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LUNGEING THE YOUNG HORSE.

Our two part article begins with the very basics of Lungeing The Young Horse. Next week, we will go a step further.

Lungeing can be used at any time during the training of your horse, but should never really be considered until your horse is in his third year. When Lungeing the young horse, many faults can be committed which will be responsible for problems in later training so it is vital that the trainer is fully conversant with the procedure. If in doubt, seek help from a qualified trainer.

Before beginning work on the lunge, it is advisable to ask your vet to check his teeth to make sure there are no sharp points or Wolf teeth in need of removing.

Equipment: The horse should be fitted with a snaffle bridle, cavesson, roller or saddle, side reins and protection on all four legs, either boots or securely fitted bandages. The rider will need a lunge whip and rein.

The cavesson should be fitted in such a way that the noseband lies below the cheekbones and on the nose-bone, this way, it will not interfere with his breathing. On the other hand, the cavesson should not be so loose that it rubs his nose. The same attention should be paid to the chin strap. The girth should be sufficiently tight to prevent the saddle or roller from slipping. The side reins should be so long that they have no effect on the horse's mouth.

Choose a quiet, flat, fenced area, ideally a ménage or indoor arena and at least for the first lesson, have someone with you should not all go to plan. Lungeing is one of the first opportunities to form a relationship with your horse in training and he should soon get used to the sound of your verbal commands i.e. "Walk, Trot, Whoa". Work should begin with short periods, maybe no more than 10 minutes.

The horse should be quietly led into the area where his work will begin and the rein should be fastened to the centre ring on the cavesson and the side reins fitted as previously explained.

For the first lesson, lead the horse on a circle to the left, most horses understand lunge work quicker on this rein although work must be practiced on both reins. The centre of the circle, which the horse will later describe, acts as the trainers inside leg, the left leg if the horse is on the left rein. The trainer will pivot around this leg when circles begin.

Allow the horse to get familiar with his surroundings, talk to him saying 'Walk on' and only touch him with the whip if he hangs behind and as he walks up level with your shoulder, praise him with 'Good boy'. Then teach him to stop by applying gentle jerks on the lunge rein accompanied by 'Whoa'. Repeat this exercise several times and as he responds to your commands remember to make a fuss of him 'Good boy' or stroke his neck. If all has gone well, it will now be tempting to take the training a step further but not today. Detach the side reins and gently lead him back to his stable.

Look out for part two next week.

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