My horse will NOT lunge?

And this is why beginners should not buy green horses.

Get a trainer to help you.

Dunfilly experienced trainers working with a truly difficult horse don't go running to Y!A for help -.- Herp and derp.

One of two things is happening here: Either the horse isn't understanding what you want from him or he's not taking you seriously. I'm going to describe for you the technique I use. I longe with a 12-foot rope...I'm assuming you're using a much longer line but to begin with I suggest you use a shorter one. A rope halter is also a good idea. (You don't need a whip here.)

1) Stand about 3-4 feet away from your horse's body, roughly where his neck meets his shoulder or a little behind this point. You don't want to be in front of this area or your horse might think you're asking him to move backwards or away. You want him to move forward. Stay behind his drive line.

2) This is for going to the left. Hold the rope about 6 feet from the halter in your left hand, raise your arm, and point to the left. Hold the tail end in your right hand. Maintain eye contact.

3) Still pointing, swing the end of the rope toward your horse's neck a couple of times. If he doesn't move forward at this suggestion, let the swinging rope "bump" his neck. If he still doesn't move, let the rope bump his face. You're not being unkind, you're matching his resistance.

4) So at this point if he's still just standing there, you have to get more assertive. Keep swinging, and start moving toward his shoulder while you look him directly in the eye. Make your steps energetic and raise your arms. Increase the bumping the rope as necessary.

5) Once he gets moving, stop swinging but still hold that eye contact. Keep your left arm pointing left, indicating the right direction. Have him go around a few laps. If he slows down without being asked, swing your rope like you did a moment ago.

You're going to follow the same steps going right, except your left hand becomes your right, etc. When you're doing well from the 12-foot rope, then if you want to you can progress to a longer line.

This is actually the Parelli Circling Game (one of the Seven Games). I strongly suggest you look at this technique in action (google "Parelli Circling Game YouTube") because it can be a huge help.

Final note: To get your horse moving faster, you sometimes need an extension of your arm. This is where a longe whip might come in. You don't use this to hit your horse, however; hold it in one hand with the lash end down. If you need to use it, swing it forward (not up over your head) so the lash touches your horse's hocks.

Well, I really hope this helped you out. Good luck!

Of course he won't lunge. He does not know what to do! And cracking the whip is no way to go. Get a friend to help you. Standing on the outside of him (so if he is going to go left, have her standing on the right) - he needs to be able to see your signals.

Give a verbal command to walk on, and the person leads him forward and you follow him, but not touch him with the whip at hock level. Give a verbal command to halt and the helper should give him the physical aids to halt. You leave the whip in the middle area of the horse, to remind him to stay out, but stop.

Do this a few times and then see if the horse can do it alone without the leader.

What are you lungeing him with? A proper lungeing cavesson is the only way to go, with a heavy lunge line, and side reins and a roller. The side reins clipped to the outer two rings of the cavesson.

Get some lunge lessons for more specific correct aids to working on the lunge, body language and voice commands, and whip commands and then try again. There is a certain way of speaking which I cannot describe on here.

At 2 years he is a bit young to start lungeing because it is very strenuous on the joints, muscles and tendons which are very soft and prone to injury until at least the age of 4 when he will have done the majority of his growing. They are soft to accommodate the large amount of growing he iwll be doing. He will not however stop growing completely until the age of 6 or 7.

Smart horse.

At 2 years of age his bones are still growing. Skeletal growth plates of the various joints close at various ages. The knees close at about two and 1/2 years. (SEE: http://www.ultimatehorsesite.com/info/boneplateclo... )

At this age take him for walks and introduce him to all sorts of spooky things like bikes, baby carriages and tarps. Teach him to turn right and left. Ground drive him at the walk. Teach him to jog walk and stop in hand and how to square up and stand still. You might even teach him to pull a cart.

Doing lots of ground work mainly in a straight line at this age will mean he will not have leg and joint problems when he is older. Do not round pen or lung until he is at least 2 and 1/2 to three.

One he is doing walk, jog and halt, turn left, turn right, when the halter is tugged using a lead line, then lunging is fairly easy to teach.

Start walking him in circle in a lead shank slowly back into the position you would take if you were going to lunge. Hold your lead in the left and the empty right hand pointed at his butt. Watch your horse closely. At some point as you back into position he will hesitate in his walk. Give him the verbal command to walk. When he resumes a confident walk you can continue moving into position.

Let him do two circles around you at the walk once in position. Stop him and tell him what a good boy he is and put him away to think it over.

Once he understands you want him to go around you in a circle and will walk and halt on command (no more than a couple of circles a day) It is time to introduce the circle from the right hand side of the horse.

If you have done your groundwork, you have taught your horse to lead from the right as well as from the left. You have taught him to turn at a slight tug on the right side of the halter and you have taught him to walk and halt FROM THE RIGHT SIDE. A horse does not take what was learned on the left and transfer the knowledge to the right so you have to teach each side of the horse separately.

Once your horse will circle you at the walk and response to walk and halt obediently in both directions you are ready to go to a lunge line and increase the size of your circle and then add the jog. NEVER lunge a young horse for more than five to ten minutes. Only introduce one new lesson at a time. As soon as he does it right, stop praise and put him away. Make sure he foully understands the new lesson and has it perfect before going to the next. Unlike a professional trainer you have all the time in the world to introduce things gently and make sure they are well learned.

Lol. I was 9 when i got my first ottb. (yes its true green plus green equals purple and blue) I tried lunging him. He tried kicking me. Not saying you are green, just not all horses immediately understand how to lunge.

You may just have to tap him with your whip until he becomes uncomfortable enough to move away in which case you will stop with the whip. If he stops repeat. He should catch on soon enough.

You can't be gentle with a horse, if he doesn't move at the crack of the whip go ahead and hit him with it, he'll soon get the message that it's easier just to move before the whip needs to get involved.

If you're gentle with a horse you just end up with a horse with no manners who walks all over you and does whatever it wants, there's a BIG difference between being firm and being the boss to being abusive and hurting the horse.

But honestly he probably has no idea what you're asking of him.

Also you shouldn't really lunge a 2 year old, not good for the joints and is hard even for older and fitter horses. :s

FYI - even advanced equestrians run in to the occasional hard-headed horse that won't lunge. It does not mean she is a beginner.

My mare is the same way - just refuses to lunge. Smacking her with the lunge whip doesn't work, I've tried plastic bags, running after her, getting another horse to lunge in front of her - nothing works. She just doesn't want to do it, and you simply cannot force her.

Do you have access to a round pen? I've found that she would rather work off the lunge line in a round pen. Honestly, I think my mare is just bored with lunging (she needs a TON of stimulation or she shuts down). I can get some sort of work done in a round pen, but she's the type of horse that would rather just ride (she's awesome under saddle once the "spunk" gets out of her). Perhaps your gelding is the same - provide some scary new things to get his mind moving - walk him over tarps on the ground, ground poles, through ditches, ect, Maybe once he becomes stimulated, he'll start wanting to work more...

Good luck!

I would start off walking round the circle with him so he gets used to what he should be doing but with you to guide him. Gradually move further and further away from him until you are in the middle. This may take a long time and you will probably not be able to get very far away from him to begin with, but over time he will learn. Every time you get further away and he continues to walk on, praise him, and when he makes a mistake (ie comes in towards you) just correct him gently but firmly. I know you're not, but PLEASE do not hit him with the whip, he is only a baby and you do not want to teach him that you are going to hurt him or make him nervous of people. As for teaching him to walk on, it sounds as though he is confused or doesn't understand what you are asking him to do. Every time you are leading him and ask him to walk on, make the noise that you will use to ask him to walk on when you are lunging. This should teach him to associate your command with walking on and help him to understand you. Good luck!

i hate to say this but if he honestly will not lunge you have to start whipping him (not alot just enough to make him go) another thing that might help is that if you have another rider ride the horse and you have him on the lunge when you crack the whip and he doesn't go get the rider to give him a little bump with her legs and last resort same thing but instead of using legs tap him with the crop and his hind end even a light tap on his hocks with a dressage whip would work

You have to be the boss with this horse. What he is showing you is a lack of respect. If he won't move when you cluck, or hit the dirt behind him with your whip you need to go ahead and pop him on the hind quarters...not trying to take his hide off but enough to let him know you mean business. You don't have to do this much and he will get the message. Don't think you're being mean to him. The other horses in the pasture are much rougher on him I'm sure and thats how they gain respect in the pecking order.

Jag, this horse i take advantage of to hire, did this for all time while i might turn him out interior the sector with me. i take advantage of to stand interior the middle with the lunge whip and permit him run loose in the process the sector. even however, Jag thought he became into nonetheless on the lunge line and purely went in circles around me until i began out working around the sector with him. i did no longer somewhat coach him the thank you to try this, yet I do have some concepts as to why he did it. i take advantage of to lunge him every day for 15-20 min earlier I rode. 10 min became into loose lunge (halter, lunge line, saddle) to get the dollars out, and then the different 5-10 min "bitted up". My instructor made me bit him as much as get him interior the "artwork" concepts and to get him softer interior the mouth. anyhow, i think of he have been given so use to the ordinary of lunging and circling me that each and each time i might turn him out, he constantly thought i became into lunging. So, in answer on your question, i think of that in case you lunge somewhat every day in a closed off section, relatively no longer an open container or section as a results of protection subjects, your horse will start to become conscious of lunging and could probably some day initiate lunging "by using itself" as you have reported. additionally, try turning the horse out in a around pen. once you are trying this, stand interior the middle with the lunge whip (if he's happy with whips), and execute all the conventional instructions and physique positions you may as though the horse have been on a lunge line. fairly quickly the horse will p.c.. up on those cues being linked with and devoid of lunge line, and can desire to probably be waiting to try this in a larger closed off section. desire this helps!!! :)