Can a 17hh thick Draft TB Cross go on lounge line?

My trainer says he is too big to go on the lounge. I think if you give him a lot of line, he will be fine! He can go in tight circles, so why wouldn't he be able to go on wide circles on lounge? I would like to lounge him when I don't want to ride... Well?
 
Lunging is actually quite hard on horses. Most recommend only lunging for a short period of time - mostly at the walk for warmup and cool down, some trot work, then MINIMAL canter work.

I am not a trainer, but can see where your trainer feels it would be harmful for a big guy to work on the lunge.

What's your purpose for lunging him? Most drafts are so easy-going that they don't need to have the "naughtiness" lunged out of him. Riding would be much, much better. If you don't have time to ride him consistently, then think about leasing your horse out for the extra excercise to keep him fit.
 
I think that he will be fine but i would not do it for too long because going in circles for a long time might put to much strain on his hindquarters but other then that i think he will be ok.
Good Luck!!
 
No idea why your trainer would say this...barring injuries that is.

If you have the room for it you can lunge any horse. It is better to work them constanly and if you're not able to ride this is totally acceptable.

She may mean the arena is not large enough...although I'm not sure why?
My OTTB is 16.3 and is very solidly built and he lunges like a charm.
 
I almost never use a lunge line, any horse can free lunge and is not pre occupied by the pressure the lunge line puts on him.
 
Your trainer is probably just concerned because these big horses can be more prone to lameness problems. Lunging for too long or on tight circles is tough on any horse's legs, and it's worse for these big horses. But if you lunge on large circles and don't do it very often, he should be fine. The key is not to overdo it.

And the reason lungeing can be hard on the horse's legs while riding in circles is not considered to be is the repetitive motion. I often see people lunging a horse round and round to the left for 10 minutes, then they switch and do 10 minutes of lungeing to the right. You would never ride this way, or at least I hope not! When riding, you might ride a few circles, then go down the long side, then across the diagonal, circle again the other direction, etc. It's the round and round on the circle that stresses joints when lungeing- the repetitive motion. The horse's inside hind leg carries a lot more weight, and he experiences torque on his legs, especially if he's unbalanced on the lunge. When you lunge, it helps if you switch directions frequently and also alternate circles with taking him down the long sides (you'll have to run to do this, but it's good exercise for you!).
 
A bigger horse just needs a longer lunge line and more space. In a big area, the biggest horse would be fine. Get a LONG line and keep it slow. Make sure to lunge in both directions otherwise the horse could injure itself from excessive stress on the one side (pressure fracture can be caused)
 
I have a 17 hand draft cross and she can lunge without any issue. I'm sure your horse can lunge too. However, if he is not your horse, or if your trainer thinks he has some lameness problem that might flare up by making him move in circles, then it is probably best to listen to your trainer.
 
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