I have a former Standardbred racehorse with a healed broken leg. I want her to

[LMP417]

lounge? My horse cannot race anymore, and her leg is healed from the injury. My friend and I have ridden her around bareback, and she is sound, we have tried trotting with her, and she seems fine too. We want her to be able to lounge though so she can have less energy when riding. How can I teach her to lounge?

 

[Permanand]

Every horse knows how to lounge It's their favorite thing to do, once their bellies are full and they're hanging out with their friends, they just lounge around the pasture all day. Sometimes standing on three legs with one resting, sometimes stretched out flat on the ground, they love to lounge!




Oh, did you mean lunge, or longe? Those words mean something different from 'lounge'. <roll eyes>

While we're having spelling class, those leather straps from the bit to your hands?
They're "reins". A "reign" is a king's time in power. Sorry for going all off-topic, but the level of ignorance of the English language in here drives me bonkers!

Mulewrangler, no, most Standardbred racers do not know how to longe. Their whole working lives are spent between the shafts of a sulky, so they don't have 'bend' built into them in any fashion. When starting to longe, they tend to lean into the circle to avoid bending their stiff bodies. To train them to longe, start off slow and easy. If you don't have a round pen (which by the way, is round-penning, not not longeing), you usually have to start out with a fairly short line because they will go to the end of it then it's hard to bring them back to where you can explain what you're asking. As soon as they get the idea, then give the horse as much line as possible, so you're not pulling her off balance until she develops the flexibility to stay on a smaller circle. Keep the longeing sessions short, because it is very stressful on their limbs and a horse that has had a serious injury might have more difficulty than a typical horse.

To teach longeing, try to keep in mind the image of a piece of pie. You are the point at the middle, the horse is the crust. The longe line and whip are the two cut edges. You want to achieve and maintain this triangular shape. It won't happen at first, but that is the goal. Your body position will do a lot to move the horse forward or stop it. If you stand facing directly at the horse's midline, right around the girth, you are neutral. Step sideways one way, and you're pushing the horse forward, the other direction and you're blocking forward motion. At first, maybe you can only be 8-10 feet from the horse before she is able to move out of range. You will not stay this close any longer than it takes for her to understand that you're asking her to make circles. Keep your position as an off-center slice of pie, so you're looking at her hip, and she should move forward. When she takes 2 steps in the right direction, release all pressure and thank her. Pay attention to her state of mind - she will learn faster and will enjoy the process if you allow her to remain calm, and let her know that she can easily please you. If she chooses a response you don't want, just ask again, don't punish her.

Build on this with tiny steps, thanking her every step of the way so she learns that you are reasonable and fair and easy to get along with. This foundation will make every aspect of being with her easier and more enjoyable in the future.

I would ask you to think about 'making her have less energy'. I want my horses to be lively and energetic so they can offer themselves to me fully, not be tired before I even mount up. It sounds like what you really want is for her to respond to you better, so you are able to manage her energy. That comes from training, not from lack of energy. Do the basic work to improve the mutual understanding between you and your horse. Teach her to respond - forward, backward, and sideways. Learn how to use your whole body to ride your whole horse.

Good luck in all your horsey adventures!

add:
Who on earth could argue with either knolage or experiance?

 

[Katie]

i agree with most ppl on here. your horse will pick up on it quickly, standardbreds are quiet intelligent. I am actually doing the same with my standardbred, i lounged here for the first time ever and she had a little stubborness in the beginning but eased out and did great. I am glad to hear you are doing something with yours, i hate hearing ppl just giving them to the amish cause they cant race or what not.

 

[mulewrangler]

she probly already know how to lounge get a lunge line and go into the round pen and stand in the middle ask her to walk and see if she walks to the rail and goes in circles. then see if she changes directions tell her to whoa and hopefull she will face you then step to say the right shoulder and see if she turns left and ask her to walk.

 

[zakiit]

I would consult the vet to see if this would be a good idea. A broken leg inevitably means torn tendons too and lungeing (as we call it in the UK) is extremely hard on the joints and tendons and it may be that she cannot be lunged.