If you have been in the horse industry, you have most likely heard the term "lunging". My personal favorite quote (sarcasm activated) is: "oh just lunge them around a little bit so they don't buck" and then you witness a horse running at high speeds at the end of a long line. Don't get me wrong...lunging can be a helpful tool when utilized correctly.
So, what is lunging and when should we use it? Lunging is usually done on a longer line so the horse is a greater distance from you. Lunging is great for practicing transitions between gates and teaching your horse to read your energy. Imagine increasing your energy and thinking about your horse picking up the trot and they do! Then, imagine breathing all of your air out and lowering your energy and your horse breaks down into a walk. This can be taught on the end of a long line. It is important to notice a few things while using a long line. The line should not be tight. It should be loose and ideally stay consistently loose throughout the exercises. This means the horse is not pulling away from you or coming in too close. They are able to respect the circle they have been put on. If you use lunging to warm a horse up, it is important to begin at the walk and slowly increase and then decrease speeds so you do not put stress on cold soft tissues of the horse.
A "United Circle" may not be a term as widely known in the industry as "Lunging". A united circle is truly the first foundational exercise to teach any horse. It is a skill you and the horse can build off of in any discipline. So, what is a united circle? United circles are done much closer than lunging. Imagine you are a pole and you are asking your horse to bend their body into a C shape and move forward around you in an even circle. This is referred to as "moving forward through the bend"
There are a few important things to notice when teaching a horse how to do a "United Circle". Pay attention to your horse's feet. The hind foot, ideally, should step in the footprint left by the front foot. A good first "correct step" is when your horse's hind foot steps directly behind the print left by the front foot or partially in the print and not off to the left or right of it. By watching this, you can begin to decipher if your horse is able to "move forward at the bend" or if your horse's hind end or shoulder is leaving. For example, if your horse's hind end is leaving, then, their back foot will land on the outside of the print left by the front foot.
This is difficult for a horse and you will need to practice a lot. To create your C shaped bend, you will need to have the horse move around you while bumping the lead rope in an upwards direction to ask your horse to begin bending at the rib cage while driving your horse forward from behind with a flag or the end of your lead rope. Driving your horse forward keeps them from just flipping their hip to the outside. The horse will find release when they learn to move forward at the bend. Be carful to not focus on the head and neck too much...the horse can look "bent" because their head and neck are curling around but the rest of their body is straight. This is where looking at the feet can be helpful. The rib cage has to be bent in order for the horse to correctly track their feet and move forward at the bend.
Good luck out there! And join me for a Foundations or Back to the Basics Clinic if you want some extra help with exercises like this!
I attached a video where you can watch a horses feet and begin to decipher what steps "correct" meaning the horse is moving forward at the bend. There is also a longer video where I talk through some of this while working a horse. Enjoy!
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