Work On The Longe

Work on the Longe

By Maribeth Dunlap

October 2007

There are many benefits and reasons for longeing. Longeing is an art itself and it takes many years of good practice to become effective. Longeing is meant to prepare a horse mentally and physically for under-saddle work and should be approached in a step-by-step, systematic fashion, building one step on top of another. With the use of proper and correctly adjusted equipment, longeing can strengthen and help condition muscle, it can teach the horse the commands, and help the horse to carry itself in balance. It is important to understand that longeing should never be used for the horse to blow off steam. He should never be allowed to run and behave badly at the end of the longe line as this is when injuries happen and bad behaviors are learned. Longeing should be viewed and understood as another training tool and should be done with the proper equipment and in the proper setting.

The equipment needed to longe effectively is:

• Longe line

• Cavesson

• Surcingle

• Properly adjusted side-reins

• Longe whip

• Bridle with bit

• Saddle as part of the horses every day riding apparel

• Protective boots or wraps for the horse

• Gloves for the handlers

• Helmets are another safety option for the handlers

The proper setting is one that is calm and controlled. Either the use of the circular pen or an assistant is needed for the young, rehab, or spoiled horse.

Longeing as part of the training of the young horse:

Longeing is part of the systematic training and development of the young horse. When the young horse has reached a certain age and level of physical and mental maturity, he should be started on the longe line. This is, of course, after he has been handled, groomed, led, worn his saddle, bridle, cavesson, surcingle, and boots, etc. and he has become comfortable with this. Everything should be done systematically and in stages. The young horse should never be over-whelmed by introducing too much at one time, but rather by presenting each new piece after he has become used to and comfortable with the previous piece. The same goes with longeing. When beginning the young horse on the longe, the aid of assistants or the use of a circular pen is necessary. Without a circular pen, one person stands at the center holding the longe line while an assistant is at the head of the horse on the outside of the circle to help direct the horse around. Another assistant can walk calmly behind the horse holding and directing the longe whip so that the person in the center can hold the longe line and direct the horse. The side reins are at their longest position and should be introduced one at time, beginning with the inside side rein. The use of a circular pen can alleviate the need for the assistant at the head of the horse. When the horse is comfortable and clearly understands the work on the longe, there is no longe the need for the assistant and longeing can eventually take place outside the circular pen. Everything is to be done in a calm and controlled setting. The horse is not asked to move to trot until he is completely comfortable at the walk. The horse is not asked to canter on the longe line for some time until he is completely comfortable and understands the longe work at the walk and trot. Everything is done in equal amounts in both directions beginning with only a couple minutes in each direction in the early stages, maybe five minutes, and building from there to maybe ten to fifteen minutes. Fifteen to twenty minutes of quality work in each direction five days a week is plenty of work for the young horse on the longe line. Longeing the young horse in a systematic manner with correctly adjusted side-reins can build strength and stamina and help condition the muscles of the horse to prepare him for work under-saddle. It also helps to teach the horse to move in relaxation, balance and with regular steps, and in good rhythm. These are the basic elements of any good training system. It also teaches the horse to focus and listen to the handler and helps to establish the role of the handler as “trainer” and “number one” in the herd of two. It introduces the horse to voice commands, body language and to the whip as a training aid (never as a punishment) which all helps to prepare the horse for future work under-saddle.

Longeing as part of rehab:

Longeing is part of the process for rehabbing a horse. If a horse has suffered an injury and has required rest, longeing in a safe and systematic way can help to build strength and muscle. It is all done as above and in a calm and controlled setting. The horse should never be allowed to play and blow off steam and energy at the end of the longe line as, depending upon the nature of the original injury, can potentially re-injure himself. Longeing is a part of the process. One should begin by exercising the horse in-hand with long walks and hand grazing. As the horse becomes stronger and more calm then short longe sessions can begin at the walk, then later at the trot and eventually adding the canter work. Most likely longe work should start with only a couple minutes in each direction and slowly build from there. Veterinarian advice should always be acquired when putting a horse back into work after an injury or lay-up.

Longeing as part of remaking of the spoiled horse:

Longeing is a vital part of remaking the spoiled horse. Longeing can help to teach the horse to work with you and not against you, it can help to bring the horse onto your page and your way of thinking, and can help to establish your role as trainer and number one in your herd of two. Longeing can help to introduce the horse to the controlled gaits on a circle, to your voice commands, body language and the whip as an aid. With properly adjusted side-reins, longeing can also help to correctly condition the horses muscles and teach him to carry himself in balance. When the horse learns to move in balance this affects his self-confidence. Longeing the spoiled horse is a smart safe step to make before the under-saddle part of his training. Longeing in this circumstance might take place for the first couple weeks of the spoiled horse’s training before any under-saddle work would begin. Again all work should be done lightly at first and build slowly as the horse’s strength, fitness, confidence, willingness and understanding increases.

Longeing as part of introducing the horse to new situations:

When a horse is comfortable with longeing and it is a regular part of his training regime, then longeing can be very useful when introducing the horse to a new environment or situation. You present something that he is familiar with and knows in the new setting. Longeing at a horse’s first few competitions lends familiarity to new situations for the horse. In this case, Iongeing can be done to prepare and calm the horse mentally and is only done until the horse settles in to the new environment. It has been my experience that this has only taken a few minutes in both directions until the horse shows relaxation. Hand-walking and grazing is also helpful in new situations.

Longeing as part of the on-going training of the horse:

Longeing should always be part of the horses on-going training program. There are stages during the on-going training process that longeing can prove beneficial. Performing transitions with correctly adjusted side-reins on the longe line can engage and lighten the horse is just one example. Proper adjustment of the side-reins can help to straighten the horse is another example. Like jumping, longeing can be another aspect of training that can help to keep the horse fresh and enjoy variety in his work. Sometimes beginning with a couple minutes on the longe line before under-saddle work can shorten the warm-up process and prepare the horse mentally to work with the rider. Longeing should never be done for long periods of time as it can stress the legs of the horse. Twenty to thirty minutes in each direction working all 3 gaits with frequent short walk breaks is plenty of work on the longe line for the fit and more advanced horse.

Longeing as part of the training of the rider:

Finally, longeing SHOULD be part of the training of the rider. It is on the longe line on a well-trained longe horse that the beginner rider can learn to ride in balance, control the movements of his body, learn how to relax and feel and follow the movement of the horse. It is most important for the rider to be in complete control of his own balance before he picks up the reins and learns to guide and influence the horse. Riding on the longe line is invaluable to the beginner rider and also important for the more polished rider. Undesired habits can creep into our posture and it is the wise horseman who seeks out an occasional longe line lesson, as our posture is most important in effectively influencing our horses with the most minimal of aids. And it is when we’ve achieved this that we are truly dancing with our horses without the use of crude and loud aids.

There are many other aspects of longeing and this article should not be viewed as a complete guide. There are many good books that discuss this topic in detail and I advise you to read as much on the subject as possible but most importantly, take some lessons from a trainer who is accomplished in the art of longeing. These are very valuable lessons and should be highly regarded as such.

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This article was written by Maribeth in October 2007 – All Rights Reserved Used With Permission.