To longe or to lunge?

[cnvh]

So which is it, or are they both correct?

I was always taught that it's called a LONGE line, to use for LONGEING your horse. But I see gads of people "lunge" or "lounge" their horses. In my thinking, the LAST thing I want is my horse "loungeing," or worse yet, "lungeing" around at the end of my longe line!! :eek: But I see "lunge/lounge" so often that maybe I'm wrong in having mini-seizures every time I see it spelled the other ways.

Help me out here, because this is a major pet peeve... am I right ("longe/longeing") or are the different spellings considered acceptable?

[evans36]

Pet peeve here too. One longes a horse. One does lunges at a gym. One lounges in a chaise. All totally different things.

I remember reading somewhere once that the term "longe" comes from the old spelling of "long" and is basically a derivative of long lining.

[Beverley]

Yup, longe and longeing. Eet ees from zee francais.:)

[sk_pacer]

My horses are lounging - they just do nothing all day, and I wish they could lounge outside, but it is all water.

Yep, longe and longeing. Lungeing is what you do when you fence (with swords, not wire and posts)

[MHM]

Once upon a time, I was taught that "longe" was correct.

After several decades in the horse business, I've stopped worrying about that particular spelling issue. :lol:

[Sue from Auckland]

Longe is correct in certain parts of the world; lunge is current in other parts of the world. Lounge is not correct in either :)

[cnvh]

Longe is correct in certain parts of the world; lunge is current in other parts of the world. Lounge is not correct in either :)

In which parts of the world is it considered correct? Serious question, not trying to be snarky...

[Vesper Sparrow]

My Oxford Canadian Dictionary gives "lunge" as the preferred spelling and "longe" as a variant.

[DeeThbd]

Just like the fact that it is not a chaise lounge, but a chaise longue, or long chair (those loffly patio chairs that let us take naps in the sun :D)
I would believe that longe comes from longue....and many people also call it long-lining a horse when they ground drive, so it makes sense!
I am a stickler, and call it longeing.
Dee

[WorthTheWait95]

I've always gone with 'lunge' b/c that's the way it is spelled in every magazine I've ever seen. Dunno if it's 'correct' but if it's good enough for them...:lol:

[sublimequine]

I agree with the posters above. It's lunge or longe, but never lounge. Unless your horse is in an armchair at the end of the longe line or something... :lol:

[Aru]

its Lunge in england and Ireland..(probley why the oxford dictionary gave it as the preferred spelling in guessin)....iv never heard of longe before....

[skint]

I concur, when in Eng-er-land you lunge your beast, when Stateside you longe! :)

[Tilly]

I use both lunge and longe, but never lounge. Lounge is what I'm doing right now :lol:

[skint]

I use both lunge and longe, but never lounge. Lounge is what I'm doing right now :lol:

Yes, me too except my boss keeps ruining it by asking me to work. Good lord, what's happened to the public sector?!

[Doodlebug1]

Absolutely, definitely lunge in the UK - no-one here uses longe and would just assume you'd made a typo....

I think it's just another quirk of the languages. Just like you have Aluminum and we have AluminIum which leads to a totally different pronunciation.

When I post on this board I always refer to longe - but I'd never use it as a word in the UK.

[RU2U]

If you have a young one you could be longeing,a lungeing horse. Now do you drop the e and add ing?

[kookicat]

In which parts of the world is it considered correct? Serious question, not trying to be snarky...

England for one. :) Longe looks so wrong to me! :cool::lol: