The Time, Place and Reasons for Lunging

I received two questions these past couple weeks relating to lunging. Kathy wrote "Do you still make lunge lines? I have been using what I think is a dressage lunge line that is flat just kind of difficult to hold onto when I lunge my horse so I'm looking for another rope type lunge line". The second question was when MK asked "where does lunging fit in to my ground work and how often do or should I lunge a horse?"

First of all. Let's settle on the term "Lunging". Most people would think of lunging is having a horse on the end of a line and driving it in circles, such as in a round pen. No, I do not make lunge lines, which I often called driving lines, anymore. Other places are offering these tools which are better quality than I can make and well worth the cost. Craig Cameron offers a pair of 25 foot driving lines, here is the link: https://www.craigcameronstore.com/product24.html

A person could use one of these driving lines if they wanted to conventionally lunge a horse on the end of the a long line. Yet, you would still have two driving lines in case you wanted to ground drive a horse. Ground driving a horse and lunging a horse which would see about the same amount of use, pretty much minimal, in preparing a horse. But they are good tools to have on hand and if you work with a lot of horses, maybe they get used. I'll address that further.

My reasoning on Lunging Initially, lunging a very green or even unhandled horse, is something I'll do and find useful to me. However, sometimes depending on the horse's energy and anxiety, I'll just let them loose in a round pen and allow them to trot or canter circles to get used to me. Periodically, I'll get in front of the horse and turn them in the other direction, which usually results in a horse turn away me from putting his butt to me. I accept that for the first session. I work to get the horse stopping and facing up, but many times they won't be faced upped with both eyes on me. Sometimes it'll just be a eye but you can tell from the demeanor that curiosity is beginning to replace anxiety or fear. I'll often walk in and get a touch on the horse then back away. I may move the horse around again, or re-approach and tie a long line (22 to 25 foot driving line) to the halter - I used rope halters with tied on 12 to 14 foot lead ropes so I simply untie the lead to tie on the long line. Then I'll drive the horse and use the long line, which gives me leverage and safety, to stop and give to pressure, pulling them to a turn to face me up. These pulls are just pulls and not jerks. I'll let the long line get taunt then pull. If everything goes well, that may be the last time I use a long line. I'll switch back to a 12-14 foot lead rope and do much the same as the horse gets more comfortable with being on the end of a line, more comfortable with me close to him and starting to understand giving to pressure of me pulling it to a stop and facing up.

On the 12-14 foot lead rope as I'm asking them to stop, and turn to face up, I am asking the horse to untrack (sometimes called disengage) his back end by stepping underneath himself with the inside hind foot and over (in front of) the outside hind foot. I'll do this on a green horse until there is progress with the horse giving to pressure on the lead line to stop and face up, and he untracks his back end. Progress will be reflected with the horse being less bracy on the lead line, and the head not flying up in reaction to the pressure. I work to ask him to stop and face up with diminishing pressure to match his understanding of what I'm asking. Nobody wants horse who every time a lead line of rein is picked up, the head flies up in reaction to the pressure. On older horses this is usually a reaction to feeling the pressure and expecting pain following the initial signal. This is the place to get a green horse expecting fair and soft handling which will develop into moving on a soft feel.

As the horse develops a better understanding, The lunging on a 12-14 foot lead rope becomes moving them in circles with the intent of the horse tipping his head slightly to the inside, moving on a loose lead line and putting the inside hind foot on the ground underneath himself. If the horse puts his head to the outside and straightens out (takes the slack out of) the lead line, as the lead line becomes taunt I'll bump his head back to the inside and again offer a loose lead line.

On free lunging. Once I get a saddle on a green horse, I turn them loose to move (walk, trot or even lope) circles in the round pen......whatever they need to do. Some will buck a few times then settle down to trotting. Some may buck several times around the round pen. This is normal. Big change to their lives with something strapped to their back and often creaking or slapping them some. On an interesting note, there is this where a well known horseman, who I highly respect, but I did not agree with when he said you once you turn a green horse loose with a saddle on, you have to do whatever you can to not let him buck. And he demonstrated re-directing the a colt bucking with a saddle by getting in front of him and using a flag. From my perspective, he was successful in getting the horse to change direction but not to stop bucking, and all I think he did was to raise the horse's anxiety or fear level. I just prefer to let them run around and buck. One or two turns of the round pen and they are usually done with bucking as they figure out they don't need to buck. The 2 year old sorrel horse in the photos, Zeke, was a pretty funny exception. He was a very quiet horse through ground work but once I put the saddle on the turned him loose, he ran around 6 or 8 times around the round pen bucking the whole time, then I drew him to me and he trotted up and started bucking in place. I couldn't do much for a minute or two since I was laughing so hard. So I'm getting off track here, back to free lunging.

Sometimes, after I saddle up a riding horse or even a colt who has had a few rides, I will sometimes use the round pen to let him move around warming up. In my reasoning this is halfway between the horse being left alone in his pen, and you riding him, as you have a saddle on him. but you are not tearing up any country. I have said before in other writings that if you ride a horse, it's worth it to warm him up. And while this is also warming up his mind, reminding he horse that you will soon on his back and directing him, it also allows the rider to see if there are any lameness or gait issues.

Most often on a riding horse after saddling I will direct him with the lead end of the mecate reins in circles at a walk and trot, stopping, untracking his rear end, bringing his front end over and going the other direction for the same reason's I warm a horse up. If gives a horse a chance to let some air out, and allows me to re-tighten the front cinch as it loosens just a bit as the horse's relaxes some. So I'm trying to get something out of the horse while giving something fair. I think if you aren't lunging with a purpose in mind the horse will likely figure that out and becomes distracted from you.

More on Ground Driving

I received a couple of questions on ground driving and thought I would answer them here to clear up any questions from the previous article on ground driving.


Yes, Jack, I think this is something you can do with your colt prior to your first ride. I would make sure your colt was giving to lateral pressure or following your reins or lead line when you ask him to tip his head to one side and the other. The pressure or pull coming from the driving lines, run through the stirrups to either a bosal or halter is going to be different as it comes narrower angle than when you are using a lead line and standing at the horse's shoulder asking him to give to the pressure because you are normally pulling at a much greater angle in a more lateral manner giving the horse a clearly signal.

Lynn asked is she would be able to use her  driving lines just by attaching them to the bottom part of the bosal? Or should be get smaller diameter bosal like I was using in the video? 

I wrote Lynn separately but did not include any pictures. Sometimes bosals are fairly thick where the bolt or other snap on driving/lunge lines can't connect to them,.....at least the size bolt snaps I use on the lunge lines/driving lines that I make.  So I was throwing feed yesterday morning, thinking about how I would connect driving lines to one of my thicker bosals, when I had what people back east call an epiphany. It's not like I get these often. In fact, I clearly remember my last epiphany when I caught my wife's favorite oven mitt on fire and my epiphany was that "I'm in big trouble."   I ended up blaming it on the cat (believe me - he deserved it) and everything was okay. But back to driving lines,....... I thought of making a small set of slobber straps to go around the bosal where I could connect the bolt snap of the driving lines to.   About 30 minutes later, using some scrap leather, I came up with the connectors in the picture above where you can see the bolt snap on the white driving line is connected to the mini slobber strap around the bosal just above the heel knot.        

As far as tying up the reins, if I had mecate reins, I would loop the reins part of the mecate around the saddle horn, then tie the lead line portion of the mecate around the horn. I use a clove hitch knot for this and snug it down.    

This keeps the rein portion of the mecate from bouncing over the saddle horn and becoming a problem such as the horse stepping through it.

If using spilt reins, I just tie the reins in a square know around the horn.  The picture at right is how I had the reins secured in the ground driving video.
 
However, if you were ground driving with as halter just remove the lead line.

Ground Driving Your Horse

A computer crash did away with many questions people have sent to me along with pictures and videos that I intended to use to try and answer with. Someone wrote to me several months ago about ground driving their horse, which is basically moving and controlling your horse by using reins from a position on the ground and behind your horse. The first time I saw this was maybe 8 or 9 years ago when Craig Cameron demonstrated it.  It made sense to me then and ever since I have it in my tool bag to use when I think the horse can benefit from it.

Ground driving is something that can help a horse that is troubled by rein control under movement or having an issue with someone his back and trying to accept direction from pressure on the reins. It can be good preparation before that first ride or a tool on a horse that is still a little troubled after the first couple rides.

Using long lead lines or lunge lines, you feed the snap end of the line through the stirrups and connect to the halter. I would not use any bit when ground driving because there is a lot of rope to handle and an increased chance that the horse may get into trouble like stepping on the line and cutting his tongue. So I use either a halter or a bosal and I'll clip the bolt snap of the lunge line to the cheek piece of the halter or to the bosal just above the heel knot. I'm using 25 foot long lunge lines that I make from 1/2 inch diameter yacht braid rope putting a brass bolt snap on one end. Twenty Five feet is a pretty good length for an all around lunge line/driving line but some people ask me to make them shorter ropes in the 20 to 23 feet length,...just personal preference, but it needs to be long enough to allow you to stay at a safe distance from the horse's rear feet.

Before you start ground driving your horse be sure that he is okay with ropes across his butt, hocks and lower legs. Before I get to the point of ground driving a horse, I would have already sacked him out on ropes around his legs, hocks and butt. But it's important enough to check that he is good with it again before you ground drive him. If you have reins attached to a bosal like I do, either remove them or tie them up securely so it won't be an issue coming loose and having the horse step through them.

Make sure when you pickup the ends of the lines that you are far enough away from the horse not to get kicked - sacking him out on ropes across his butt and rear legs will help minimize a reason to kick, but be careful nonetheless. You are only really using one line at a time. The idea is to keep a loose line only putting a little pressure on one line to get his head tipped for a change of direction and using one line to flick it against his barrel, like you would use leg pressure, for a cue to go forward or to increase his gait. Start off at the walk and don't go to the trot until you and your horse are good at changes of direction and stopping at the walk.

Remember that if you or your horse gets into trouble at any time, let go of one of the lines and bend your horse to a stop with the other line.