Lunging-with-purpose involves teaching the horse a set of cues that will then transfer to the mounted level later on. It also involves lunging with LONG sidereins and allowing the horse to “self-teach” giving to the pressure on their mouth that they themselves create. I usually start, and restart horses for my clients, using my lightweight western cordura saddle or my close contact huntseat saddle, a full cheek medium thickness snaffle or fullcheek frenchlink snaffle and the sidereins for lunging purposes only. I favor the fullcheek bit because if the horse decides to caper about on the end of the line, if they pull, the bit won’t be pulled through the horse’s mouth because the full cheek pieces prevent it from doing so.

I also balance the bit in the horses mouth, and set it up so that the horse will apply poll pressure from the lungeline if they pull, by running the lungeline through the ring on the snaffle, up over their poll and then down to snap on to the top of the snaffle ring on the opposite side. This way, the contact from me to the horses mouth isn’t just working from whatever side I’m on. The line going through the ring and over to the other ring on the opposite side creates more balance and even contact between me and the horse. It will also apply poll pressure on the horse’s poll if they pull because the lungeline will tighten as they pull, but release and
loosen from pressure if they don’t pull.

I don’t use sidereins after I have a horse going under saddle. I find that by putting the long sidereins on the green horses that are just getting their start under saddle, and also on the horses that I am restarting because of manmade problems and big holes in their training, it allows them to work through some issues in a way in which they are the ones deciding on where their comfort zone is and how they want to feel. The sidereins are adjusted very long so that the horse has to really overextend up, down or out with their neck and head before they come into contact with the end of the sidereins, and thus, the bit. As the
horse tests the boundaries, they discover where they are most comfortable and they also learn that by yielding in their jaw and their poll and rounding their neck and back slightly, instead of trying to run through the pressure they are creating, they find relief and a comfortable spot because the sidereins go back to contact (I use sidereins that have the elastic insert, rather then the rubber donuts. At the trot, I feel the rubber donuts create too much bounce on the bit in the horses mouth), or even slack, when the horse relaxes their poll and jaw. If a horse wants to overextend their neck and head in any direction, that’s fine with me. If they don’t mind the discomfort of tension and pressure on their mouth that they themselves are applying with over-extension in any direction, then they can carry themselves that way. Most horses however choose a comfort zone and seek to create contact or slack sidereins, rather then dealing with tension on their mouths. By putting the sidereins on very long, they are in no way being restricted or pulled-back into a “frame”, they really have to overextend to come to the end of
the sidereins. Every, single horse that I’ve ever started this way (numbering in the hundreds) has made the choice, or decision, to loosen their jaw and “give” at the poll, thus going to contact or slack reins. The purpose or goal is not the horse coming into “frame”, the purpose is for the horse to learn to go forward and then “give” to the pressure they are creating if they are trying to “run through the pressure” and not fight it instead. Unlike humans, who may make errors in their timing of when to “give” or release when the horse “gives” at their poll and jaw, sidereins are either there in pressure (tension), or they are not (when they are just in contact or are slack). “On the bit” is not my goal, the horse learning to go forward, loosen their jaw, “give” to pressure on their mouths, relax at the poll and round their topline slightly is the goal.

The other positive aspect of doing it this way is that there is no conflict or combat between horse and human. The person isn’t put in the position of being the villain atop the horse if they accidentally don’t “lighten” or release with their hands at the precise moment the horse “gives”. The horse has a chance to think things through, find the comfortable parameters depending on the length of the sidereins, and decide how they wish to feel.

Once the horse has learned these basics and also understands the various sound cues for walk, trot, canter (going forward) and then the sound cues for the transitions back down through the gaits, then we are ready to add the rider, but without the sidereins. I’m able to act as ground support for the rider (the owner) who is usually the first person to ever ride the horse in the case of the young horses. With the full understanding of lunging, the horses most always progress very smoothly and positively in whatever direction their riding careers are headed-in. This also holds true for most horses that I econdition/restart too. There is a lot more education in place before we ever get on the horse.

A key issue here is that I never progress to the riding until the ground training is correctly in place. We are building a foundation that will last the horse’s lifetime, so we are in no hurry and we don’t skip steps or move-on until each level of the training is in place and flowing seamlessly. Lunging sessions are usually about 25 minutes long, tops. I’m working on the mental aspects more then the physical with my method of lungeing. I also rarely use lunging to “work a horse down” or to “take the edge off” before riding. The only times I put a horse on the line “naked”, or with just a saddle and bridle, is for a few minutes at the horses first shows if they are a bit over-excited in their new surroundings or for a pre-purchase or lameness exam. Otherwise, once we do the “lunging with purpose” in the beginnings of under saddle training, or during restarts on older horses, we won’t be using it very often after that, maybe just as a refresher course if the horse has been off work a long time due to broodmare duties or having been turned out and not ridden for a long, long while. Its a great foundation training method and makes the whole starting or restarting process a lot more simple and positive, and with no confusion in the

mind of the horse and no danger to the human because of the horses maybe dangerous evasions such as rearing, flipping themselves over backwards, bucking, etc.

To start the horse off, I use “walk-walk” and a few soft clucks. To move up to trot, clucking and “show” the horse the whip. I utilize the whip in a sweeping motion a few feet off the ground. When lunging, the lunge line simulates the reins and the whip simulates the legs motivating the horse forward, moving from back to front. I place the horse between the “legs” (whip) and “hands” (lungeline) by forming a V-shape with me at the point, with the line going out to the horses head and the whip pointed toward right behind the horses haunches and me facing the horses flank and staying slightly behind the horse. I walk a smaller circle within the horses larger circle so that the horse is not stressing themselves physically and/or losing their balance on too small of a circle. I also never snap or crack the whip. Snapping or cracking the whip continuously will cause the horse to become unresponsive to those sounds. Similar to when a person continuously clucks when they are riding. After a while, the horse no longer pays attention to the sound, it means nothing to them anymore because it is so continuous. To canter, I kiss and slightly raise my line hand. Downward transitions are: from canter to trot I say “terottt”-softly, drawn out word “trot”, and then “waallk”-softly drawn out word “walk” and then soft whoa for halt.

I also do things a little differently when I stop the horse and prepare to go the other direction in that I don’t allow my horses to face me when I stop them.
Three reasons for this:

Safety–If I allow a horse to stop and face me, as I reel in my line and walk toward them preparing to make adjustments and turn them the other way, if they hear a noise or perceive movement behind them (even if there isn’t even anything there) if they spook or bolt, they will usually just run in whatever direction they are pointed or facing, maybe mowing me down in the process.

Psychological–some horses use facing the handler on the lunge-line as an evasion to not wanting to lunge anymore. They’ll continuously get the handler reeling them in, pointing them the correct direction again, getting them going again and then will face up and the handler starts all over trying to get them going the correct direction. Some horses will even face-up, challenge the handler to get them going again and then take the evasion farther if the handler pressures them to go and will either come into the handler (perhaps charging them), or they might turn and run the wrong way. So now there are more issues to deal with then we originally started with. If we teach the horse right from the beginning that facing-up is not allowed, then they will not use the evasion of facing-up, and/or charging the handler, or turning and running the incorrect direction on the lunge-line because they know it’s not allowed.

Adjustments– I have to make adjustments to my lunge-line and maybe even my sidereins, so I have to go to their head anyway and can’t just reverse them out on the lunge-line anyway. Since I rarely lunge a horse “naked” (with no tack except the halter and lunge-line) reversing a horse out on the end of the lunge-line is not even a consideration.

This methodology and approach for starting young horses, or re-training older horses, has proven to be very successful for me for over 20 years and produces well-adjusting, physically and mentally relaxed and comfortable horses.

Article By:

Laura Phelps-Bell
www.starwoodfarm.com
Standing at Stud:
Chilled Champagne and BellStars Majestic

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