Our barn manager has decided that the lesson programs may no longer work with beginning students on the lunge line because she believes it is harmful to the arena surface. However, she places no restrictions on advanced riders of 17hh+ horses trotting and cantering for extended periods on the same surface. The trainers rarely keep the beginners on lunge for more than five minutes. I’m wondering if someone may have knowledge of how horse activity effects the arena surface. I’ve googled, but only get the opposite - how the surface effects the horse. Thanks for your help.
1 Like
Do you mean on the rail?
I’m no expert on footing but lunging visibly disrupts it in a way that riding on the rail does not. At my barn we have to move around a bit as we lunge, we can’t just do an entire lunge session in the same circle because BO does not want us to mess up her footing. Then we’re required to rake it a bit with a pitchfork.
5 Likes
Excessive repeated riding in any one area, on a circle or on the rail, is not good for the footing and makes more work for whomever maintains the arena.
At my barn, we don’t walk around on the rail and we never lunge.
ETA: in the arena that is.
3 Likes
I lunge in my arena - but at the walk and trot and I try to drag after every session or at least two sessions. So I had it perfect - one inch groomed sand and fiber, two inches packed sand on top of the stone dust base. So first cool day of winter I take the horse in and she proceeded to run the Kentucky Derby and plowed up the footing. Not down to the base but now I have some spots 3 inches deep and everything is fubar’d up. I told her this is the reason you don’t lunge in the arena. 
So in conclusion - cantering can be bad on the lunge for the footing. Small circles at speed can really dig it up and I wouldn’t do them often and I would groom it afterwards to level things out. And only monitored cantering - no out of control racing to get the yee haws out.
2 Likes
I agree there is some impact on footing from keeping a horse in one spot for an extended period of time but I’ve never seen lunging a horse with a rider up create an issue a few passes with the drag couldn’t fix. A horse going bonkers on the lunge is another story but generally ploddy dobbin used for up /downs isn’t going to drill into the sub base. I think it’s a bit of a shame to spare the footing at the expense of developing the rider. Lessons on the lunge can be invaluable in developing a decent seat and all the gifts that brings. Maybe OP could suggest the lunging rides rake the footing post use.
4 Likes
Therein lies the key; in my experience, BOs want to groom on their schedule which is cool with me because, hey, it’s their place.
1 Like
First the bad news.
Whatever you find to support your position is mostly likely not going to change the BO s mind.
Her barn. Her rules.
Cantering or letting the horse gallop around the arena on a lunge could dig down to the base depending on the condition. If it’s muddy it could definitely cause enough damage to the base.
But I wouldn’t canter or gallop my horse on a small circle in the mud or for long enough to get down to the base anyway .
The BO may change her mind yet again. She may not listen to you as a single client but her trainers may have enough influence to at least ask her to reconsider .
For lunging a horse that is experienced, floating the circle so you dont dig a groove is vital. Proper Lunging in not rocketing around on the end of a line, digging divots and no more impacting that regular riding
4 Likes
True.
However
The BO may not have the time or the inclination to stand guard and make sure all parties are properly lunging.
Hence, no more lunging, ever .
2 Likes
I don’t allow free longeing or horses acting like idiots on the longe. I get it for a couple of weeks but we train them that longeing is work and not playtime.
I doubt it is the walk trot beginners….someone is abusing the footing and needs to stop.
2 Likes
We have run into this at the barn where I board. Some areas are showing the clay base and the top layer is in need of a new top load due in part to the passage of time and the amount of lunging, both good and bad. We have about 22 horses there and there is significant lunging in the main ring, even with a round pen and a second, smaller ring available. When the footing is fixed - soon - there will be no more lunging in the main ring.
The people abusing the ring are the County (which owns the facility) and the management that doesn’t maintain it. The base is very sound, but the footing is not, due to very poor maintenance. There is no way our lesson horses, which are rarely on lunge, are doing the damage. The increasing number of 17hh+ thoroughbreds which are ridden quite aggressively may be more of a problem. I’m just trying to find something I can bring to the County that would allow the trainers to have their young students on lunge the few times it’s necessary. I see quite a few people say they have to rake afterwards, and I think that would be more than acceptable for the trainers.
No, more like 10 meter circles near the center. The state of things along the rail is another matter, but one that doesn’t seem to upset management. The arena is badly maintained, which is more of a problem. I like the idea of raking after lunging.
2 Likes
I know there is much more work along the rail than lunging. The main problem is poor maintenance and that’s just not going to change any time soon, sadly.
We have a no lunging rule for both arenas, but that’s meant for out of control lunging when the horses are hot. It was never meant for the light lunging the trainers do.
I think what happened is she’s had to tell boarders they aren’t allowed to lunge their horses to get the wildness out, and they point at the trainers lunging little kids on lesson horses. We all know there’s not a comparison, but rather than point that out, a blanket rule was made. I’m hoping to find a solution that will satisfy the barn manager and allow the light lunging the trainers do.
Well, if they’d groom the arena on a daily basis, we might not be having this conversation.
1 Like
I understand your frustration. If it makes you feel any better, the last 4 places I boarded do groom the arena daily and we still had/have the rule about no lunging in the riding arena. We use the bull pen for horsey shenanigans but 3 of those were private and not County facilities.
By the same token as your argument, if the other boarders were knowledgeable and their horses didn’t run around like broncs maybe the barn manager would be more flexible. You’re unlikely to gain many allies if you blame the “17hh+” thoroughbreds. BTW, those must be some gigantic T-breds!
It seems your issue is with the overall management of the facility. Perhaps you’d be happier elsewhere. When I was at the non-private (city owned) facility, a bunch of us pitched in and paid for good footing for the dressage court. We had a schedule and took turns raking and maintaining it. It didn’t take long for some of the rail riders to start riding in there because it had the best footing. There were some very unpleasant exchanges as a result. Long story short, large facilities with many horses/people typically have a wide range of skill/knowledge/expectations.
If you are compelled to stay where you are for whatever reason, you may have some success if you can gain allies among the other and make a clear and compelling case to the management team. That may involved deputizing some boarders to enforce the “reasonable lunging” rule however that needs to be clearly defined.
Good Luck!
Do you board there or only take lessons?
You may be able to approach the trainer or trainers and enlist their help in appealing to the BM to change the rule.
As a single person the BM might not be inclined to listen , but to the trainers she might.
You could ask the BM if she would be willing to discuss it, but sometimes that can back fire.
You may think you are bring reasonable by bringing in facts , but your BM may infer that you think she doesn’t know what she is doing and take offense even where none is intended.
Horse people are crazy.
3 Likes
Haha, yeah, I hear that! They had a trainers meeting and she wouldn’t budge. But it’s all probably moot at this point because she just quit. Let’s see what the next person thinks. Always barn drama, right?
2 Likes
