When you lunge a horse, the horse moves around you on a circle at the end of a lunge line. Lunging can be a very useful exercise for both horse and rider.
It is a safe way to let your horse burn off extra energy without you riding it and can help when teaching your horse obedience. It can also be a good way to bond with your horse by teaching them voice commands and other horsemanship techniques.
When done correctly, lunging can help a horse learn to be more flexible and balanced, as well as increase fitness if the horse has not been working for a while consistently. You can also use it to observe a horse’s gaits to see if it is lame. And, lunging can be done to help a rider learn skills without having to worry about controlling the horse.
So what does lunging actually help with?
Firstly its a huge help with building up your horses fitness.
Whether you’re stepping up a level, want to keep an older horse sound and fit or would just like to be able to ride your horse for longer before the sweating and heavy breathing kicks in, a proper fitness regime is key to building up cardiovascular and muscular strength. And a great way to achieve this is thought consistent lunging program. If you are trying to build fitness you will need to try lunge at least 3 times a week for 20mins.
Another thing lunging is great for is building muscle and helping to improve your horse's natural balance. By working consistently on a circle your horse has you balance themselves on the circle and use their muscles to do this. This will slowly encourage the horse to use build muscle tone. You can also use different lunging aids to help achieve this more effectively. There is a huge variety on the market that helps with different things.
It is imported when lunging your horse to always be careful and wear the proper protective gear. Not all horse react the same when being lunged. And it may take some horses longer than others to get the results you are looking for.
