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Horse Behavior and Training

Lunging or join up?

By:

Roisin!

Date:

2010-Jul-23 at 06:27PM

When asking a horse to do join up for the first time how do they know that its join up and not lunging?[How do you spell longing because I dunno how]

Rudi - Pratteln, Switzerland 2010-Jul-24 at 09:05AM

Dear Roisin!
Indeed longing a horse or sending him away to prepare a Join-Up are very similar. I often call the second possibility as "longing without longe". For the horse the body language is the same. Before the Join-Up you would use more pressure.
Rudi

Roisin! 2010-Jul-24 at 07:55PM

What do you mean use more pressure?

Rudi - Pratteln, Switzerland 2010-Jul-25 at 03:13PM

More pressure means that before the Join-Up you stimulate the horse more with your body language, be more agressive, throw the line behind him. The horse will usually canter because you really want to send him away.

Roisin! 2010-Jul-25 at 08:41PM

Thanks that helps alot. I am going to try again tomorrow.

Roisin! 2010-Jul-29 at 02:02PM

I tried that but I am in a very large arena so I get very tired running around :(

Kansas Jack 2010-Jul-29 at 09:06PM

Roisin,

The horse is supposed to run, not you!

Kansas Jack

Roisin! 2010-Jul-30 at 01:15PM

I have to run around after him to keep him going :(

Kim 2010-Aug-30 at 11:52AM

Maybe you could try to block off one section of the arena with some jumps or roundpen pannels if you have access. If your horse is fairly easy going, even a rope might work- just use a quick release knot in case your horse were to run into it.

horselover 2010-Aug-31 at 02:16AM

How about using the line to throw at your horse, as an extension of your hand, like Monty suggests. That way, the throwing action, gets the horse going.

Steve 2010-Sep-19 at 02:37AM

Might I suggest that you watch the lesson with big brown & pay particular attention to Monty and where he positions himself in relation to the horse. also note that Monty only has a lead rope not a long line.Hope this helps
Steve.

Vio Berlin 2010-Sep-20 at 09:08PM

Hi Rosin! Yes, I guess Steve's advice to watch Monty's Join-Up in the large arena is good. I can tell you from my experience that the better you become with your body language the easier it will be to do Join-Up in an arena. I had to do it often as there hadn't been any RP and I was quite out of breath at the beginning. Use the line and train your eye to anticipate the horses intention where he wants to go, does he want to turn, does he want to pause in the corner, is he scared of the door etc. and you will see that there will be horses who will quite quickly during the prosess of Join-Up just use half the space of the arena because they want to be with you. They just use the circle we often use for training as if they would be tied on a long line and beeing lounged. But there are also those who tend to run into the corners but if you are there in time to send them on just twice ore three times they will stop this and pass the corner. After some sessions you just need to travel up and down in the middle of the arena and you can even ask them in from quite far away. It is real fun ! I am looking forward to read how things are going. Good luck, VioBerlin