Why do you lunge with side reins?
Side reins are essential in helping the horses understand the contact with the bit. Lunging is an art in itself, meaning you can teach a horse a tremendous amount about how you expect him to respond when ridden, help the horse to find his balance without having to balance a riders weight, the concept of moving away from inside pressure to the outside rein (which cannot be accomplished without side reins) and horses have a chance to “figure it out on their own” without the interference from a rider. After all, side reins can never pull on the horses mouth like a rider can and the horse can learn to flex correctly. Correct adjustment of the side reins for the level of the horses abilities is crucial and used mostly in the trot. All of the nuances of lunging are too vast to cover in one paragraph.
3 responses to “Why do you lunge with side reins?”
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Allison says: Hi. I am retraining g a horse who had a beginner rider. She needs to learn to accept the bit. How often should I lunge? I was always taught no more than 20 minutes 3 times a week. What do you do ? Thanks.
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Kali says:
Answered by Art2Ride Associate Trainers:
Carol Kurtz Darlington: I would check out the pinned posts in the FB Fans and Followers group which will explain a lot and really help you get started. You will also learn about work in hand, which might be a great first step even before lunging, depending on the horse. I hope this helps you! CAT@A2R
Angel Klawiter: Lunging depends on your horse and its condition. If the horse is having trouble accepting the bit then I would start with work in hand first and get a deep consistent stretch where the horse is moving into the outside rein and stepping into the contact without breaking over and coming behind the vertical. Then at this stage you can move on to lounging. Take it slow and do only what you find your horse can calmly do without going around hollow for to long. Lounging is as effective as any other form of training as long as it is done correctly. Good Luck! Angel AT@A2R
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Thank you. I will.
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Hi. I am retraining g a horse who had a beginner rider. She needs to learn to accept the bit. How often should I lunge? I was always taught no more than 20 minutes 3 times a week. What do you do ? Thanks.
Answered by Art2Ride Associate Trainers:
Carol Kurtz Darlington: I would check out the pinned posts in the FB Fans and Followers group which will explain a lot and really help you get started. You will also learn about work in hand, which might be a great first step even before lunging, depending on the horse. I hope this helps you! CAT@A2R
Angel Klawiter: Lunging depends on your horse and its condition. If the horse is having trouble accepting the bit then I would start with work in hand first and get a deep consistent stretch where the horse is moving into the outside rein and stepping into the contact without breaking over and coming behind the vertical. Then at this stage you can move on to lounging. Take it slow and do only what you find your horse can calmly do without going around hollow for to long. Lounging is as effective as any other form of training as long as it is done correctly. Good Luck! Angel AT@A2R
Thank you. I will.