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Discussion: cantering a horse while lunging?
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thoroughbred4421 |
cantering a horse while lunging?
Jun 22 2009, 8:19 PM EDT
I have a three year old gelding that i am training. i have trained before, but not with much ground work, mostly get on and go tire them out. i am trying to learn as much as i can about "natural" training. on that note, we successfully walk and trott during the lunge, but i can not get him to canter. i start with small pressure and put smaller amounts at a time with my ques. once he even went two strides and i released to allow him to know that he did it a little. since he has not. any suggestions?
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MustangMike |
1. RE: cantering a horse while lunging?
Jun 22 2009, 9:43 PM EDT
"I have a three year old gelding that i am training. i have trained before, but not with much ground work, mostly get on and go tire them out. i am trying to learn as much as i can about "natural" training. on that note, we successfully walk and trott during the lunge, but i can not get him to canter. i start with small pressure and put smaller amounts at a time with my ques. once he even went two strides and i released to allow him to know that he did it a little. since he has not. any suggestions?"First of all, having a definate plan and goal is critical to longing. Personally, I don't do much of it myself. Longing, as generally used by the vast majority of folks, isn't really training. It's good for conditioning and exercise, but it's a LOT of boring circles for very little gain. Groundwork, natural horsemanship style, is more direct, to the point and defines a specific task or goal to be achieved. All that having been said, cantering is a natural gait for the horse, so if you're seeing a severe reluctance to engage the hindquarters and canter, I'd first look to two possibilites: 1. Check the horse for back, leg, or shoulder issues; 2. If you are using a small round pen (smaller than 50'), your horse may be feeling claustrophobic. If neither of these points is the root of the problem, I'd recommend getting a local trainer to come and watch what you are doing and see if they can detect the root cause (perhaps you're not sufficiently aft of the drive line, etc). Just as an afterthought: Does he canter in the pasture with other horses or on his own? If he does, then either claustrophobia or miscues are likely the problem. Cheers, Michael 2 out of 2 found this valuable. Do you? |
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thoroughbred4421 |
2. RE: cantering a horse while lunging?
Jul 1 2009, 8:03 AM EDT
thank you for the reply. i think the line was too short.
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Naildrivingman |
3. RE: cantering a horse while lunging?
Jul 5 2009, 7:48 AM EDT
Many people will watch Clinton Anderson and others, free longe their horses in a 10' circle and wonder why their horse can't do the same. We board at a training facility and the first time I saw one of the horses cantor while barely making forward progress was an amazing site. The amount of training and muscle control that goes into keeping the speed down while getting the footfalls correct to match a particular gait is incredible. It sounds like you discovered the issue in that your line was too short.I agree with Michael on the longing. I will longe my horse for 10-20 revolutions at a walk and trot in both directions, just to get him loosend up and make sure all the tack stays where it should. Beyond that, I don't longe much. Chris Do you find this valuable? |
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thoroughbred4421 |
4. RE: cantering a horse while lunging?
Jul 6 2009, 8:45 PM EDT
i only longe for ten to fifteen minutes to get his direct attention, and then we go to ground work. he is doing great, I probably have taken a long time to get where we r, but our relationship is great because of it. he respects me, and does anything. The first time I bridled him, he sucked the bit in like he had had one in before. he did play a little at first, but now is relaxed. he is very laid back. the saddle i can put it anywhere. the only thing i wish i had the confidence to do is lay all over him bare back like clinton anderson does. I'd fall on my head!
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mammothhorsefrk |
5. RE: cantering a horse while lunging?
Jul 7 2009, 1:19 AM EDT
ya, my friend does that with her horse, its easy to lay back on them with no saddle, if they are in there stall, or round pen, so they dont start running around, but it is very fun, and makes your horse trust you more
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