Lunging is an integral part of good horse training and management. There are a myriad of reasons for lunging a horse, including: to introduce a young horse to tack; to train the concept of contact and connection; to improve balance, bend and thoroughness without the interference of a rider; to educate the seat of a rider; to evaluate how a horse is moving; to get the edge off an energetic horse that may be too hot/dangerous to ride; to give an easy day for a horse in hard work; or to prepare a horse for driving or double lunging. ! 

I had the good fortune of being invited to the Training Camp for the Canadian Pan American Games Team this past summer - and what an amazing week this turned out to be for everyone.  I have been lucky enough to have represented Canada at the World Championships, The Pan Am Games, the World Cup and the Open European Championships,  but the funding and organization for a Team Training Camp was not a part of those competitions.  This year (as for WEG Team members in 2014) Equine Canada put together a 9 day Camp designed to bring all the Team riders and horses to peak performance leading up to The PAG in Toronto. 

I love writing these articles, but coming up with a topic is hard for me.  I asked around last week at the horse show for topics, and someone suggested lungeing.  (longeing, lungeing – you say tomatoe…..)

I had just finished teaching a lesson where a very talented mare was being silly, and the rider was lungeing the mare rather ineffectively in an attempt to calm her.   So,  instead of teaching a riding lesson I  used part of my time to assist with the lungeing, and it really helped the ride be positive.  In light of that,  I thought is might be an entirely appropriate topic.

I just came back from the World Cup in Las Vegas - the competition was amazing and there were a number of competitors there who were just fabulous.   The most fabulous of all was Charlotte and Valegro - they are in a class by themselves.  I got to thinking about all the people behind the scenes who help these athletes compete in top international competition....

It’s “Selling Season” here in Welly World - it seems there are are hundreds of lovely dressage horses for sale, and potential buyers are coming in from all over the world to try them. Buying your next dressage horse is a financial and emotional investment that can be devastating if it doesn’t work out well.   Anyone who has been in this business long enough will have stories of perfect matches and also horror stories - this article will hopefully give some guidance on how to get more of the former and hopefully none of the latter.  There are no “perfect” horses, and looking for a perfect horse.....