Longing [sp?]

[Love My Dun]

I have a horse I've decided to train but don't know how to teach him to longe.

He is 5 yrs old and gets confused and frustrated easily...
as do all youngsters.

We don't have a roundpen and I was wondering if anyone could help me out?
I've already had someone tell me one method, but I'd like to hear more.

Different Methods work on different horses, and I want as many as I can get before I go into training.

If you have any suggestions, please msg me or reply.

[Max]

Do you have a square corral/pen?

[Love My Dun]

Yes, but it's very very big, it's his pen. All our horses have open stalls so they can come and go as they please, straight out into their pen, and we have to separate them all.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b199/wutsalphanumeric123/Adayofplay016.jpg"

this is a picture URL of another one of our horses in his pen. Idk if it'll work or not.... But if it does, you can see behind him is his pen, and he has approx that much space on the other side of him [cut off by the photograph]...
so they're pretty big pens.

[Max]

Well just get him on a lounge line and get a whip or a stick and whip the ground to get him going if he ignores you then tap him if he still ignores you tap him harder and harder until he goes(don't always go for their rump, sometimes you can't get to it so tap them on the neck).When you want him to change directions just face your shoulders in front of him change hands with the whip or stick, put it in his path pull his head towards the center of the circle and start over.If you have questions ask them :D .Eventually you can lounge him in his corral.


P.S - Oh and if your lounging him to the right put your stick in your left hand, and visa versa

[silverleprichuan]

I really don't mean to sound rude but it doesn't sound like you are ready to train a horse. Lunging is a very basic element in the early training of a horse and if you don't have the experience to teach a horse how to lunge, then how are you going to teach him more difficult things?


If he's 5 and still has not learned how to lunge his is very far behind most horses that age and if you have not owned him his whole life he probably has major holes in his draining.

[cursivenight]

I suggest finding a local trainer or knowledgeable horse person to help you. It might cost money but at least you will be safe, as will your horse if the trainer is good.

I would only use his pen if it is level and big enough to do a big circle. If the circle is too small it can injure the horse, and if he kicks out, it can injure you.

[Max]

I really don't mean to sound rude but it doesn't sound like you are ready to train a horse. Lunging is a very basic element in the early training of a horse and if you don't have the experience to teach a horse how to lunge, then how are you going to teach him more difficult things?


If he's 5 and still has not learned how to lunge his is very far behind most horses that age and if you have not owned him his whole life he probably has major holes in his draining.

I have to disagree with you silver. I started out knowing zip about horses a year ago. I got some basic round penning and ground work videos from Clinton Anderson and went from there, my horse wasn't trained, and she didn't know how to lunge, the most you could do with her was plow rein her and kick her to go pull her to whoa everything else I taught her and now she's getting into finesse it's nothing like dressage but we're getting to our end goal.So I think if she's very cautious she can do it, after all they didn't always have trainers around and in some places still don't.

[Love My Dun]

I really don't mean to sound rude but it doesn't sound like you are ready to train a horse. Lunging is a very basic element in the early training of a horse and if you don't have the experience to teach a horse how to lunge, then how are you going to teach him more difficult things?


If he's 5 and still has not learned how to lunge his is very far behind most horses that age and if you have not owned him his whole life he probably has major holes in his draining.

I know HOW to lunge, and I've done it many many many times before. I've trained my own horse and he's unbeatable in the show ring 3 months after he was broke at 3yrs.
I'm not stupid or unexperienced, I've just never taught a horse to lunge. I know the basic principal, round pen and on a line, and I have an idea on how to get him started. but I just wanted some help.

I came here for advice, not for people to make fun of me.
think before you make comments like that.

[Love My Dun]

I suggest finding a local trainer or knowledgeable horse person to help you. It might cost money but at least you will be safe, as will your horse if the trainer is good.

I would only use his pen if it is level and big enough to do a big circle. If the circle is too small it can injure the horse, and if he kicks out, it can injure you.


I know How to lunge, I used it to train my own horse, but when we bought him, even as a yearling, he already knew how to lunge in a round pen. so it was easier to build off of that to go to a line.

I have an Idea on how to get him started, but I didn't want to go into doing it until I got a wide range of methods to use. theres usually always more than one way to do things with horses, and different styles of training work of different horses.

[Love My Dun]

Well just get him on a lounge line and get a whip or a stick and whip the ground to get him going if he ignores you then tap him if he still ignores you tap him harder and harder until he goes(don't always go for their rump, sometimes you can't get to it so tap them on the neck).When you want him to change directions just face your shoulders in front of him change hands with the whip or stick, put it in his path pull his head towards the center of the circle and start over.If you have questions ask them :D .Eventually you can lounge him in his corral.


P.S - Oh and if your lounging him to the right put your stick in your left hand, and visa versa


lol, i know about the whip and everything, I've lunged before on a line and in a round pen. But we don't have a round pen, so it makes it a little more difficult. not impossible, but most horses I've taught to lunge have already learned in a round pen, and this one has not.

[Max]

oh OK, well if you got the basics then you should do fine just stay out of the way lol

[silverleprichuan]

I know HOW to lunge, and I've done it many many many times before. I've trained my own horse and he's unbeatable in the show ring 3 months after he was broke at 3yrs.
I'm not stupid or unexperienced, I've just never taught a horse to lunge. I know the basic principal, round pen and on a line, and I have an idea on how to get him started. but I just wanted some help.

I came here for advice, not for people to make fun of me.
think before you make comments like that.


??? I don't think I ever call you stupid, inexperienced, nor made fun of you, I just expressed concern about what a I *thought* was an inexperienced person trying to train a horse. If you can taken a horse from green to winning in 3 months then I don't think you need our help (if anything we should be learning from you). You are obviously a good trainer so take pride in your abilities and be confident that you can easily teach this horse. With your experience I'm sure you will be able to figure things out very easily. If you want to do some reading just to help make you feel a little more secure then you might find this article interesting. http://www.equusite.com/articles/ground/groundLungingDifficulties.shtml

I wish you the best of luck, please keep us updated with his progress.

[Love My Dun]

??? I don't think I ever call you stupid, inexperienced, nor made fun of you, I just expressed concern about what a I *thought* was an inexperienced person trying to train a horse. If you can taken a horse from green to winning in 3 months then I don't think you need our help (if anything we should be learning from you). You are obviously a good trainer so take pride in your abilities and be confident that you can easily teach this horse. With your experience I'm sure you will be able to figure things out very easily. If you want to do some reading just to help make you feel a little more secure then you might find this article interesting. http://www.equusite.com/articles/ground/groundLungingDifficulties.shtml

I wish you the best of luck, please keep us updated with his progress.

Thanks.
But I needed help in starting him lunging. I've never done it before.
and he was still a little green, he spooks at tents but otherwise he's perfect at our local shows.

& the horse I was trying to teach was professionally trained before we got him, and they nailed into his head to always stay right next to the rider or whoever is working with him it made it more difficult, I'm gonna need someone to help me with him now to walk him so he gets the hang of it.

[DixieGirl]

Have you used a round pin?? Or if you put a stud chain in him/her it gives you horse power so if he pulls away you just pull back and you have more power than he/she.

[cursivenight]

I know How to lunge, I used it to train my own horse, but when we bought him, even as a yearling, he already knew how to lunge in a round pen. so it was easier to build off of that to go to a line.

I have an Idea on how to get him started, but I didn't want to go into doing it until I got a wide range of methods to use. theres usually always more than one way to do things with horses, and different styles of training work of different horses.

Ahhh....I see now. I thought you didn't know how...Then I read your profile and I'm like wait...

Well the first thing I would do is desensitize him from the whip - you don't want him going forward out of fear. There are plenty of ways to do that, but if he trusts you you should simply be able to run it over his back, etc and take it away if he doesn't move.

I'd attach the longe line, and slowly step away, making sure you keep your front towards him, using your body language and the whip to make him stay still. Do that slowly until he knows he's supposed to stay still. Then ask him to go forward - he may instinctively know how, or possibly not. If he turns towards you, move behind him again. Eventually he'll figure it out. You can also stay by his head and start to walk him around and then kind of drift away. That's all I can think of now, but I'm sure I'll think of more later.

[silverleprichuan]

when my trainer works with them she starts out at their side then slowly moves up to about 4-5 feet away. Once they get that she turns sideways and walks sideways with them. She then goes and makes sure the horse still responds to walk, halt, and trot without her right by their side.
Sometimes it takes a while but eventually they learn that its okay if their isn't a person right by their side. Then she starts to use the whip as an extension of her arm to ask them to move away from her. Eventually she works her way up to a 20 meter circle or larger.
The best tip she ever gave me was to make sure to form my "triangle" from the lungeline through my body to the whip which should stay point at the horses hip or near the ground by the hip. Also make sure you stay behind the driving line (at the girth) because if you get ahead of that line the horse will tend to stop, slow down, and sometimes turn around.

[Love My Dun]

Have you used a round pin?? Or if you put a stud chain in him/her it gives you horse power so if he pulls away you just pull back and you have more power than he/she.


We don't have a round pen, and the actual problem is he wants to be next to me all the time... he was trained that way before we bought him.

its turning out to be quite difficult lol.
I'm gonna need one of my friends to help me now tho

[Love My Dun]

Ahhh....I see now. I thought you didn't know how...Then I read your profile and I'm like wait...

Well the first thing I would do is desensitize him from the whip - you don't want him going forward out of fear. There are plenty of ways to do that, but if he trusts you you should simply be able to run it over his back, etc and take it away if he doesn't move.

I'd attach the longe line, and slowly step away, making sure you keep your front towards him, using your body language and the whip to make him stay still. Do that slowly until he knows he's supposed to stay still. Then ask him to go forward - he may instinctively know how, or possibly not. If he turns towards you, move behind him again. Eventually he'll figure it out. You can also stay by his head and start to walk him around and then kind of drift away. That's all I can think of now, but I'm sure I'll think of more later.

Well, the actual problem is that he wants to follow you evrywhere, not stay away from you lol.
he was trained that way before we bought him a few months ago. I thin I'm gonna need someone else to walk him in a circle until he gets it

[Love My Dun]

when my trainer works with them she starts out at their side then slowly moves up to about 4-5 feet away. Once they get that she turns sideways and walks sideways with them. She then goes and makes sure the horse still responds to walk, halt, and trot without her right by their side.
Sometimes it takes a while but eventually they learn that its okay if their isn't a person right by their side. Then she starts to use the whip as an extension of her arm to ask them to move away from her. Eventually she works her way up to a 20 meter circle or larger.
The best tip she ever gave me was to make sure to form my "triangle" from the lungeline through my body to the whip which should stay point at the horses hip or near the ground by the hip. Also make sure you stay behind the driving line (at the girth) because if you get ahead of that line the horse will tend to stop, slow down, and sometimes turn around.

hmm, thats very nice, but this horse has been so desensitized to the whip, he doesn't care about it and will plow right through it to get to me. lol. He won't leave your side. thats how he was trained before we bought him, though. I'm gonna need another person to walk him in a circle until he gets it

[silverleprichuan]

well obviously you have it all figured out. let us know how it goes