how do you teach a horse to lounge?

[SilverCharm]

I have a two year old filly that I would like to teach to lounge but I don't know where to start. I have tried John Lyons way where you tap them with a stick and reward them for moving forward but that didn't work. Does anyone have any ways that worked for them? I don't have a round pen by the way.

Also, at what age would you recommend starting a horse? Two or three?

 

[msscamp]

I have a two year old filly that I would like to teach to lounge but I don't know where to start. I have tried John Lyons way where you tap them with a stick and reward them for moving forward but that didn't work. Does anyone have any ways that worked for them? I don't have a round pen by the way.

Also, at what age would you recommend starting a horse? Two or three?

What do you mean by starting? If you mean just working with them and getting them used to a saddle, blanket, new things and experiences, etc it's never too soon. If you mean breaking them to ride I would wait until they are 2 year olds at the earliest and then I would be careful not to over do it.

As far as lounging goes, a round pen would be easier but if you have a lounge line I would give the horse about 3, maybe 4 feet of lounge line (as the horse has no clue what you are asking, experiment until you find a distance that he/she is comfortable with, but you are still close enough to enforce what you are asking) with the lunge line in one hand and a lead rope long enough to hit the ground with in the other. Point in the direction you want him/her to go and mooch to him/her. If they start out let them go and keep mooching periodically. If not, hit the ground behind/on the opposite side of him/her with the lead rope. It's going to take some patience before the horse gets it figured out, but try not to hit the horse as that will agitate and confuse them. Alternate directions every few rounds to prevent stress on their legs, and if your horse is a 2 year-old don't lounge for more than 15-30 minutes at a time as their growth plates are not closed yet and can be damaged. With a little (I should probably say a lot at first) practice all you will need to do is mooch and they will walk, trot, and canter when you ask. Alan will probably be on in the morning and he will fill in/correct any areas that I have messed up or forgotten. Good luck with your horse!

 

[cowpunk'd]

It's easy to start a horse lounging if it's halter trained, you just have to stay behind the horses eye and use the end of the rope or a whip/stick to push it forward away from you. Of course you wont get a nice round circle at first and you will have to keep yourself in the right position relative to the horse till it figures out what you want. That means you have to keep moving to that position behind the horses eye and pushing it forward until it stops trying to face you and walk up to you, which is probably what it's doing. Be aggressive enough to push the horse off but not so aggressive that you scare her into trying to leave, and tell her she's good when she makes a right move. When she catches on you can push her shoulder to move her away from you to make a bigger circle. To push her shoulder you might have to touch with the whip first, then just pointing the whip at her shoulder will move her out onto a bigger circle. Eventually just you looking at that shoulder will move her out. To whoa, say whoa and step infront of her eye, then walk up to her and praise her.

 

[Alan]

My two cents, I do it pretty much just as mscamp does and how cowpunk'e described with a little difference. I give the horse 3 to 5 ft of line and stand behind the shoulder and always in front of the hip. With the line in hand I extend my arm in the direction I want the horse to move out (I should say, your horse has to be halter trained before this). Then with a lounge whip in my other hand I slowly "flick" or roll my wrist so the end of the whip gentle rolls out on the ground behind the horse, giving the horse the verbal que to move out. Try to keep your horse in a walk or slow jog, short lines (tight circles) are hard on legs, don't scare you horse, keep it calm, that's why a gentle rolling out of the whip on the ground works better than popping the whip (also, you may have to touch the horse with the whip to encourage it to move out, roll the whip out onto the horses hip or back legs). Just as Cowpunk'd said to stop give the verbal comand and step toward the head. Don't allow your horse to come to you without giving it the command, if you do it becomes a problem to fix later. Some like the horse to stop and stand in spot, others like the horse to stop and face you. I have them stand in spot until I ask for them. Be careful of young legs and circles. Ms has already told you how long to work your horse, always quit the training session on a positive note. Even if it's 15 minutes of frustration and 3 steps in the right direction good place to stop and reward him/her.

I usally start longe line training at about 6 months for 5 to 10 minutes a day. I only do 5 to 10 minutes because of young legs and youngsters only have about a 5 minute attention span.

Ms and cowpunk'd do their training very close to what I do, you'll find with horse training there are many ways to get to the same spot. The biggest keys are to have alot of patience, don't scare your horse and always end on a postive note with a reward (I rub or scratch the horses neck or hip or ect. I don't like giving food treats during training...but that's a whole other can of worms).

Good luck,
Alan

 

[Linda]

Make certain of your position in relation to the horse. Do not get even with or in front of the horse's shoulder or the horse will naturally stop. I stay even with or at a slight angle to the horse's hip, but I work in a round pen as opposed to working with a lounge line.. This position allows you to point your whip (which is merely an extension of your arm) toward the flank/hip which encourages the horse to move forward. Make a clucking noise so the horse begins to associate that sound with movement. It will get easier with time. You have to learn and remember that you are using pressure and release of that pressure to teach your horse movement. Pressure can be a movement of your entire body or as small as a flick of your finger. Moving toward the horse creates pressure. You must instantly release that pressure when the horse gives to the pressure (does the movement you are seeking).

Is there someone who would let you learn to lounge a horse by working with their horse under their supervision? This would give you invaluable information and help you tremendously with starting your horse.

 

[Wilson_Cattle_Company]

@ 2 years i would start working with them . I would really suggest a round pen or mabye you can build one with just scrap or something.

swing your end of the rope round n round vertically and just yell at the horse. if he stops smack them on the booty with the rubber deal on your end of the rope and charge him yelling... do anything you can to get the horse moving but at the same time reassure the horse you are not going to hurt him. If you don't you might have a hard time catching him again. After you work him go cool him off pet him n talk to him feed him {once you walked him good} grain from ur hand and rub m on the neck and forehead. horses are very sensitive about these areas. petting them there reassures the animal. also rub their withers gently this will relax the animal.

hope this helps .. let us know how hes a doin!

Avery

 

[Missyclare]

Lots of good advice here. When lungeing, you're teaching them to drive from the hip. John Lyons definitely has given the right advice and it should have worked (pressure and release for reward) I have a feeling that you quit too soon and that's why it didn't work for you. Remember, that the horse should be calmer when done than when you started and you must keep the yourself safe. How is she with the leading lessons? Walk, trot, ho, back, turning? Reviewing these things will go a long way to graduate to lungeing and the horse moving out on his own. Always remember to work both sides. The hip bone should be your target area. This is the target that other horses use when getting another horse to move. Stand just behind the girth and tap the hip bone with the whip lightly and consistantly until the horse steps forward. Look at the hip bone, focus on it and keep tapping. As soon as she does, stop and reward. The sooner you stop and reward, the sooner the horse will understand that she did the right thing. If she doesn't move, then just keep tapping him and bugging him until she does. It's all about giving a cue and to keep on giving the cue while the horse explores all his options, then finally doing the right thing. You have to learn to wait for it, then release promptly at that magic moment when she does the right thing. I think you started out doing the right thing, just a little more patience and focus and you'll have it. This is the right way to go about anything that you try to teach. Carry on and good luck!

 

[sweetyp]

also never to forget that you have to finish on a good note. It has to be fun for the horse or you'll have one hell of a time getting it to do as you want.

 

[persianhorse]

Single line longeing puts a horse off balance, with his spine in a counter arc.
Round pen is the best but you dont have one.
A loose horse moving naturally is balanced,and moves in a natural arc.
The long line going inside stirrup are balanced and the horse is moving as he would naturally.
The Jimmy Williams longeing surcingle is a good tool for all directions and backing which is important.
Do not single line longe your horse.
Single line longein:
1-Throws the horse off balance.
2-Causes the horse to cross canter.
3-Damages ligaments,tendons and muscle.
Wish you the best result.