Your First Pony - The Art of Lunging

This article is from the January 2021 Horse Deals magazine.

There are many reasons why people lunge their pony; here are just a few of them.

1. Some people lunge before they climb aboard; if the pony is a little fresh, it helps to take the edge off the pony and possibly the rider.

2. To maintain muscle and fitness levels for the pony.

3. If a vet is checking your pony for soundness issues, she or he may ask you to put him on the lunge; this gives the vet the opportunity to observe your pony’s paces without you being on board.

4. To warm up a “girthy” pony that may buck when he feels the girth tighten when you mount.

5. Lunging your pony gives you the chance to observe his paces from the ground. You can ask him to go faster, or slower within the paces, bend on a circle or work closer to, or further away from you, in a controlled manner.

6. We also use the lunge for teaching riders to gain balance, posture and position; our coaches control the pony on the ground, regulating the pony's speed and direction, whilst the rider can focus on themselves.

Do not try this exercise while you are learning to lunge, as this can place the rider, pony, as well as yourself, in harm’s way.

Just because you have watched your friend lunge their pony, does not necessarily make you an expert. Lunging can be quite dangerous to you and your pony if you do not have the practical knowledge.

I strongly advise that you invest in a couple of lunge and in hand lessons, with your coach and ask lots of questions.

When you first start out “Keep It Simple” for both you and your pony. It will take lots of practice! You may try at first with a friend, instead of your pony, clip the lead onto them, get them to go around in a circle whilst you try and hold the lunge rein and the whip at the same time. (Don’t get carried away and ask your friend to trot on using the lunge whip).

Practice lengthening and shorting the lunge lead, keeping the loops that you have in your hand.

Do not wrap the lead around your hand and do not let the lead drag on the ground.

Why? If the pony happened to get a fright and pulled away and the lead was wrapped around your hand, you could possibly cause damage to your hand or a few fingers. If the lead is dragging on the ground, it could get caught around your feet and legs and you could be dragged off into the distance, or be dragged around and around the arena until the pony settles. I am not making this up to frighten you, but it has happened to many riders, so safety first.

Once you can bring your friend in on a small circle and back out on a large circle in a safe and easy manner, you are ready to start with your pony.

Be patient, keep practising and don't give up! Going around in a circle is much more difficult for your pony, than working in a straight line. Also, the smaller the circle, the harder it is for him. I have seen people pull their pony off balance and the poor pony has fallen over ­— it could not do anything else but hit the ground, followed by the handler, saying out loud “stupid pony it fell over.” We know who the stupid one was; the inexperienced handler.

Find an enclosed area for lunging, preferably a sand ring or a small enclosed paddock. Make sure that the ground surface is safe (not full of holes or rocky) for your pony to work on.

To begin with put the bridle on, either take the reins off, or safety rein them. (Loop and tie around the pony’s neck). At this stage there isn’t any need to put on rollers, saddles or lunging gear (particularly the gear that has more cords on it than a parachute). Leave your pony with as much freedom to stretch or to get out of trouble and/or to keep his balance whilst you are learning.

Once the bridle is on, thread the clip end of the lunge lead through the ring of the bit on the side of the direction that you are going to start off with, then through the inside of the nose band and clip, back onto the same bit ring. This way stops the bit from running through your pony’s mouth and offers a kinder control of his head.

Position yourself in the centre of the area that you are using to lunge him, stand and face the middle of his back, hold the lunge lead, with the excess folded back and forward within your hand in loops.

You should be forming a triangle, with the pony's body, the lunge rein and the whip; if you are lunging your pony to the left, hold the lunge rein in your left hand whilst your whip is carried in your right hand and being pointed slightly behind his hindquarters. When you are not using the whip, point it down towards the ground. Try and keep relaxed and breathe easily.

Try and control the pony's speed and pace with our voice aids such as, “walk on,” “trot on,” “canter,” "steady" and “whoa,” using a different and relaxed tone with each command; and in conjunction with the raising and lowering of the whip.

Start off with a small circle around you and then send your pony out onto a larger circle by asking him to “walk on” and allowing the lunge rein to slide through your fingers as he makes the circle bigger, to approximately 18 to
20 metres.

It is preferable to use as large a circle as possible, and to work for only 10 to 15 minute intervals on each side whilst on the lunge. Don’t forget to change direction.

When you are finished lunging, halt your pony using your relaxed voice command “whoa” or “steady.”

Once he has halted, walk towards him taking in the lunge rein as you go. Make sure you fold the rein rather than roll it to lessen the danger of the rein tightening around your hand if he takes off. Give him a big pat. It does not
hurt to rub the pony all over with the lunge whip when you are finished either.

These are just the first baby steps to the art of lunging; but we all must start somewhere. Take your time and be patient with your pony.

Until next month, happy horsing around!

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