Has anybody taught your daughter to correctly and safely lunge a horse? Does she know how to properly use a lunge whip and always have it when she lunges? Spinning and kicking in the handlers direction must be corrected. Immediately, that’s what the lunging whip is for, smart slap on the butt to send the horse forward. Horses can also spin and rush towards the handler, another reason why the must have respect for the handler and proper use of a lunging whip is a must. As is rigging the line so there is some kind of control or use side reins
Not to be alaming but in the 45 years I’ve been in horses I personally knew, though not well, only one rider who was killed in a riding accident but 2 who were killed lunging horses and a handful of others with serious head injuries, like a fractured skull and multiple operations to repair facial damage. Another couple got run over and suffered broken ribs and concussion. You can end up the same turning horses in or out and just chasing them around an arena. None of these horses were evil but all were fresh and healthy and all of these handlers were just using a plain line snapped to the halter ring. All except one were under 21 too, young people.
The older one was a Mom turning the kids horse out to " play", thing spun and kicked her upper teeth right into her sinus cavities…and it was not a bad horse or anything, nice, quiet Paint too. Just hadn’t been out for a few days. Mom didn’t know how to lunge, thought she was doing a favor. Really, I kept my horse a block away from this one and one of the fatalities was just up the street, kid lunging her fresh horse out in back of the house.
Ever watch how fresh, healthy horses play with each other? You should. Think you need to rethink things as far as working on the ground with your healthy, fresh horse. They can hurt or even kill simply because of their size. You can end up in their way and pay a very dear price, it’s not their fault, they reflect their training and respect for you.
There are correct ways to lunge but they require knowledge and an understanding that lunging is a teaching session with a goal and it demands respect and focus from the horse. It also requires some type of restraint in rigging the line or reins so it proves Its not a free fior all all, blow off steam romp around a person on the ground with no control or protection. IMO lunging is most often misused as a way to avoid just getting in the horse because the rider is afraid to ride it and the horse lacks respect for the person. Your daughter should be able to get right on that horse most days and that horse should not need anything but occasional, correctly done lunging. With al, the money and time you have dumped into training, you and the horse should NOT be where you are on this. She needs to be comfortable just getting on and riding. That goes triple for the trainer-Pro should definitely just get on 99% if the time if they really have it trained.
Again not to be overly dramatic or recite third hand horror stories but turning them loose to rip around a small, enclosed space like an arena is not a good idea. Known many who injured suspensories from from coming out of the stall and immediately going to 100% hard exertion iwith no warm up. Personally seen two caracasses in rings shortly after bad accidents resulting in PTS where they fell, one hooked a leg on a fencepost and snapped it, the other was out with a BFF turnout partner, they played and BFF landed one on his shoulder blade shattering it-that one was just awful to see.
Im not going to describe how to correctly lunge, can’t be learned by reading about it. There are a lot of references available online but some of the sources and demonstrations are…questionable.
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Realky think you need to explore the more NH oriented trainers, not the game players but the ones who teach mutual respect from the ground up, not going around in circles because that’s all they know how to do or teach. The breed and/or show barns and trainers tend to be pricier and too many focus on getting them show ready and placing well- things that don’t really mean the horse is trained or the rider is anything but a passenger. All they know getting the horse tired enough, they don’t even know how to develop a properly trained horse much less teach others. There are many trainers out there who incorporate traditional NH techniques into training and go to shows, you need one of those, just one focused more on turning out real riders and trained horses then bright shiny things to hang on the wall.
NH is nothing new, just picked up the tag in the last 25 years or so. It’s old techniques based on understanding how a horse thinks and what it responds to. That’s all. Yet it also requires patience, consistency and time commitment that our instant result seeking culture no longer cultivates.
Theres a fair share of quacks in NH promising instant solutions. It really takes a lot of time and many hours with competent instruction starting, literally, from the ground up. COTH is a great resource for advice from horse people who have made every mistake in the book so are willing to share so others don’t do the same dam thing. Like all things Internet, most things are helpful, some aren’t. Try to ignore the things and people who aren’t helpful.
Google Buck Brannaman to start. Watch some of his videos to start understanding what you need to seek. We are on a journey with our horses and some roads are better to travel then others…but there’s no directions or road signs.
Hope we see you on here more, best free advice you will find.
