Lunging and Falling Inside

[Cincinnati]

My horse's "bad" side is going to the right. I know how to fix this when riding, but how do you work on this when lunging?

[CapitolDesign]

If you lunge with the whip as your leg aid, your horse will go forward when you swing it behind his butt... and away from you when you sweep it towards his middle.

[slc2]

In order for the horse to do that, he has to be trained to do that. And he has to have a contact with the bit on both sides.

To train a horse to move away from the whip, point it at his shoulder, then move him away by touching him on the shoulder. If the horse is falling in he may be putting his haunches to the inside of the circle and his shoulders to the outside, so bending can help, as can having the inside side rein a little shorter and pushing the horse to the outside.

[Eclectic Horseman]

Start by teaching the horse how to do a turn on the forehand in hand. You want the horse to swing his hind end away from you, bending at the ribcage and stepping underneath his body with the right (inside) hind leg.

When you have taught him the turn on the forehand in hand, then start to enlarge the circle at the walk, asking him to keep that same arc of the body away from you.

Gradually you can graduate to the trot on a small circle, always remembering to keep the bend. If the horse loses the bend and falls in on his shoulder, go back to the turn on the forehand to show what you want.

[MyReality]

For many horses you cannot "fix" balance on the lunge. Not to say other people's suggestions do not work. It really depends on how they naturally use themselves when you drive them forward. The fact is half halt to re-balance is not effective on the lunge on every horse... for many, it is easier to lean on the bit, lean on the inside shoulder, or run out, or hop around, then to go forward in a balanced manner.

For horses who have problems doing 20 m circle, I free lunge them. And get them to do pole work, cavaletti and little jumps on straight lines, to make their hind and back muscles stronger, and help them think about balance. If you have a large round pen, you can also try trotting poles and cavaletti on bending line.

[nhwr]

This happens because the horse is crooked. It is easier to fix this under saddle. Work on things that will strengthen the right hind leg; S/I, counter canter etc. As the horse develops strength that is balanced on both sides, the behavior should disappear on the lunge.

[joiedevie99]

Do lots of transitions. Five steps of trot, five steps of walk. Set four poles on the ground at 12, 3, 6, and 9 on a 20-30m circle. If the horse is a little farther along, you can spiral in and out on the circle. Stand still and gradually shorten the line about 10 feet as the horse goes around one circle. Keep the whip pointed low and just behind the horse. As you take on the line, point the whip up to the horses hocks to encourage the inside hind to keep stepping under. As you let the line back out, point the whip between the shoulder and the withers, and flip the lash out at the horse if you don't get a response.

[slc2]

when you can make your horse stop and go on the longe line, that is the basis for straightening him; it is quite possible to straighten the horse on the longe line.

[JB]

You may need to do some closer in-hand work going to the right so you can physically touch and push his barrel out. He's stiff in his left side, making it uncomfortable for him to bend right (and easy for him to bend left). It will take time for him to 1) understand what you're asking and 2) develop the flexibility to do what you're asking. The more in-hand work you can do so you can correct him immediately, the better.

As time goes on, the line can get longer and longer because he should be understanding that pointing the whip at his barrel (where your leg would be) means move that body part away.

I wouldn't free lunge a horse like this - there is nothing that asks or encourages him to bend correctly.