BENEFITS
AND USES OF LONGEING (lungeing)
Although longeing (lungeing) is generally thought of as a means to either train
a young horse or warm up an experienced horse before a ride, the benefits of and
uses for longeing (lungeing) are so varied that it should be a part of the training
and exercise program of all horses. Benefits
of Longeing (lungeing): * Develops obedience to voice
commands and body language * Establishes the foundation for
ground driving * Is a progressive step in the horse’s
education. Makes the transition from in-hand work to mounted work
logical
and systematic * Develops added confidence and familiarity
between horse and trainer; sets the stage for upcoming learning *Adds
a margin of safety for mounted work * Allows for familiarity
with tack, such as carrying an "inert" snaffle *
Introduces movement principles - balance, rhythm, vertical and lateral flexion,
gait extension and collection without interference from a rider *
Is helpful for correcting bad habits such as impure gaits, head tossing, or spooking
* Teaches a horse to work in certain confines *
Allows the horse to develop physically – left/right balance, suppleness,
strength of back and loin, tendon and ligament durability without the weight of
a rider * Is valuable for rehabilitation after illness, injury,
or pregnancy/lactation; can gain greater exercise effect than with hand walking
yet is safer than turnout * Is good for warm-up and cool-down
for any riding horse * Allows the trainer to observe the horse
while the horse is moving which provides a chance to assess ability, soundness,
quality of movement, gait purity, way of going, way of approaching obstacles etc.
* Allows the trainer to keep a horse in work when the trainer
is pregnant, has a temporary riding impairment, or a schedule crunch *
Provides an exercise alternative for indoor work when the outside footing is too
treacherous for riding * Provides an exercise alternative
for use in unfenced areas such as on show grounds * Can be
used for rider longe lessons and self-longe lessons * Can
be used to introduce cavalletti work and jumping * Can be
used to introduce and hone obstacle work * Is a requirement
of the Longe Line Class in horse shows  | 2.jpg){kind=small}
