Lunging before riding to help the horse loosen muscles

[mydogs]

I’ve always wondered why more riders don’t lunge their horses for a few minutes before riding to give their horse an initial warm up & stretch period without the weight of a rider on their back?
Assuming the horse isn’t one that “needs” to be lunged before being ridden because they are hot or need a chance to get a few nasty bucks out of their system for the rider’s safety.

In my mind, it makes sense to allow a horse about 10 minutes of walk, trot, and a short canter on the lunge line before riding especially if the horse a little more stiff or sore that day. It also gives me a chance to see how my horse is moving that day from the ground. Granted, I don’t lunge before I ride but the thought has been crossing my mind lately.

I also understand that you can influence the horse’s body in a positive way in the warm-up (asking them to stretch down, lift their back, constantly changing direction & bend, etc…), not everyone has the time/knowledge to lunge before & horses who might be in good shape may not need it, so that makes sense too.

Does anyone lunge their horses for a few minutes before riding? How has it benefited your horse?

Or, why don’t you lunge your horse before riding?

[Foxglove6]

I don’t longe my horse before riding because he has turnout during the day. When I get there after work, he hasn’t been in his stall for more than an hour so it’s not as if he is stiff. On days without turn out, he gets a longer walk on a long rein before I pick up contact. Sometimes I’ll ask him to turn on the ground before I mount to stretch a little. But we always walk to the arenas. I think fit horses that have regular turn out are not generally very stiff to begin with.

[hokiekat]

I lunge my gelding prior to most of my rides, even if just for 5 minutes. His mild hock arthritis sometimes causes him to be stiff at the beginning of rides (he lives in the field 24/7), so lunging allows me to stretch him out and also evaluate if he’s not comfortable that day (sometimes when the weather swings drastically). Small circles obviously aren’t the best, so I walk in large circles with him at the end of the lunge line. Seems to work for us, but obviously everyone is different!

[PNWjumper]

I don’t lunge my horses at home because they’re out 24/7, so I don’t feel there would be an appreciable advantage to lunging prior to a ride. And honestly, if a horse has been cooped up for some reason, I don’t see a big difference between a long walk (or trail ride) and putting them on the lunge. I think I can feel unevenness better than I can see it - though if a horse feels NQR at the start of a ride I will often put them on the lunge so I can take a closer look at what I’m feeling.

At home I don’t feel like the advantages of lunging outweigh the disadvantages (the time it takes and the stress of putting the horse on a smallish circle at the start of each ride).

At horseshows I lunge most (and sometimes all) of my horses in the morning. 10-15 minutes max, and it’s purely so that the horses can get out and move their bodies without a human on board. None of them “need” it in regard to energy or trying to tire them out, it really is just to let them move loosely and easily after standing in a stall all night. I find that they’re generally looser and easier to warm up when it’s time to get on when I do this.

[findeight]

I’d rather hack out at shows but that’s not always possible and if there’s one place they need to stretch out before schooling, it’s on the road. If lunging works for you? Why not.

But it doesn’t work for everybody and every horse and every situation. Sometimes there’s no place to do it safely, some prefer not to lunge around other horses being worked lest their buck/fart action get them all going, some don’t know how to do it safely, never needed it so to each their own.

[SuzieQNutter]

Yes we lunge before riding. Proper lunging. They warm up without side-reins and then they work in side reins. Only 5 to 10 minutes. Remember that with proper lunging 10 minutes is equal to an hour of riding. Then we hop on.

It allows the horse to warm up, to use the correct muscles, to get their own rhythm and tempo and to accept contact.

As you said I can see in an instant if something is not right. If they are sore in being lame or have picked up a grass seed in their mouth or whatever.

We are riding 3 off the track thoroughbreds with no instructor in sight. I have taught my husband to ride. I have taught him to lunge and we do it 95% of the time. If we are short on time we hop on without lunging.

This means that I am now a week away from home. I know that he is at home riding 2 off the track thoroughbreds and I am not in the least bit worried. He is as safe as I can make him without the untoward happening which none of us can stop.

Another thing I learned the other week from a video is that Ingrid Klimke. One of the best rider’s in the world. With her young horses she rides one day, lunges only the next. This allows the horse to get it’s own rhythm. So one of the best rider’s in the world believes the horse benefits from lunging.

Our horses are out 24/7 with no stables.

[bornfreenowexpensive]

I lunge if I’m worried about being bucked off. I’ve also had horses who were cold backed and did better with light lunging. And if lack of turn out I will hand walk and/or lunge. But lunging can be hard on them too. I do warm up long and low and will often canter in two point even in my dressage saddle as I loosen them up.

[ladyj79]

Most of my horses I don’t, but a handful yep, to loosen up, because otherwise by the time they were warmed up I was tired.

[tbchick84]

I don’t do it for two reasons. First my horse is out 24/7 so he’s free to move around whenever he wants. Also, I’d rather be on him when we’re walking around on a loose rein for about 10 minutes to actually feel where he is stiff rather than try to see it.

[Foxtail]

I don’t lunge before I ride, but I’ll do ground exercises in its stead. Flexions, turns on the haunches, shoulder-ins, FDO stretches, etc. Gets the same result without a lot of the stress that lunging puts on the joints. I prefer to save lunging for green horses, rerides, and (re)conditioning.

[Ganesha]

I don’t lunge mine anymore for several reasons. My horse doesn’t buck under saddle but does try to buck and play on the lunge. He can be remarkably quick going from obedient BAM! explosive plunge and buck on the line, and I don’t want him stressing his joints being foolish on a small circle. He is turned out most of the day, so he has had a chance to move around a bit. I give him a long walk warmup on a loose rein and get him really marching, and then canter before I trot.

If he’s fresh and looky/sight-seeing I get up off his back and canter earlier and just push him on. As long as we’re going forward this particular horse doesn’t do anything that would unseat me. I realize this might not be true of every horse.

[FitToBeTied]

I’ve never lunged a horse before riding. My philosophy is that when it is time to work it is time to work. It is not always possible to lunge a horse before riding.

[SuzieQNutter]

Our horses do not need to be lunged to ride. I choose to lunge them. I do it for a few minutes to lesson the stress. It is to work the horse, not just to warm them up. We don’t lunge if going for a lesson or competing.

I also go through warm up when hopping on afterwards. Long and low and to see how they feel etc etc.

[normandy_shores]

I lunge or do groundwork with my youngster most times before I ride. Gives me the chance to let her get warmed up and make sure her brain is where it ought to be, and establish work time and her listening to my commands. 98% of the time she’s dead quiet, but it gives me peace of mind since she’s only 3. Also figure it helps limber her up and avoid injury.

[kashmere]

I’ve started to do different in-hand work rather than longeing before riding because I find it’s better for my particular horse. She knows how to longe correctly, but is also the type to work herself up a bit and it’s not hard for her to just turn into a wind up toy on the end of the line. When I want to really longe, I make it the goal of our session - groundwork first and then longeing first without and then with side reins.

If I want to ride, I do in-hand groundwork and then hop up to ride.

[Hilary]

Depends on the horse - I have had some that really benefited from lunging - it was more mental than anything else. Instills the “time to work” mindset. The ones I’m working now, I prefer to get on and walk and feel how they are and go to work under saddle. They are also out all the time, and I give them a long under saddle warm up.

[devvie_continued]

I don’t lunge before riding – the older and very large gelding I ride does get a good long walk warm up though, some on a long rein, and some on a contact doing exercises, minimum 20 minutes before we trot. My feeling is that he does enough circles already given that we’re in a small indoor for the winter. I believe in the walk!

[theresak]

Horses should walk for 10+ minutes to loosen up and get the joints warmed up. I would be bored to tears walking on the lunge line for 10 minutes. So if my horse is his normal self, 10 minutes of walking under saddle get him sufficiently loose and stretched (we’ll do lateral work while walking to stretch and supple everything).

If he’s maybe not his normal self and needs a check on the lunge line (soundness or behavior), I’ll pop him on the lunge for 10 minutes and WTC. However, especially since the joints are not totally warmed up with the limited amount of walking on the lunge line, I am cognizant the lunging is hard on his hocks.

[beowulf]

It really depends on the horse, their level of fitness, their riding/work/mental needs, the rider, their riding fitness, and the scenario.

That being said I am not a fan of lunging at all (primarily because I find it stresses their joints), but somehow ended up with two horses who are much better post lunging. Neither have behavior/spunk issues that need to be “lunged” out, both just seem to do better having their backs warm up without a rider on them. One has KS. The other isn’t my horse, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he had KS too. Both of them are out 24/7.

I think there is a real difference between lunge-school (which is real, HARD work) and lunging to burn off any excess energy. Burning excess energy and yahoo-lunging is a great way to get horse and handler hurt, having the horse romp around at mach speed bucking and farting in a 20m circle is a good way to aggravate a tendon. Slow, steady, consistent work on the lunge IMHO is different, having a quiet horse go over poles & cavaletti is an excellent way to build their topline and improve their step… but it needs to be done slowly and gradually, as lunging is VERY hard on horses that have SI, hock, or stifle issues.

My routine for my horse was to send him out around the lunge for a few minutes to see how he moved and make sure he was sound - that included walking/trotting over poles. Max was 5m usually. Then I’d get on and hack around the bridlepath I made, which took 5-10m. Then it was work time.

There is a definite increase in willingness to work and “mental stamina/tolerance” (meaning, how long we can school a difficult thing) when the horses are slowly and appropriately warmed up.

I do think lunge school has its place in a horse’s regime - I do something similar to Ingrid Klimke where once a week my guy was worked in hand and on the lunge only, working on tempo & cadence over poles and cavaletti. It was also an excellent tool that taught him to be exemplary-mannered on the ground.

[kcmel]

I typically only lunge if necessary for the vet. However, I now have a young horse that I sometimes needs to lunge if he hasn’t been ridden in a while. I can tell by his attitude when I’m tacking him up if he’s going to need to be lunged. I agree with Beowulf that you have to be careful that your horse doesn’t hurt himself, but I have learned to keep his speed under control, and I would rather get those bucks out when I am not on him!