Teaching Your Equine to Lunge
(page 49) When teaching your equine to lunge on a lunge line, it is advisable to practice in the Round Pen before lunging in an open area so he learns to keep his body erect while bending through his rib cage and keeping the lunge line loose while circling (photo #1). As he circles, squeeze your little finger lightly to take up some slack on the lunge line in sync with his outside front leg as it comes forward in suspension. If he has trouble keeping slack in the line in the open arena, lunge him first in the corner of the open arena before lunging him on the arc of the circle in the middle of the arena (photo #2). Breaking things down into easy and doable steps to clarify tasks for your equine will greatly minimize resistant behaviors.
To begin in the open arena, give him a little slack in the lunge line and then gently tap the ground behind him to send him onto the circle at the walk (photo #3). If he remains calm after a full circle at the walk, you can let out some of the slack in the lunge line and ask for the trot on a larger circle. Keep him on the arc of the circle by squeezing your little finger lightly to take up some slack on the lunge line in sync with his outside front leg as it comes forward in suspension. This is the same cue he learned while lunging in the Round Pen. This will help him to stay erect, hold the arc and bend his rib cage to the arc of the circle (photo #4).
As he gains core muscle strength in good equine posture, he will be better able to keep slack in both the “Elbow Pull” postural device and in the lunge line while circling around you. Repetition of these exercises with the “Elbow Pull,” over a long period of time while lunging, ground driving and then riding, will help him to establish a new and more balanced way of moving in good posture naturally. This also provides him with a new ideal posture during play and resting. Learn how to build good health, and keep your equine free of anxiety and resistance. Check in the various sections under TRAINING on my website at www.luckythreeranch.com.
