Dressage: Foundation for All Riding Disciplines
Lesson Four
Longeing and Creative Longe-Lining
Now that you can look at your
horse in "free-movement" and move his body around with
"hands-on" techniques to make him more supple, let's get him moving
on the longe line.
Longeing is putting your horse on a 10-meter long line and moving
him around you. Through safe and correct
ground work and longeing, working consistently with
patience and empathy, you will be able to improve your horse's gaits, muscular
development and response to verbal cues.
This will help develop better communication, trust and respect.
Being able
to work your horse from both sides will really be of benefit now!
You have done the hands-on
ground work, so longeing should be easy. If you have difficulty in getting him started
on the longe, then go back to the previous lesson's
exercises and repeat those, step by step, until he can do them very well.
To get your horse started on
the longe line, you should be able to stand on either
side of your horse and send him forward and away from you. This is most easily done by facing the
horse’s hip and stepping directly toward his hip to drive him forward.
A little following up with
the longe whip to drive him forward and away from you
should be all you need to get him started.
Be sure to continually face his hip, driving
him forward, as he starts off. Do not
pull back or stop him. Say, "Walk,”
while driving him forward. You can make
a soft clucking noise to encourage the horse.
You want to stay about four feet away from the horse, at his side, still
facing toward his hip. If you are at his
shoulder or head you will be blocking his forward movement and he may turn to
face you.
Try to keep him walking
forward and around you as you stay parallel to his body. You can put him by the fence or a wall if it
helps you.
Ask the
horse to halt by saying, “Ho”, or “Whoa".
Be consistent in your verbal
command. If the horse does not listen,
get a little closer and jiggle the lead slightly as you ask him to halt. When he attempts to do as you ask, be sure to
praise him.
If he does
not seem to understand, then get closer and lead him by hand. Now say, "Whoa" as you gently
jiggle or vibrate the lead. He should
understand this quickly if you were successful in the last lesson. He should be able to do this from both sides.
When the
horse shows some understanding, begin to increase the distance between you and
your horse.
Once he can halt on command,
keep his attention on you and slowly walk around him. If he moves, repeat "Whoa" in a
deep voice, vibrate the lead, and continue moving around your horse. Try to describe a wide arc from one side to
his other sided, so you are passing in front of him from either side.
Sometimes I will point at him
and keep eye contact and say "Stand".
That works with some horses. Keep
your mind quite, picture him standing still, and exhale audibly. This often works to keep him standing
still.
I want your horse to move
forward and away from you, and to stop squarely without turning to face
you. It can be very frustrating if you
are trying to work with your horse and he is always turning to face you.
If the horse faces you, then
point the end of the longe whip toward the horse’s
neck and say, "Out", and wiggle the whip a little as you step toward
the horse. (You are not trying to scare
him, just trying to get him to turn.)
If he does not turn, then use
your hands and push him on his neck and shoulder and ask him to move away from
the pressure. When he does, praise him,
patting him on his side. Repeat as
necessary until he learns not to turn and face you.
At the
beginning, be sure to praise him when he halts, then praise as you are walking
around him if he remains still, then as he stands without facing you. Successive approximation is a behavior
modification technique
(we have a course on this) which uses praise to reinforce the
horse’s attempts to do as you ask.
Do not pull the horse toward
you when you ask the horse to halt, or when you finish an exercise. Instead, walk to the horse and praise him
with pats and voice. Work from both his
sides until the horse understands he is to walk along side you, but at a
distance, and halt on command without facing you. Before doing more, the horse should stand
still and allow you to move around him.
Once he can
do this, send him forward until he continues a small circle around you, while
you, also, move in a smaller circle. Do not stand "planted" and pull on
him bringing him closer to you. At this
time, you are still "following" him (facing his hip) at a distance. If he goes wide, go with him and encourage
him to move forward again.
It is very important
not to wrap the loose end of the longe line around
your hand or arm, and do not let it unravel loosely around your legs and
feet. Fold the loose end in moderate
open loops in your hand. Never coil any rope or longe
line around your hand.
If you are longeing your horse to the left, your left hand is the
"leading" hand, and your right hand is the "driving" hand.
The driving hand holds the
long whip. Your left hand is facing the
head/neck of the horse; your right hand is facing the hip/haunches of the
horse. With your arms extended, you make
a “V”. The horse should be in the open
end of the V.
Keep the whip end pointed
toward the ground and facing the hip of the horse. The longe whip is
about 6 feet long, with a lash about the same length. It enables you to touch your horse from about
12 - 15 feet away.
At this point in his
schooling, you should only need to gently flick the whip towards the hip to get
him going.
The higher you hold the whip,
the "louder" you are with the cue.
Keep it as quiet as possible. If
he is too fast or upset, then change the whip so that it is pointed behind you
and "inactive".
If something really spooks or
upsets your horse, then let the whip drop and use both hands on the longe.
The circle
size we want to achieve is 60 feet in diameter, or 20 meters in diameter.
We use a 10-meter longe line. It can
be made of nylon, but I prefer cotton web or cotton rope, which is much kinder
to your hand or your horse's legs, if it becomes entangled.
I do not want you to use a longe line with the chain; for me, the chain is too severe.
I prefer
you use a halter when longeing. Be sure the halter fits snugly and is smooth
under the chin so it does not pull or twist on his head. Either hook the lead of the longe under the horse's chin, or hook it on one side ring
or the other, changing it to the inside as you change the direction of the
horse.
Do not wrap the longe line over the horse's poll or around his muzzle, as
it can tighten and cause injury if he were to step on it or pull very hard.
If your
horse is frightened by the lead or whip, then spend some time getting him used
to them before you begin longeing lessons. In a safe place where the horse feels
comfortable, gently rub him with line and the whip. Let the horse see them, feel them and even
taste a little if he wants. You may give
the horse treats as he calms down.
Gradually increase his time with them until he is not concerned.
Always take the time during
training to be sure the horse is calm and focused. He cannot learn well if he is feeling any
fear.
Be sure not
to spank him with the whip or longe; or hit him on
his face, neck, or legs. In nature, a horse will usually only
reprimand another horse by kicking him in the haunches or sides, or biting him
in those areas or sometimes the base of the neck. It is wise to follow
nature's example as often as possible.
With some practice, you
should be able to longe your horse safely on a
60-foot circle. Nothing smaller!
If you longe
a horse on a smaller circle, do not move at a gait other than a walk. Small circles create stress on the horse’s
joints and ligaments.
Keep the circle as large as
you can. Always keep the horse under
control. You will need to work on your
skills at letting him go wider on the circle, then spiraling in towards you
gradually. You must be able to adjust
the longe line length so neither you nor the horse
become entangled.
If you have to fold the longe often, place the whip in an inactive position, under
your driving arm and pointing behind you.
Then use both hands to fold the longe. When you are increasing the length of the longe, let out a small length of fold at a time. Do not let the longe
line drag on the ground. As your skill
increases, you will be able to both lengthen and shorten the longe line smoothly.
It takes practice, practice, practice.
While you and the horse are
learning, allow the horse to walk or trot, but do not canter.
Learn to adjust the longe as your horse pulls out. Move a bit with him, continually vibrating
the line until your horse stops pulling away and stays on the correct arch.
Never pull hard or tug or
jerk, unless the horse is getting out of control. If you find it necessary to do this, then go
back to the basic work to reinforce his manners and understanding.
When he
"dips in," try pushing him out by pointing the end of the whip toward
the part of the horse that is coming toward you. If he is "dropping his shoulder"
toward you, allow the whip to point or flick at his shoulder. Say,
"Out" slowly and firmly and keep the whip pointed at his shoulder
until he moves out.
If the horse is
"dropping his haunches" toward you, then do the same thing with the
whip, but point toward his haunches. If
he is trying to spin inward toward you, point the whip at his forehand.
You must
respond quickly, but calmly before he gets too far out of position. The more you "nip it in the bud",
the quicker he will learn.
Praise him immediately when
he responds in the way you want. Remember,
he does not have to be perfect. He just
has to show that he is trying to learn and respond in the way you want.
A TRAINING TIP
Using voice
commands will help.
Here a few ways to use your
voice. Adapt these to your training and
be consistent:
1. Walk from a halt, say, “Walk” briskly with an
emphasis on the K.
2. Trot from a walk, say, “Trot” briskly with an
emphasis on the OT.
3. Canter from a trot, say, “Canter” briskly
with an emphasis on
4. Canter to a trot, say, “Trot” slowly and
quietly with emphasis on O.
5. Trot to a walk, say, “Walk” slowly and
quietly with emphasis on A.
6. Walk to whoa, say, “Whoa” slowly and quietly
with emphasis on O.
7. To slow the horse’s movement, say, “Easy”
slowly and calmly with emphasis on E.
The following are advanced
and subtle, but work great! Get used to
the others before trying to tackle these:
8. To keep moving, "cluck" briskly and
with the horse's tempo, and repeat the command of the gait you want them to do
(for example: "cluck . . .
trot").
9. A subtle slow down, (sometimes to
"drop" gait if done in a deep, throaty voice), "hummmm", slowly with a calm rhythm, which also works
great under saddle because it is not only quiet, but the horse can feel the
"thrum" of the word; works great in the arena when you are not
allowed to speak to your horse.
10. To get
more action in a gait without speeding up his tempo or moving "up" in
a transition, "cluck" and "hummm"
with the tempo you want the horse to assume; the cluck keeps him forward and
the hummm
slows down his tempo and keeps him from moving "up" into another gait
(for example: "cluck . . . hummm").
11. To slow him down without
letting him "die", use "hummm"
and "cluck" with the tempo you want; the hummm
slows down his rhythm and the cluck keeps him moving forward.
These are some excellent uses
of voice, and can be used on the longe, in the field
(as practice) and under saddle. It is a
skill to be learned and practiced.
Always remember to reward quickly, and if you have to say
"No!" say that just as quickly.
If your horse corrects himself right away, then reward him right away.
CANTERING
By now you
should have your horse moving forward on the longe in
a basic circle. Warm him up in an
energetic walk, and then send him into the trot. Use your voice and the whip if needed. Be sure to change gaits and directions
often.
When he is comfortable and
listening, ask him to canter.
To tell if he is on the
correct lead, watch the front leg. The leg
on the inside, closest to you if you are in the middle of the circle, should be
reaching out farther than the opposite front leg. If he is wrong, carefully bring him back to a
trot and ask again. Use your verbal
cues! The tone and way you use your voice
will do a lot to help teach your horse.
In lesson
two we discussed what we want to see in our horse. Now is your chance to observe. Take your time and really watch the horse
move. If you do not like what you see,
slow him down, or speed him up.
Practice changing the way he
is moving and see how it affects him.
When he is slowed, does he jog about or lengthen his stride? Does he need to slow down, but have more
energy? More bounce? Is he rushing about with his head up? Is he trotting so fast he is leaning into the
center? How can you correct these things
from the ground? How can changing his
tempo help him in any way? What is his
rhythm like? Is it consistent? Does he speed up in certain areas and slow
down or stop in others? How can you make
him go consistently? Clue: It is all about his balance!
Be careful
not to let him go galloping around. Slow
him down and keep him focused on you. When you are starting, do only about 10
minutes on each side. Vary his
directions often, but do not spend more than 10 minutes total in either
direction. Keep him working on a large
circle, as he can injure himself easily on very small circles.
You may
wish to use leg wraps or boots on your horse for leg protection.
One of the
goals is to get the horse focused and relaxed; that has nothing to do with
exhausting him.
You want to keep his
personality and spirit, not spin him to death and make him a zombie. If he is relaxed he can think and reason; if
he is exhausted, he can only become resentful of the work.
As his
stamina increases, the horse will be able to work for longer periods of
time. Always be aware of your horse’s
fitness and never overwork him. The
proper amount of exercise should be enjoyable for the horse and the horse
should show improvement in his gaits. Don't over-do it!
TURNS
Turning on the longe line can be difficult.
At first, stop the horse and
go to his side. Then turn his head
toward the center and into the new direction of travel. Now send him forward. With your help, this should be easy for him.
The next step is to use your
body language and send him in the other direction while you stay in the middle
of the circle. You should be able to
figure this out. Hint: Explaining how to do this will be one of your
Quiz Questions.
BODY LANGUAGE
Let's talk a little bit about
body language.
Be sure you
realize that a horse is the master at body language. He knows all the rules! You are the one who must learn them.
If you are standing anywhere
from the middle of his body toward his head, you are telling him to turn back
and move away from you.
When you stand toward his
haunches you are sending him forward.
The further back you are in relation to his body, the more forward you
are driving him.
It is considered
pressure; although you don't have to be touching him. Your presence is "pressure". The further back you are in relation to his
body, the more you are driving him forward.
The closer you get toward his forehand, the more you are slowing him
down or sending him back and away from you.
If you
approach from his side, he should stand still and let you get near without
going forward or back. It is sort of
like a teeter-totter. Your pressure will
send him in the opposite direction away from you.
You may
have noticed this while you were longeing him, or
approaching him in the field. If you
approach him in the field with your eyes somewhat down cast and approach
towards his side, then you are putting minimal pressure on him. He will stand still in most cases.
If you
approach from behind, he will probably move away from you. If you come straight towards his head, he
probably turns toward the most open direction available—toward whichever
shoulder you have back.
The horse,
if trying to escape you, will take the easiest and clearest way out. If you widen your arms you can side step in
different directions and watch how the horse will change his decision about his
escape route. If you move closer and he
is still intent on escape, he will eventually burst past you. If you were bigger than the fence behind him,
he would turn and attempt to go over the fence.
If just
before that point, you back off and remove the pressure, he will probably relax
and stop moving. He will then sigh and perhaps
chew, depending on how excited he was.
The point
of this is to realize that horses will understand your body language, even if
you do not. They will take the easiest
way out if upset. Please realize how
much "pressure" you are putting on him when you longe
him. Extremely uptight horses can harm
themselves if there is too much pressure.
Remember to use only "enough" to get the job down.
It is
important to be nimble on your feet and put on pressure as you need it, and, if
he panics, let it off by either backing away, lowering your gaze, or moving
back towards his midsection. No training
session is so important that it should be allowed to cause harm to the
horse. Never let your ego get in the way
of teaching your horse in a calm and respectful manner. Better you end the session than you or your
horse gets hurt. You can always approach
the lesson again in a different manner that will be more understandable to your
horse.
Long-lining
You should be able to
"long-line" him now. We are
going to do this with the one longe line. There are several ways to long-line, but I
find this way easy and with few problems.
Begin by sending him out on
the longe until he is warmed up and going easily in
both directions. Now move your body a
little toward his haunches which should send him forward and straight for a few
strides, then gently vibrate the longe so he turns
once again. If he stops, encourage him
with your body position or whip (softly) to keep moving.
If you do this twice on a
circle, you will begin to get an oval. I
like to move a lot with a longe line. I will stand still for his corner, and then
jog at his hip a bit for the straight lines.
If he does not want to move in a straight line, move your body, in
relation to his, toward his front end until he stops turning. He should be able to do this based on what he
learned in earlier sessions.
If he does not understand,
wiggle the whip while pointing toward his shoulder to move him out and
encourage him to go straight. If that
does not work, repeat the beginning steps of teaching him to move out and away
from you on the longe line.
Now comes
the fun! Once you can get him to do
ovals without too much fuss, ask for longer, wider, creative ovals and
polygons. Depending on how much room you
have, vary the straight lines and corners until you can put him anywhere in the
ring you want.
Move your horse all around
the arena with the straight lines, do corners, circles, and polygons anywhere
and everywhere. Be careful to leave
enough room when you get near a fence or wall.
Eventually you will be able to gauge how well your horse turns and moves
around you.
Once you can accurately
predict where you can place your horse’s body, get out the games. Place a ground pole and longe
your horse over it. Have the horse go
over the ground pole with a straight approach at first. Then let him do a circle and trot over it
while on a curve.
Add more ground poles as the
horse becomes accustomed to the work. As
you go along, space the poles so your horse can walk and trot over them without
stumbling or hitting them. You will
soon learn the horse’s natural stride and be able to place the poles according
to where the horse naturally puts his feet.
It is good if you have someone help you with straightening the poles at
first.
If you put the poles out in a
straight pattern (like a ladder), be sure to jog along side the horse as he
goes straight. Vibrate the lead and hang
back a bit to send him back on the circle for the corner. You may need the whip to keep him moving
through the corner, as horses sometimes fall back into the walk if not
encouraged to move forward.
A young horse sometimes needs
you to actually lead him over the ground poles at first. This is fine. Do whatever it takes to prepare
your horse for something new so he is not frightened.
Using a verbal cue will help
greatly. Say "hup"
or "cluck" or whatever you choose, just be consistent. Use a cue when you are sending him straight,
and another when you are having him circle back. This will prepare him for the change of
direction and make things go more smoothly.
Using cones in a pattern is
useful. Place the cones anywhere. Circle your horse around one, send him
straight toward another, and circle him around another. If you get good, you can do
"figure-eights" and "serpentines".
Get creative and have fun. Do
not over-do any of these exercises, as he can get frustrated and quit on
you. Watch his expression and see if he
finds the challenges enjoyable or disturbing.
If he appears disturbed or
greatly frustrated, go back to regular longeing and
find his comfort zone. You just may need
to slow down with him. If he seems
bored, make the challenges a little more difficult and interesting. Use your imagination, but remember to keep it
safe and not to let him go galloping around.
Do most of this at the walk and trot, and keep changing directions.
We want to create a bond and
have fun with our horse. These exercises
will help increase his trust in you and allow you to see how he moves and
reacts to challenges. They will also help him build his confidence as he
masters these exercises. You are
building a solid foundation with your horse.
Praise him often!
TERMS:
BODY LANGUAGE -- communicating with another by means of using or reading
body gestures and postures.
DIP-IN OR DROPPING -- the horse leans a part of his body toward the inside of
the circle.
DRIVING
GROUND
POLES -- preferably 8 foot long
poles, wooden or plastic, that are placed on the ground.
LEADING
LONG-LINING -- controlling your horse from a distance on the end of a
long line.
NIP IT IN THE
PRESSURE -- a force, from either your body
posture, hand or gaze, that will send your horse away from you.