Lunging horses – why bother? Part 2

I’ve learned SO much about horses by watching them – I’ve sure benefited by watching countless horses revolving around me on a lunge line, studying movement, facial expressions. More than a chance to blow off steam, lunging is an extension of my training.
And lunging benefits the horse –  if done correctly,

1. Lunging teaches a green horse to organize and balance himself at all gaits and in transitions, without the added factor of a rider. The horse learns to slip, not blast, into upward transitions.   He discovers that opting for the inside lead takes less effort that the outside lead and that cross-cantering feels really awkward.

•  The lungee  (horse) learns to keep his attention tethered to the hub of the wheel – the lunger. Through the lunging process, I ask the horse follows my initiative and respond to my body language The onus is on me to be readable and fair.
  
  
• Lunging is a useful tool in a new environment to test my horse’s attentiveness before climbing aboard. “Even though you’re experiencing sensory overload right now, let’s remember those skills you’re familiar with here, just like we practiced at home.”
  
  
• Re-establishing the building blocks in your training foundation at the start of a session is like a circle check before driving your truck and trailer. Are all systems working well before we take it on the road?  Voice commands, yielding to pressure – the language we use on the ground extends to the conversation under saddle. We speak the same language at home and at a horse show. Skipping training steps inevitably leads to stepping backwards in the process – a false economy.

Find Part 3 on the Canadian Horse Journal’s website https://www.horsejournals.com/riding-training/general/ground-work-handling/lunging-your-horse-waste-time