bit later than I wanted so I turned the horses out. let Digby graze for about half an hour while I set up poles in the ring and got his feed and hay ready for the next day. I was going to actually put tack on him to lunge but got lazy based off the time and just put on his rope halter. We laid down some solid walk/trot work and he was perfect. I mean, PERFECT. Never whinnied, never went around like a giraffe, didn't even think about melting down. Granted there were horses outside today so that probably helped but all in all, I was pleased. I'm planning on hopefully riding tomorrow and Sunday in the ring again.
So tell me people! When, if at all, do you use lunging as a training tool? Do you prefer other forms of groundwork? Why do you like/dislike it?
I like lunging as another tool in the toolbox, usually with a chambon and only for about 20 mins tops. I think it's a great way of installing voice commands on a horse and teaching them how to hold their body in balance without me screwing them up from on top of their back. I generally don't lunge to take the edge off a horse... but then again the type of horse that 'needs' a lunge before riding isn't my kind of horse! I think It can be either very beneficial, or detrimental, depending on the person doing the lunging. I use it to teach new skills/commands/transitions and as another way to build fitness, not just a way to let the horse blow off steam and run and buck around like a loony.
ReplyDeleteLol! We lunge for similar reasons, although I've been known to lunge if I think Digby needs to run around. Plus, chambon's for the win!
DeleteHaha! Yeah when I was at Domani I'd use the roundpen for "pony playtime". No lunge line = you can do whatever the heck you want!
Deleteso glad he's back to his normal polite self! re: lunging, i really only ever lunged isabel in the winter when i didn't really feel like riding her firecracker self in an open field (footing options were limited) but wanted her to move around anyway. tho i HAVE long-lined a couple times with the objective of getting isabel straighter and more balanced/aligned.
ReplyDeleteI love to long line! I think it's super fun and very good for both horse and rider. Did you take a clinic/lesson or have a go at it by yourself?
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