© Antti Walnestedt
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The
alternative to a round pen is to work the horse on a circle with a lunge rope.
The result is not as good as working the horse loose. If the horse is trained
on the lunge, try to refine the work with the horse loose in a round pen
whenever possible. The rope has to be round, flat ropes are dangerous. It is
too easy to get loops on flat ropes, it is not to recommend to get stuck with a
finger or a hand in a loop, also the horse can get caught in a loop.
 Three different rope can be useful, the shortest one is 3-4 meters and is used working on a small circle. The next one is 6-7 meters. and is the one that is used most frequently, the longest one 9-12 meters, is for more advanced work and for harness horses. A nervous horse can often be calm if he gets a bit of freedom on the lunge and it is easier to hold a horse that pulls away if the rope is long. The weight of the rope is important, is it too heavy it will pull the horse in on a big circle and also trail on the ground. 14 millimeters thick is fine for the 6-7 meters. line, the longer one has to be finer, about 10 millimeters., and lighter . The material must not burn the hand if it runs quickly through it. In the beginning it is useful to wear gloves, but when the horse begins to cooperate you can carry the line with the ends of your fingers. The longest rope doesn't need a hook, it can be fastened with a sailors knot, it is good to have a knot at the end of the line, so you know where it ends.
On the circle, the horse keeps his inside eye on the trainer. If you come in front of the horse, he tries to change hand.
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Changing of
hand is done by the trainer moving the rope to his other hand. With the rope in
the new hand, he backs away and turns the horse to the inside, when the horse
has turned and has got both his eyes on the trainer, he walks to the new
inside, which is the old outside, and drives the horse forwards. The driving
force comes from the hind legs, if the direction of the driving force is broken,
the horse looses speed. If you pull his
front end toward the center, the hindquarters will be turned out and looses the
propulsion. This is a good emergency stop.
You can stop the forehand by shaking the rope, a horse doesn't want to move into something that shakes his nose. In the same way, the trainer makes downwards transitions. The horse can also be made to back up by shaking the rope. He has to be taught to stay on the circle, he is not allowed to come to the center without being given a signal.
  To make the horse come to the trainer, he takes a contact on the rope by shortening it until it is tense, when the horse moves forwards, the line has to be released immediately. If the horse does not get a release on the rope, he can see no reason to come next time the trainer asks him. The goal is that the horse comes as soon as you take up the line, in the beginning you may need more force on the rope before he starts to move. When the trainer moves, the horse should follow on the line, he must not pass the trainer, should he do that, he has to be backed up immediately. If the horse has not been trained to be led in a halter before, it is time to do it when he has been trained loose or with a rope. The persons who use extra force on the horses nose are showing their ignorance about how horses function. Already as a baby, the horse has to see the human as higher in rank, the one that is higher in rank goes first. The horse may only walk by the side or in front on command. A horse higher in rank can drive the others before him. At showing in hand the horse can walk at the side, but only on command. At the stable door or a narrow space the horse must wait to enter or to be sent in first, a horse can squash a person's ribs without getting a scratch, if he squeezes past in a narrow passage. He doesn't hurt anybody on purpose, but the effect is the same. |
