Trisha wren ~ Connect With Your Horse

Conventional lunging - no connection between person and horsehorse doing all the workhead position interfered with

Connected lunging – 1 line work -both working equallypersons posture influences the horse horse learns how to connect and come through from behind, softening in front.

The ‘connected’ method of lunging your horse varies from the traditional in a few ways. The connection of the line to the halter is to the side of the horse’s face, rather than to a central ring on a lunging cavesson. The line goes through the side ring, crosses over the noseband, and attaches to the cheek ring on the off side. This configuration encourages the horse to release more correctly at the poll, instead of tilting his head or nose. Secondly, and possibly most importantly, you are going to walk with your horse, instead of standing in one place and sending the horse around you. This enables you to keep the exercise much more interesting and the horse’s posture more correct. Thirdly – and this is where the ‘connection’ comes in – your aim is to ensure that no slack / loop goes in the line between you and the horse. This doesn’t mean that you will be hanging on for grim death – make sure your posture is good, joints soft and absorbing, your elbow is connected to your side and that your hand is soft – more that you are maintaining a clear and consistent communication with the horse. Finally, you will actually be moving your body in different ways in order to support, influence and improve his posture with your own.

I’ll assume your horse knows how to move around you on a lunge line already; my goal here is to help you improve your current technique, rather than teach you how to lunge from scratch. Ask him to walk on, and walk with him; remember your aim is to maintain connection on the line at all times. Start closer to him than you would if you were lunging, maybe 8-10 feet away, and roughly level with his flank area. Now, instead of a circle, think of walking a square, or rectangle; go straight first, concentrating on the forward impulsion. For your corners, slow your feet slightly and start turning (rotating) your torso away from the horse. Point your stick (I use a Tteam ‘wand’, but you could still use your lunge whip, or a dressage stick) at his girth area whilst still asking for forwards, keeping your elbow close to your side. Your posture combined with the direction of the stick will encourage him to bend around you for a few steps, reaching his inside hind further underneath and releasing his head and neck. Straighten back out again. You’ll get into a rhythm where your body is turning in to him slightly to go straight, and away from him on the corners. You using your body in this way in connection travels right up the line and encourages him to do the same with his. You are therefore asking and supporting him to rebalance, come through from behind, and soften in front – instead of leaning on you, rushing, or turning his head to the outside.

If your horse is unsettled at any point, or head high, or heavy, you can try alternate slides on the line. Holding the line in your left hand, reach forward with your right and take the contact, an arms length in front of your left hand. As your right hand starts sliding back towards you on the line your left hand will reach forwards and take the contact; as the left starts sliding back the right reaches forwards and so on. As you do this, let your body go with the side to side rhythm. This is very soothing for the horse, and gives him nothing to lean on whilst also encouraging him to soften and rebalance himself.

Trisha