HELP! Lunging...

Tallboots · 08-18-2008, 05:25 PM

So I recently tried to lunge my horse and he acted like a monster..

I asked him to move out and he struck out toward me. Then when I finally got him out I pointed the whip at his hip and he took off, broke the circle pattern, galloped down the ring bucking like a mad man! So I tried it again, I got the whip toward his hip, no difficulties, but when I asked him to move up a gait (asked with my voice) he took off and broke the cirlce pattern and continued to buck crazily.

So at that point I've decided its unsafe for me to try to lunge him, so I go to get my instructor to help me - she's tied up until 7, it was 6 at the time - I knew I couldn't wait an hour - he'd think he'd gotten away with something.

So I asked one of the more experienced girls, who works with horses that have difficulty lunging all the time.

She gets him out on the circle and asks him to move forward and he charged toward her. The barn manager saw this - and then she lunged him.

It took an hour of straight lunging for him to make one circle without having an incident

The thing is he's NEVER done this before. He's always had his "quirks" on the lunge line, but I could work past them and give him a nice work out.

I'm pretty sure that there is nothing wrong with him - the vet was out a week ago - I'm sure he would have caught it if he had an issue.

Any suggestions?

_Tink_ · 08-18-2008, 05:28 PM

maybe he was just feeling good?
how long has it been since he was worked last?
the seasons are changing,
its getting cooler
mares are in heat,
it could be a number of things.
try lunging him again tomorrow or the next day.
is he like this under saddle?

Tallboots · 08-18-2008, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by _Tink_

maybe he was just feeling good?
how long has it been since he was worked last?
the seasons are changing,
its getting cooler
mares are in heat,
it could be a number of things.
try lunging him again tomorrow or the next day.
is he like this under saddle?

Maybe.. I've been keeping him in shape, riding every day, if not every other. We only have four mares at our barn - kept very far away from the geldings and even when they weren't last spring he didn't even bat an eye at them.

Today he was okay.. I w/t/c him around the property and worked on rounding, he popped a couple bucks, but they were more playful then anything, I still corrected him though.. just in case.

_Tink_ · 08-18-2008, 05:34 PM

sounds like hes just enjoying life

ETA: does he have a pasture that he can romp around in?
maybe before/after your workout you can let him out to go buckwild.

Tallboots · 08-18-2008, 05:35 PM

Quote:

sounds like hes just enjoying life

A little too much for my taste. Haha.

jhalton · 08-18-2008, 05:37 PM

Does he have a favorite side to lunge? Which side were you asking him to? Has he been worked hard lately - maybe feeling sore?

My gelding lets me know when he cant by showing some of these signs - not wanting to go, maybe a headshake, maybe a little rear - this is when something is hurting (usually his hip which he injured in a slip earlier). He is 21 so I do cut him some slack with the lunging, and just hand-walk or hand-trot for a week or so. Did you try pressing beside his spine (about an inch out) all along his spine to see if he has pain there? He may need a chiro adjustment.

If he is not normally like this then it suggests pain to me.

Also, maybe he is bored stiff with the lunging? But I dont know how often you do it.

Tallboots · 08-18-2008, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Does he have a favorite side to lunge? Which side were you asking him to? Has he been worked hard lately - maybe feeling sore?

My gelding lets me know when he cant by showing some of these signs - not wanting to go, maybe a headshake, maybe a little rear - this is when something is hurting (usually his hip which he injured in a slip earlier). He is 21 so I do cut him some slack with the lunging, and just hand-walk or hand-trot for a week or so. Did you try pressing beside his spine (about an inch out) all along his spine to see if he has pain there? He may need a chiro adjustment.

If he is not normally like this then it suggests pain to me.

Also, maybe he is bored stiff with the lunging? But I dont know how often you do it.

Yes. He favors the left - the side I lunged him on. When he was acting up a little more I switched sides and it got worse. No, he hasn't been worked that hard, and his back was perfect. I highly doubt he's sore.. considering I got on him and rode him up from his field and he was fine.. I only lunge him about 5- 10 times a month.. I use it as a work out before a lesson or if I don't have as much time as I'd like to ride.

Quote:

ETA: does he have a pasture that he can romp around in?
maybe before/after your workout you can let him out to go buckwild

See thats the strange thing, he's out in the pasture for most of the day and he just walks around and eats. When I give him free rein in one of the arenas he just walks around and sniffs the dirt, then proceeds to give me the "Why-am-I-in-here-look". When I pick up a whip and crack it he continues to stare at me. He shows no interest of moving forward until he gets put on the lunge line.

What I've written above probably sounds like him disrespecting me, it's a little hard to explain, but he's not. He doesn't turn and face me, he just stands squarely and turns his head my direction.

_Tink_ · 08-18-2008, 05:48 PM

do you have a lunge line with a nose chain on it?
if hes disrespecting you then it might help control him a little more.

Tallboots · 08-18-2008, 06:04 PM

Quote:

do you have a lunge line with a nose chain on it?
if hes disrespecting you then it might help control him a little more.

I myself was not using one, but the barn manager switched to a lunging cavason (sp) and he was still the same..

FincaPerlitas · 08-18-2008, 06:30 PM

Assuming you're not dealing with a pain issue, you've got an attitude problem.

Before lunging him, I'd work with him for a while with a short lead taking him through all of his yields, backwards and forward, lowering his head, and most importantly, turning on the forehand to face you.

What you're trying to do is get his attention focused on you, tell him that this isn't playtime, and put him into a trainable state of mind.

If you get his attention first and he understands its time to go to work, you should solve this problem fairly easily.

08-18-2008, 05:25 PM	#1
Tallboots Full Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Maryland Posts: 108 Images: 3 Blog Entries: 3	HELP! Lunging... So I recently tried to lunge my horse and he acted like a monster.. I asked him to move out and he struck out toward me. Then when I finally got him out I pointed the whip at his hip and he took off, broke the circle pattern, galloped down the ring bucking like a mad man! So I tried it again, I got the whip toward his hip, no difficulties, but when I asked him to move up a gait (asked with my voice) he took off and broke the cirlce pattern and continued to buck crazily. So at that point I've decided its unsafe for me to try to lunge him, so I go to get my instructor to help me - she's tied up until 7, it was 6 at the time - I knew I couldn't wait an hour - he'd think he'd gotten away with something. So I asked one of the more experienced girls, who works with horses that have difficulty lunging all the time. She gets him out on the circle and asks him to move forward and he charged toward her. The barn manager saw this - and then she lunged him. It took an hour of straight lunging for him to make one circle without having an incident The thing is he's NEVER done this before. He's always had his "quirks" on the lunge line, but I could work past them and give him a nice work out. I'm pretty sure that there is nothing wrong with him - the vet was out a week ago - I'm sure he would have caught it if he had an issue. Any suggestions? __________________ This is a girl, who fell in love with horses... and never looked back.

08-18-2008, 05:28 PM	#2
_Tink_ Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: New York Posts: 1,394 Images: 66	maybe he was just feeling good? how long has it been since he was worked last? the seasons are changing, its getting cooler mares are in heat, it could be a number of things. try lunging him again tomorrow or the next day. is he like this under saddle? __________________ COLIN THE RED <3

08-18-2008, 05:34 PM	#4
_Tink_ Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: New York Posts: 1,394 Images: 66	sounds like hes just enjoying life ETA: does he have a pasture that he can romp around in? maybe before/after your workout you can let him out to go buckwild. __________________ COLIN THE RED <3

08-18-2008, 05:48 PM	#8
_Tink_ Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: New York Posts: 1,394 Images: 66	do you have a lunge line with a nose chain on it? if hes disrespecting you then it might help control him a little more. __________________ COLIN THE RED <3

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08-18-2008, 05:37 PM	#6
jhalton Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Australia Posts: 529 Images: 13 Blog Entries: 39	Does he have a favorite side to lunge? Which side were you asking him to? Has he been worked hard lately - maybe feeling sore? My gelding lets me know when he cant by showing some of these signs - not wanting to go, maybe a headshake, maybe a little rear - this is when something is hurting (usually his hip which he injured in a slip earlier). He is 21 so I do cut him some slack with the lunging, and just hand-walk or hand-trot for a week or so. Did you try pressing beside his spine (about an inch out) all along his spine to see if he has pain there? He may need a chiro adjustment. If he is not normally like this then it suggests pain to me. Also, maybe he is bored stiff with the lunging? But I dont know how often you do it.

08-18-2008, 06:30 PM	#10
FincaPerlitas Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: San Jose, Costa Rica, Central America Posts: 177 Images: 8	Assuming you're not dealing with a pain issue, you've got an attitude problem. Before lunging him, I'd work with him for a while with a short lead taking him through all of his yields, backwards and forward, lowering his head, and most importantly, turning on the forehand to face you. What you're trying to do is get his attention focused on you, tell him that this isn't playtime, and put him into a trainable state of mind. If you get his attention first and he understands its time to go to work, you should solve this problem fairly easily.