One of the best ways to let out some excess energy from your horse before you ride is to longe him. This will help you see how your horse is going to react before you even step a foot in the stirrup. If you have a small corral or round pen, you can send the horse around without a rope. Have him walk, trot, lope and then work back down. You may also have him do some turns to limber him up. Sometimes horses that are excited to be out or who are tight will explode into a buck as soon as you get on. Longeing will give him the opportunity to get any of that out of his system.
When you longe the horse, you don’t want to be just chasing him around the pen. You will want him to follow the pressure off of the longe line and drive him with your body behind his shoulder. You also want your horse to longe properly. For example, if the horse is going around to the right, you want him to have his nose tipped to the right, not the left. You also want to be sure that his eyes are focused on where he is going and that he is not looking in the other direction. You will be able to tell where the horse is looking depending on whether or not you can see any white of his inside eye.
When you are longeing your horse, you will want to direct the horse with the hand of the direction that your horse is going. If your horse is going to the left, then you will want to direct him with the left hand. Standing behind his shoulder will drive him forward and you will use your other hand to help drive. You may twirl the end of the rope or wave your arm up and down in the air. Stepping in front of the shoulder will encourage the horse to slow down and stop.
You will also be able to make him change directions as well. Apply pressure to the halter with the rope in the opposite direction and with the opposite hand. Your horse will turn and go the other way. For many horses, turning can be difficult. Many horses prefer to go in one direction and they may fight you about going the other direction. These horses just need practice and patience. Keep working with him on following the pressure of the rope and driving him from behind his shoulder. These horses may also need a tap on the rear with the end of the rope.
When your horse begins to feel comfortable and starts to anticipate when you are going to turn him, mix it up a bit and turn him in different parts of the pen. After the horse is comfortable and turning well, give him a well-deserved break. Then direct him again and drive him some more. Eventually, you may not even have to feel like you are driving the horse and they will work around you in the circle, but you still want to be an active participant and get a feel for your horse. After ten to fifteen minutes of longeing, your horse should be limber enough and mentally prepared for a ride.
By Ron Petracek
Ron Petracek - Raised in southern Idaho, Ron loves horses and the outdoors. If you would like to join in and learn from the vast resources at our equine forum please visit http://www.horsechitchat.com Looking to buy sell or trade something equine related? Just visit our huge network and get 12 sites for Free! Click here => http://www.Click4equine.com
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