Longeing a horse takes as much skill and common sense as riding one does. This on-the-ground training method comes with a lot of responsibility, but it can also be a fun way to interact with and exercise your horse.
There are many different reasons why equestrians choose to longe, such as warming up a horse before riding, safely burning off his excess energy, improving ground manners, developing balance without a rider, practicing gait rhythm, training verbal and physical cues, detecting lameness, and rehabbing injuries.
Here, U.S. Equestrian ‘r’ judge and hunter/jumper trainer Lesley Cox shares her advice and gives tips on how to be an effective longeur. She operates Lesley Cox Equestrian in Parrish, Fla., where she works with all ages and experience levels and specializes in young horses to produce amateur-friendly mounts. Lesley actively shows with her clients at USEF-recognized competitions.
How to Safely Get Ready for Longeing
Lesley says that longeing a horse requires strength, good balance, and coordination.
“Anyone learning should have the opportunity to work with a seasoned horse that is very experienced with longeing—one that understands voice commands and is familiar with a longe whip being used as a tool,” she says. “A beginner should get a professional to help with the basics to become more comfortable while learning all the techniques and maneuvers correctly.”
Equipment for Handler
Lesley recommends wearing gloves when you longe to ensure a better grip on the line and to protect your hands from any possible rope burns if the horse pulls harder than expected.
“Having closed-toe boots to protect your feet from being stepped on is the most important aspect when it comes to safe footwear when working with horses,” she adds. “And one of the smartest things you can have on while longeing is your helmet. This is a good habit to develop in case the horse has too much energy and wants to throw a kick or buck in your direction.”
Stay in Control
Lesley stresses that safety and maintaining control should be priorities when longeing a horse, and a round pen is a great controlled area to practice.
Longeing in the same arena where others are riding isn’t a good idea.
“You don’t want to risk anyone’s safety in the event your horse becomes too fractious to hold or pulls away from you,” Lesley says.
Never wrap the longeline around any part of you or your horse’s body at any time—even when standing still. Horses can bolt or spook unexpectedly, and by having your fingers, hand, arm, leg or foot tangled in the line, you could become seriously injured or even be dragged behind your horse with no way to get free.
A Centered Circle While Longeing
To longe correctly, stay in the center of the circle that your horse is traveling on, always walking forward. When longeing clockwise, you’ll be holding the line in your right hand and your whip in your left. When you change directions, you’ll switch hands.
“You should stand and walk somewhere between the horse’s shoulder and his hind end while longeing,” Lesley says. “Visualize a triangle with yourself at one point. The longeline straight out from your hand to the horse’s head makes one side, and the whip in your hand pointed toward the horse’s hind end creates the second line of the triangle.” The third part of the triangle is the horse’s body.
Adding Aids
Training aids can enhance your horse’s performance by helping him achieve a round frame over his topline.
“First, I like to have a horse move on the longeline freely without any training aids,” Lesley says. “Then, when the horse is ready, I’ll add a surcingle or saddle with comfortable fitted side reins to encourage the horse to [track] underneath himself, always making sure that the reins aren’t pulling his head down.”
She is very clear about never trying a training aid on your horse without checking with your trainer first. Not only are these aids sometimes tricky to put on the right way, but they can easily scare your horse when introduced incorrectly.
Make Longeing Routine
Lesley recommends longeing in various environments and circumstances where your horse can learn to focus on you—not just at home or away at shows.
“This will not only help your horse adapt physically, but it will also help you connect to your horse more on a mental level by making longeing a routine and familiar way to exercise,” she says. “When your horse is regularly and correctly longed, you’ll condition and strengthen his body to be able to handle the demands of longeing and prevent injuries that can happen when a horse is only worked this way once in a while.”
End Goals of Longeing Your Horse
The ultimate goal of longeing is to have a relaxed, stress-free and attentive horse with a smart, confident and knowledgeable handler working together as a team.
To gain insight on how to be even more successful, ask your trainer for help, take some lessons, and watch professionals for ideas to improve your know-how of this important skill.
This article about longeing your horse appeared in the January/February 2024 issue of Young Rider magazine. Click here to subscribe!
