Lunging, it really should be boring.

I was recently asked a question about lunging.  It was in fact a question I hear, well, let's just say if I had a nickel for every time I heard this one I would have that dream barn ;)  

" I can't seem to lunge my mare on a line without her pulling and falling out of the circle. When we are in the roundpen she does fine and out in a wide open space it's back to pulling...."

Sound familiar? It is a common issue.  One that can a fairly easy fix, if you are consistent and willing to be patient.  For the purposes of this question we are not discussing teaching a horse to lunge from the beginning, we are just going to discuss how to deal with a horse that has already developed this habit.  Ok, I'm not being entirely honest, we ARE going to discuss how to start from the beginning since a fresh start is the best way to correct this issue long term.

The biggest mistake made when teaching the horse to lunge and while lunging in general is the thought process that lunging is to make our horse tired or to get rid of excess energy.  This is the mindset that results in horses running full tilt circles in the round pen, making high speed pear shapes on the line and requiring a shank to keep from dragging their handling off to Timbuktu (note: I am not against the use of a shank or knotted nose band as a tool as will be explained in a moment).  This mentality causes the handler to inadvertently chase their horse and with speed comes lack of balance on a circle, hence the pulling, falling out of the circle etc. especially (catch 22 alert) if the horse is not strong enough to hold the circle but needs to use the circle to become stronger and more supple.  

So, what do we do then? FIRST THINGS FIRST! Reset your brain.  Lunging, be it in the round pen or on the line, is not intended as a way to burn off energy like a child turned loose on the play ground, but a way to increase mental focus on the handler and increase strength, cardiovascular, and flexibility, think the same child in gym class learning to play a specific sport.  Even a quick lunge before throwing a leg over is only intended to cement your horses focus so they are mentally prepared for the ride.

This is about to get very, very boring for some of you.  Now, due to the specific circumstances of this question we are going to begin in the round pen, then build on each small victory and move out in to the big wide world.

A shank or a knotted nose band may be used here if your horse is tuning you out.  HOWEVER do not nag, be very specific with your corrections.  Quick and meaningful then beginning again. But please save this correction for last as we want to encourage our horse to relax and WANT to do as we ask, not be forced.

Beginning in the round pen, horse on the lunge begin with a small circle and ask your horse to WALK. Just walk.  And after one half a circle ask for the halt, stand for 3 to 5 seconds (try to vary how long you ask your horse to wait so they do not begin to assume what you will want.)  Ask your horse to walk on again BEFORE they become antsy and walk on their own.  If you have a wiggler, as SOON as those feet stop moving PRAISE with a "good Whoa!" and again, ask for "walk on" before they think of it themselves.  REPEAT.  As your horse understands to whoa and wait, increase the time to wait but always mix it up between short and long waits.  Sounds easy enough right?  It is.  BUT, you will likely have a horse that walks a few steps and tries to trot off, does the jig instead of walking.  Decreasing the size of your circle can help reduce this.  Remain calm.  Ask for the walk, if you know your horse will only walk 5 steps before breaking in to a trot, walk them 3 steps and ask for the halt, repeat.  Eventually you can get 5, 10, half the circle, and eventually the entire circle.  Then of course the fun of changing directions and starting all over again ;).

So WHY am I telling you to just WALK your horse?  The first think our horse needs to learn is to be relaxed on the lunge line and focus on you.  That being on the line means it is time to work not time for a free for all.  Doing this in a round pen (should you have access to one) helps reduce outside distractions and removes the temptation of "There is so much room I MUST FROLIC!"  Obviously, this works outside a round pen as well, but may take a bit longer to obtain focus.

This part of the retraining will need to be repeated for several sessions.  There will be nothing be walking on the lunge line until your horse can walk and halt both directions consistently.  (I told you it is boring, but alas, a boring foundation is better than a dramatic trip to the hospital!)

Once your horse understands walking on the line we can add trot work.  And yes, you are correct.  You will be adding trot work the same as you began with the walk work.  You will ask your horse to walk on and then as for the trot and after just a few strides your will ask for a downward transition back to the walk.  It will be normal to have an excited horse that want's to rush, and this is why we are bringing them back down to the walk quickly, a reminder to still pay attention.  Repeat these up and down transitions until you can allow a trot for a full circle and your horse quickly respond to the downward transition when asked (again, for a horse that wants to rush reducing the circle size helps with control).  ALWAYS praise for the result you want, lavish the "good trot" when they are in a nice rhythm and paying attention, "good walk" when you get a nice downward or a nice walk, and "GOOD WHOA"!  Again, the concentration of this exercise is for your horse to be focused more on you and waiting to receive a cue than being focused on running and playing.  OF COURSE if your horse is hot and been standing they will be hard pressed to focus, but developing a routine of up and down transitions at "random" intervals will work their brain as well as their body.  Soon you will be able to ask the same in the big wide world, and you will find that when you are away from home these exercises will be of comfort to your horse if they are nervous and help them settle in to work.

This process may take several days to several weeks to get your horse to where they are lunging softly on the line (even if they are quick and wound up they will still be focused) depending on your horse's disposition, prior experiences, and the quality of your communication.  But it will work if you are consistent and clear with praise for each desired result.  As your horse focuses on you, they will stop rushing, they will begin to hold themselves on the circle, strengthen and supple to where you can eventually ask for a canter with out them counter bending, leaning, and pulling.

Remember, there is no specific time frame your horse needs to learn this in.  Do not rush through the steps because your pride stings or your find it boring.  Not only will it help your horse over all mentally, but physically as well as lunging unbalanced can be the cause of many injuries and the early breaking down of joints.

The initial process may be frustrating, but remember, you and your horse are both relearning something you both thought you knew.  Be patient and remember, all you have to do is not quit!

Straight from the horse's mouth

Teeth. Now I, personally, do not start horses under saddle until 4 and I do not bit them to ground drive until 3.  Once they are driving and under saddle they may get chunks of time off coinciding with loosing caps and teeth coming in and no horse is started under saddle until they have been examined by the dentist and floated if needed. I recently had someone question WHY I was having 4 year olds floated and I realized that people assume there is a standard timing for when a horse needs dental work. There seems to be a lose of comprehension that young horses heads change shape and that loosing caps and getting new teeth ant different time can affect the wear of the bite. There also seems to be a gap in understanding the affects a horse's mouth has on them in more ways than weight loss.
Mouth discomfort can be expressed very subtly by some horses. Take for example one Arab gelding who begin to shake his head when bitted. A preliminary check by myself said he had points and needed dental care. When the dentist examined him he was found to have ulcers beginning to form from said points which we can only imagine how painful that would be. Yet, he pushed past it and nearly hid the symptoms.
Some horses may reach a state of severe anxiety and begin rearing, refusing to be bridled, bolting (quite similar to a bit that causes discomfort which is why we always check the teeth first). I had always student with a QH mare who was a sweet girl and easy going. One week I showed up to teach and she was panicking at everything and the students father was trying to "correct" her and of course this only made her more upset. On examination the mare had severe points that were cutting her tongue. She had been pushing past the discomfort for as long as she could and finally became upset. After a float and an few days rest she was back to her old self, better in fact.
Neither of these horses showed signs of weight loss, the go to sign for an horse requiring dental care.  So get to know what is out of character and learn how to pull and tongue and do and quick check yourself before jumping to conclusions and correcting your horse for saying OUCH!

As I said at the beginning, every horse is examined before going under saddle. I want my horses to feel the bit is a communication tool, not something that creates discomfort. And so knowing their mouth is ready I know they will not view the bit as something to just put up with or fear but something that is part of how we communicate. This is why we are constantly checking young mouths and happily giving them time off to finish cutting new teeth.
Knowing this, don't jump on the bad wagon against those who start and compete horses at a younger age. If you actually talk to many race trainers, cutting trainers, etc you will learn they are continuously monitoring the mouths of their young horses and spending more money than one care to think about on equine dentistry to keep their horses competition ready. While that is not my cup of tea, these trainers and riders have a solid grasp on how the mouth affects more than weight.

The next time your mount tosses their head or acts anxious seemingly out of nowhere, check those teeth.  After all, how would you like to be in trouble for a toothache?

Riding as life lessons....

Currently I do not have a lesson program.  Instead I have started an apprenticeship program for fellow military wives in my area.  I find that I am able to combine my love of teaching and training in to one delightful experience.  I seek out ladies who have at least intermediate skills and been displaced from their horses and offer them a place to learn the many facets of the industry we deal with as well as expand their riding and over all horsemanship skills whether they want to continue on learning for this as a career or if they just want to improve their over all skills for their own personal enjoyment.

However, something happened along the way that I did not expect.  Let's be honest, as an instructor for children you are usually the first to notice changes in them, be their confidant, and help them develop a healthy way to handle stress and new/changing situations.  Yet, when you think of taking on adults as apprentices and teaching them, it seems as though it will be an easier task.  After all, they have already formed their personalities, they have life experience....but as a woman who has fought tooth and nail to learn all she has and be where she is in life and is not afraid to show herself as a strong confident female, I found myself surprised that the apprentices coming to me and that I choose because I see so much potential and a willingness to learn are not as comfortable in their own skin as I would have expected.  I hear "sorry" for every little thing, so much so I realized these women don't even realize they are dragging themselves down.  They do not realize that instead of admitting a mistake they are blaming themselves for them.  They do not realize that a mistake is not a bad thing, it is step FORWARD if you change it in your mind from "I'm sorry" to "I made an error, next time I will do 'xyz' instead".

I'm not going to go all feminist here, but realistically, as girls we are told to quiet, polite, etc.  Many behaviors that fall in to the "boys will be boys" category are "inappropriate" for us.  Perhaps I was ahead in the game as I had a father that raised me no differently than he would have a boy. I had boy cousins that didn't care if I was a girl it was keep up or be left.  I had adopted family, like brothers, that were determined to prepare me for a world that take advantage of me if I didn't stand up to it.  And so, as I developed myself as an instructor and trainer, even though I felt "less than" compared to many of my fellow students in college, I refused to let anyone or any experience pull me down.  It was during those years in college I took classes in psychology (after all, if I wanted to teach riders, understanding how the mind works is a big help) and learned how our early experienced formed our personalities and our continuing experiences and how we talk to our selves via our inner dialog affect us.

This bring me forward again, to riding as a life lesson.  Nothing, and I mean NOTHING will bring out of a person their strengths and weakness's (even if they believe them to be well hidden) as a horse.  And so from one apprentice to the next I began to realize the trouble they were having in learning a new technique, or handling a specific horse, or working on a specific task nearly ALWAYS has had nothing to do with being unable.  It boiled down to a piece of their personality, and often a piece they do not like about themselves.  Be it giving up to easily, being afraid to show dominance, allowing things to happen around them rather than control what is happening, or feeling as if they are at fault for a mistake.  These issues are not because they are lazy or fearful.  It is because they have been conditioned so, and they have been talking to themselves with an inner dialog that slowly eats away at their self confidence and they don't even know it.

Know this, there is hope.  (please take a moment to read my blog "why I want you to fail").  You are not alone.  If you want to improve your horsemanship you need to improve your own self, and if you want to improve your own self you need to improve your horsemanship.  The first step is simple. STOP SAYING "I'M SORRY" (unless of course you lose control of a horse and it tap dances on the farrier's head, then by all means PLEASE apologize) but STOP saying those words for a simple mistake.  Each time you say those words your brain hears "I was wrong, I screwed up".  Instead say "Well, that did not go as planned, how can I fix this?" or "I did not understand what you wanted me to do, can you please explain it to me again so I can understand better?" Retrain your brain to be positive, to understand that mistakes are not the end of the world, they are a stepping stone.
  2. Set yourself up for success, be prepared for the work you are about to do even if that means taking a few extra moments to talk it over with your trainer first and don't expect it to be perfect, just expect it to be SAFE and as correct as possible, the rest will come with each time you do it.
 3. Do not be afraid to ask questions, if you don't ask you will never know, and your trainer will never know that you do not understand something, and if we do not know that you do not understand we do not know we need to take the time to teach you.
And finally, realize the person judging you the hardest is yourself.  Now, while this is not a bad thing, this is what keeps those of us that are driven from giving up, you need to remember, others do not look at you with the same harshness you look at yourself.  If you believe the entire world sees you as critically as you see yourself, you will mentally brutilize yourself trying to live up to unreal and nonexistent expectations.

Stand up and own what you know.  Be willing to admit what you do not know.  Be prepared to learn.  But never let your own thoughts or the world around you diminish who you are.  I promise, you will be a better horseman, and a happier person for it.