ARTIFICIAL & TRAINING AIDS - Lunging
There are so many different things you can buy to 'help' your riding
skills such as whips, spurs, martingales and all those new fangled ropes
to get your horses head on the bit etc.
Most of these only offer temporary relief and like the vice stoppers
don't get to the problem at all, they just mask over it and treat the
symptoms. You usually find no matter what you do artificially has to
be done over and over again in the vain attempt that one day your horse
will 'get it' and everything will be fine.
The only real way to get things like impulsion, flexion, on the bit,
engagement of the hindlegs and for your horse to really listen to you
is by gradual training. You need to try to learn what makes your horse
tick and to use that to your advantage. In learning how your horse thinks
you are finally getting into his mind and if he finds that at last you
can "talk" his language he'll respect you rather than fear
your repremands. To learn from an inspiring teacher who gets you to
enjoy your horse without fear of loosing control is a teacher worth
his/her weight in gold. Usually most of us get towards this sort of
understanding of horses after we've learnt and practiced all the bad
habits. Wouldn't it be wonderful to be taught from the beginning, no
matter what age, exactly what it is that makes a horse go so well for
some people. I believe that most of the faults that people have with
their horses (things that make their horses 'bad') is to do with the
lack of understanding, no matter how long they've been riding, some
people still don't get what riding a horse is all about.
To use whips and spurs to scare your horse into moving is wrong. I
would like to see whips taken away from adults and young people who
use them so commonly without thinking, and spurs should only be used
as a superbly refined communication tool with dressage, like bits they
can and should only be used by people who don't abuse them but preferably
not at all. When I finally learnt to ride without a bit or whip my horse
responded wonderfully, we have no more battles about which way to go,
no more pulling on the bit to stop and more fun, isn't that what it's
supposed to be, FUN?
It can be very difficult and frustrating when you have a horse that
won't do what you want, but consider natural training for you and your
horse, learn to talk Equus and you'll be amazed at the results. Sometimes
we have to admit that the horse we have isn't for us, sometimes people
buy horses for their looks and don't care enough for the horse to have
a good relationship with it. Then the problems start. Most blame the
horse for all sorts of things which go wrong when it ourselves who at
fault, and under expert tuition, can be put right. But to keep on tormenting
your horse with fear and yourself with stress isn't fair on either of
you. Sort it out naturally. Don't be tempted to keep hitting and kicking
your horse harder and harder thinking it'll work in the end. IT WONT.
The other thing which seems to be very popular at the moment is training
aids. You should always consider very carefully before trying any artificial
training aids as they could not only injure your horse physically but
also mentally. A horse who is ridden properly, carefully and with a
fitness program thought out well, will almost certainly gain the correct
head position himself, will learn how to engage his hindlegs naturally
and most of all will not damage any muscles doing it. These things take
time and patience. Lets face it all horses walk, trot, canter and gallop
beautifully in their fields and in the wild and the only thing they
have to learn is how to do all that with the unnatural weight of a person
on their backs. If we learn to balance ourselves correctly and in a
light way we can help our horses learn to carry themselves beautifully
with us on their backs.
We should not be encouraged to use 'quick fixes' for our horses, in
the end they usually fail. We must learn that all good things take time
and are worth waiting for.
Lunging
This form of training has never made much sense to me. It involves
a horse going around in an endless circle on a lead. How boring. I've
been told that it's very good for developing muscles, for teaching voice
commands and for quietening high spirits before riding, but what I believe
it does is it gets the horse to 'switch-off' and can sometimes cause
the horse to think you don't want it near which can become an issue
when you do want him near you like in catching.
The heavy caveson head collar used for lunging, with the rope coming
from the front of the nose puts a very unnatural weight here and causes
the horse to tip his head unnaturally to the outside of the circle to
counterbalance. Repetative small circles are not at all natural to
horses and it can damage joints, tendons and ligaments. Some studies
have proved that lunging can cause unnatural calcification of joints,
so please seriously think about this before making any horse do it.
Long-lining with two reins is much better as the horse goes forwards,
uses the same commands as if you were in the saddle therefore preparing
him in the same way, the horses head is in a more natural position keeping
his muscular, nervous and skeletal systems in balance. It's also wonderful
exercise for you too. Going around fields and eventually onto tracks
is not only better for your horse but more interesting for you both.
Also with horses that need exercise but can't be ridden it's wonderful
for getting them out of the field.