Implement these tactics to encourage a lazy longer.
Many people use longeing as part of their daily program. While it’s not something I rely upon, unless the horse is a chronic bucker, I do see common problems arise with longeing that are easily remedied, most often a horse that doesn’t want to move forward on the line.
Here, I’ll discuss my thoughts on longeing and share some tips to get your horse moving forward on the line to make more effective use of this technique.
Why Not Longe?
As I said, I rarely longe a horse unless he’s a chronic bucker. Oftentimes, if a horse is longed every time before a ride to “get the play out,” it becomes something you have to habitually do to prepare your horse for a ride. If it’s a habit that must be done, and you find yourself short on time or without the equipment to longe, you could find yourself in a world of trouble. When you jump on without letting your horse “get the play out,” he’ll get to his antics with you in the saddle, which can be dangerous and downright disrespectful to you as the rider.
Instead, whenever possible, I encourage getting on and going forward. You’ll have more time in the saddle and develop good habits in your horse.
Longeing Tip 1: Get Behind
To create forward motion, you must be behind your horse’s shoulder. If you’re in front of the shoulder, you’re blocking forward motion.
When you’re longeing to the left, holding the longe line in your left hand and the slack in your right, check your body position in relation to your horse. It must be behind his left shoulder to keep him going forward.
You must be active on your feet to stay in position. Standing in one spot won’t keep you behind your horse’s shoulder. Think about stepping to the hip to create that momentum.
Longeing Tip 2: Create Energy
You can’t simply stand in the middle of the round pen and expect your horse to continue moving forward. Staying active on your feet by stepping to the hip and moving with your horse helps, but you also might need to swing the tail of the longe line to get your horse going or add speed. Additionally, use clucks or smooches (whichever you use when riding) to encourage forward momentum and to add speed. The more these cues correlate with what you do in the saddle, the more effective they’ll be.
[Groundwork For a Better Ride]
Longeing Tip 3: Grab a Buggy Whip
A buggy/longe whip can be helpful, if you know how to use it.
First, get used to using the whip away from your horse. Learn to pop it. The noise alone can get your horse moving, so you might not even have to implement the next step.
Second, if you must make contact with your horse, always use the whip down by the horse’s ankles—not up at his rump. Think about when you surprise your horse with a smack on the hindquarter. He probably tucks his tail and sucks back. If he’s really surprised, he could kick his kind feet up over his head. That’s not safe for you.
Longeing Tip 4: Create a System
Just as when you’re in the saddle, your cues for longeing should be a system of stimuli that graduate from the smallest to more assertive. Start with a step to the horse’s hip, being careful not to get directly behind him in line for a kick. If he doesn’t move, use one of your vocal cues—a cluck or a smooch. Then swing your longe line or pop your longe whip, and then tap his feet.
By using a system, your horse knows what to expect and should learn to get going with the smallest cue. If he doesn’t respond, your cues might need to get more assertive—more aggressive steps toward his hip, louder vocal cues, faster swinging of the line, and more popping/tapping with the whip.
Longeing Tip 5: Know Your Horse
Your connection with your horse matters in all interactions. You know if your horse is extra-sensitive, more sullen, flighty, etc. You know his attitude and how he responds to pressure. This will allow you to know how hard you should push and how much you need to assert yourself in this process. Use that knowledge to have the most productive training sessions.
Bonus Tip: A Good Leader Makes a Better Longer
We’ve previously discussed lazy leaders and how to encourage them forward with you, so that you’re positioned at the center of your horse’s neck. A lazy leader is very likely lazy on the longe line, too. This is just another example of where something as simple as leading your horse correctly bleeds into other aspects of your riding and training. Responsiveness is the same in all interactions with your horse. Expect a respectful response—and train your horse for that—in all you do.
