01/02/2023
𝗟𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗟𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗙𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 & 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗕𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴, 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀
Written by Caroline Larrouilh, ProudHorse Connections
"This last few weeks, I have been watching in-hand and dressage expert Manolo Mendez's assistant trainer Chantelle Matthews train two young geldings under saddle and on the lunge line.
Chantelle uses lunging to develop these horses physically and mentally; and in preparation for a time when Manolo will work with them in-hand or with a rider in the saddle.
𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀.𝗪𝗵𝘆?
Because too much repetition in one posture makes for stiff and disinterested horses and kills willingness.
Rather then lunge on a 20-meter circle only, Chantelle:
🐴 Varies the lunging figures, incorporating circles, ovals and straight lines of different sizes,
🐴 Varies the gaits and asks the horse for different walks, trots and canters as this builds a fitter, more supple, elastic body
🐴 Lunges from the center of the circle or runs next to the horses on circles, ovals and straight lines.
🐴 Changes directions throughout the session as needed but not before developing quality movement & giving the horse the time to warm up and confirm its rhythm
This approach gives her endless options for organizing the horses postures and building their fitness.
It also keeps the horses interested as they cannot anticipate what combination of movement and gait she will ask for next.
𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺, 𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗿𝗺'𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀.
This will come in handy when the horses will be worked in-hand or Manolo will work with them and Chantelle in the saddle, and use his bamboo to enhance movements or introduce piaffe and passage.
This preparation is done only in walk or trot as the work it is preparing the horses for is not done in canter.
Chantelle’s approach which she learned from Manolo is quite different from lunging that requires the handler to remain in place and turn their bodies on what is called a "diner plate" with the expectation that the horse must conform to the 20 meter circle, and must yield to the handler's demand, no questions asked.
It is also quite different from lunging that punishes bursts of energy or disobedience, puts the horse in side reins, lunges from the bit and makes the horse comply to the handler's commands through increasingly strong action of the lunge line to demand downward transitions and a halt, and increasingly strong use of the lunge whip to drive a horse into upward transitions or obtain a bigger gait.
𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲’𝘀 𝗹𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽 𝗮 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲’𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸.
It accepts as par for the course that a young horse will lose its balance before it finds it, that a young horse’s attention span may be quite short and that learning is a long process and it is the teacher’s job to make the classroom, ie the arena, enjoyable and safe for the student.
As Manolo taught her, she will work her young horses on the lunge line to prepare them for ridden work.
As they progress, she will keep using lunging and in-hand work to introduce all new work, movements, transitions, etc... without a rider on.
This will allow the horses to learn and organize their bodies at their own pace, without tension and without having to contend with the added weight and aids of a rider.
𝗦𝗼, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗼?
𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧
She lunged using one of Manolo's cavesson with a single ring on the nose.
Lunging from the middle of the nose ensures the horse does not tilt its head as it might if he was lunged from a halter or from the bit.
𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁?
Because we do not want to lunge with an incorrect flexion at the poll:
It impacts the integrity of the entire spine and the horses’ ability to move freely - it hinders the horses’ ability to develop independent balance.
So, how do you know your horse is traveling properly on a circle or a straight line?
Well, if you drew the circle it is on, it would travel exactly through the length of the horse’s body, enter through the middle of its tail dock and come out in the middle of its nose.
The line would travel through the middle of the horse’s ears and its front and hind legs. The horse would have the same line traveling through the length of its body and coming out in the middle of his nose and tail dock on straight lines.
𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘀𝗲, 𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗱𝗼𝗰𝗸, 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱/𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲.
𝗦𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗗
She resolutely ignored bad behaviors typical of young horses and rewarded good behavior.
𝗪𝗵𝘆?
Reacting to a green horse acting up can begin an escalating spiral of will. While a handler will eventually get the horse under control, the purpose of lunging for wellness and to foster willingness and collaboration is lost.
Better to use the voice to let the young horse know calmly his behavior is undesired, give a pat when he stops said behavior, and continue to work calmly and progressively, adapting the work to the horse's mood until he is able to comply willingly and happily. In doing so, budding tantrums never fully develop.
Watching the two geldings, they seem to process what behaviors were desired and by the end of the lessons they were offering them willingly. In doing so they exhibited the following, very desirable trait: a complete lack of tension which resulted in good independent balance and good regularity in motion.
𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗥𝗗
As previously mentioned, to encourage the horse to remain calm and interested in the work, Chantelle lunged all over the arena in a variety of shapes from circles to ovals including some circles smaller then 20 meters here and there.
She walked and ran with the horses and paid attention to their overall posture not just to the flexion running from ears to tail.
She looked for balance. A long neck oscillating with movement, a good rhythm and a regular breath.
She stopped often, stood quietly with her horses letting them think and offered a pat on the forehead before changing directions and mixing up the work.
𝗙𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗧𝗛
She remained patient, she was persistent and she worked progressively.
𝗙𝗜𝗙𝗧𝗛 and last, she was not greedy.
Often we talk about our horses being partners, but how often do we really compromise and make allowances for them?
Watching Chantelle work, I thought how safe for a young horse the arena must feel with her in it. There is no loud demands for more of this or less of that, in fact there is no demand for more of anything but encouragement towards better: better posture, better balance, better rhythm and that in turn becomes more but it is given by the horse rather then taken by the handler.
𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙨....𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚, 𝙞𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙗𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝘽𝙔 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚, 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧/𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙡𝙚𝙧. "
For more information on this training approach check this 3 hour introduction to in-hand DVD:
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/inhandlessonswithmanolo
©️2012 Caroline Larrouilh
