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  Discussion on Walk to trot on the lunge
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Posted on Tuesday, Jul 31, 2001 - 11:53 pm:

I'm teaching my colt to lunge and am having trouble getting him to go into a trot from a walk. I've tried clucking and tapping him on the hip quickly, but doesn't seem to work much. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Posted on Wednesday, Aug 1, 2001 - 6:57 am:

Hi, Tracey,

Does the horse trot normally on his own in the pasture? Assuming so, then,

What is your cue to have him start walking on the longe? What is your cue to have him start walking on a lead next to you? If you have a cue to tell him to move, you can give the move cue as he walks, only add a little more verve to it. Horses on longe lines read body language, too, so if your body is asking him to move forward at increased speed, by stepping toward his hind end, it will help.

If you can get your colt to trot forward with you on cue on a lead line, you can start the trot on a lead line, then trot in a circle and then gradually let out the lead so the colt's distance from you is increased and you are in the center of his circle. You will have to continue to repeat your trot or move cue as you do this. Sometimes it helps to have one person hold the longe line while another stays at the horse's head and trots with the horse to get the horse to understand what is expected.

It doesn't seem as if there is anything wrong with the way you are asking for trot, but it is important that you get it when you ask for it, even if it is for a few steps and then praise the horse a bunch to give him confidence that he did it correctly.
Holly

Posted on Wednesday, Aug 1, 2001 - 8:51 am:

Holly's instructions are very good but one point she makes can be hard to describe: Is your body lanquage correct? This is critical to getting the horse to move forward:
If you are in front of the 2 dimensional plane that transects the chest of the horse he will tend to slow. If you are in or behind the plane that transects the hind quarters he will tend to move more forward when pressed. If you continue to have diffculties get someone who teaches young horses to observe you and help.
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Aug 2, 2001 - 10:40 pm:

Hi Holly

When I'm leading him, to ask him to trot I cluck fast and then start trotting beside him myself. He does go into a trot when I do this and I use these same cues on the lunge - cluck fast, trotting myself (up and down on the spot-I'm assuming this must look pretty funny to anyone watching!) - and tapping him on the hip. Holly, I think your point about letting out the lead a bit more each time is a good one. I'll try this and see if it works.

DrO
With the lunge work, I stand parallel to his hip to get him moving forwards and to slow or stop him I move parallel to his head/shoulder area.

When I'm using the whip, I generally use it with his rugs on so that it's more the noise of the whip hitting his canvas rug than the feel of the whip on his body that makes him move. I'm a bit worried that I could use the whip too hard and that he might get "whip shy" - is this okay to be doing?

Posted on Thursday, Aug 2, 2001 - 11:33 pm:

Tracey,
Clucking is fine if you want to use it as the verbal cue to move your horse. Remember to use it whenever you want movement and not stop until the horse moves the body part you are asking for him to move.

If he will follow your shoulder and trot with you that is great. You shouldn't have to trot in place while he is on the longe line, but it is great exercise and will help you empathize with your horse!! Do try the leading at the trot and gradually lengthening the lead. When I longe my guys, (almost always in a lesson situation) I normally don't have to use a longe whip, just the end of the longe line or my hand waved toward their back ends if they don't increase their speed on the verbal cue. When I HAVE used the whip, I normally only have to trail it along the ground behind the horse and the movement of the tail of the whip in the grass is enough to keep a stubborn horse moving.

I have had to "crack the whip" with a few horses. It is imperative to make sure the horse is not afraid of the whip before you begin using it. Carry it as you lead, wipe it over his body, down his legs, under his belly while speaking in a soothing tone. First cue your horse to move with a verbal cue and with your body. If he is already walking, the verbal cue for move used again, should cue him to increase to the next level of speed, but if it doesn't, use the verbal cue and body language two times giving the horse a couple of seconds between times to process the information, then use the cues a third time and crack him with the whip. (I usually aim for the back of the legs below the hocks, but occasionally have hit the rump. Sometimes my aim isn't very good!) Immediately as he moves forward, offer praise and lower the whip. He is never to be afraid of the whip, but it isn't any good as a reinforcer if the horse doesn't learn to respect it when it IS used. If you make it count the first time you use it, you may not have to use it much at all ever again. After your horse has gone forward at a trot and settled into a steady rhythm, ask for a walk and start again. When you cue for trot this time, do it the same as before: ask with verbal cue and body, give a couple of seconds for response; if no response, ask again in the same way; give a couple of seconds for response; if no response, ask again and show the whip behind the horse (sometimes just lifting the end off the ground and pointing it toward the tail is enough) and the horse should move off right away. If the horse learns that you are always going to ask the same way and that you are not going to stop until you get what you are asking for, he will become more and more responsive. Always give him a few rounds on the longe to just move along freely at the trot and think about what just happened. Then you can slow him down or ask for halt and try again. When you reverse directions, you may have to start the process from the beginning, all over again. Sometimes horses aren't very good at transferring what they learned on the right side to the left side. We have to teach both sides of the horse separately, almost as if we are teaching two different horses.

I am sure your guy will do fine as you work with him. There will be frustrations and tears, but they will come because the horse can't understand your language. It takes time for them to learn all that we want to say to them. Be patient and expect that your horse won't understand, then when he does, you'll feel as if you have made giant steps. (And you will have. Each instance in which we cue a horse and realize that they are doing exactly what we are asking is a thrilling moment. It's really wonderful to realize that we can learn to "talk" to these noble animals.)
Holly

Posted on Monday, Aug 6, 2001 - 11:26 pm:

Holly - thanks for your terrific advice. I'm going to try it this weekend. I usually try to teach him new stuff when I have more time and this is usually at the weekends. During the week, it takes me four hours to get to work and four hours to get home again so I'm usually doing his handling/training at 4 o'clock in the morning and 9 o'clock at night.

I have one quick question though. What do I do if he turns his rump towards me and kicks out when I use the lunge whip? I've been using just a stiff dressage work for his work closer in to me and he has on occasion turned his rump to me.
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