On the Path to Excellence: Line Training for Riders

On the Path to Excellence: Line Training for Riders

Lunging is that part of the compulsory training that is present in the training of athletes in any other sport. Tracker cyclists work to improve their form without limiting their training to daily distances. Basketball players do not play on the team all the time – they regularly practice free throws. In the same way, riders can also work on different parts of the body, focusing on their own position while riding without a lead on the lunge.

Regardless of a rider’s level of fitness, a lunge can help them strengthen the foundation, correct seating problems (such as slouched shoulders, stiff loin, etc.), improve balance, increase their confidence, and improve the horse’s feel (for example, if he is having a difficult time to understand which diagonal is carried forward at the moment of the trot). The cord also helps you learn to follow the horse’s movements instead of getting in the way and fighting them. If you’re into pentathlon, the lunge will teach you how to quickly find your center of gravity on different horses – a critical skill when you have limited time to get comfortable on a new horse.

One of the unique benefits of the cord is that it can strengthen your fit and relax your body at the same time. By focusing on riding in the right position, you strengthen and develop the muscles that move your joints. For example, strengthening the muscles between the hip and knee will help you let your weight go down your leg and place your leg properly on the horse’s side, which will stabilize your seat. Developing the muscles around your hip joint (most important for a good rider seat) will maximize its ability to absorb the impact of your horse’s legs on the ground, which will help you when you’re overcoming obstacles.

Meanwhile, the physical stress of lunging fatigues your muscles, causing your body to relax. Relaxation is a great antidote to stiffness, and what I call “Barbie Doll Ride” looks nice but is not effective. There seems to be a direct link between a stiff arm/elbow and a stiff back. By taking your hands out of the equation, you can focus on relaxing your back. I tell the riders to pretend they are soldiers and try to be more “free” than “attention”. By turning your tension into strength and a secure seat, you will allow your spine to relax and properly absorb the shocks from your horse’s movement.

Lunging training can benefit both the horse and the lunge, among other things. Many horses on the lunge learn to breathe and relax properly. Such benevolent repetitive work stabilizes their psyche. In addition, horses become more tolerant of what riders do on their backs. The Cord learns to use his voice, to work with timing and instinct, to control the rhythm and gait of the horse, to increase and decrease the size of the circle, and to work with horses of different temperaments. Every horse moves differently, so you will have different feelings when working with different horses. The same applies to cord, because each person has his own unique working technique. Periodic change of rider, horse and cord will benefit all three.

Since lunging is physically tiring, it is important not to overdo it. If you work to the point of exhaustion, it will negatively affect your position – you will start to slip, cling to the horse instead of using your body for balance. This is how you reinforce your bad habits, not get rid of them. Do not work until you start to fall from fatigue! When I see how tired students begin to grab the horse with their knees and hands, I end the lesson. If you are a beginner, you can only last 10 minutes or so. Over time, you will be able to work up to 20 or 30 minutes. To make the exercises beneficial for you and your horse, include stepping repetitions and, no matter how far along you are, limit the lesson to 45 minutes. A little muscle soreness the day after your workout is a sign of a good job, but if you’re so sore that you can’t walk, you’re overdoing it.

Below I will provide some safety tips and tricksto be observed while lunging:

1. Always work in a safe, enclosed work area with good ground.

2. Recommended equipment: Corded must wear gloves and carry a sham-barrier or a whip. The cord must pass through the near ring of the snaffle, then through the nape of the horse and be attached to the far ring of the snaffle. The rein does not need to be unfastened from the bridle – twist it several times, and fasten it through the chin strap so that it does not get under the horse’s legs. The rest of the rein should rest around your neck so that you can reach it in case of emergency.

I don’t use lunge reins with the rider because I want the horse to find his balance naturally. The rider rides without spurs.

3. Begin each lesson with regular length stirrups (the base of the stirrup touches the rider’s ankle bone). While riding, adjust it as needed. So, if the stirrups are long, you can tell by the fact that you will start to grab the horse with your knees, and the angle between the thigh and lower leg will be too large. If your knee goes beyond the pillow, then this indicates that the putlischi is very short. If you change horses, you will notice that you will need different lengths of stirrups (because different horses have different body builds).

4. If you want to work without stirrups, after warming up, lift them up and throw them over the withers of the horse so that they do not hit him on the sides, or unfasten them altogether. Keep your legs in the same position as with the stirrups. If your knee begins to straighten, then you are overtired. At the end of the lesson, lower the stirrups and work a little more. This will stretch your leg muscles well and drop your heel, maximizing all the benefits you just got from working without stirrups.

5. Change direction regularly so that both you and your horse develop evenly on both sides of your bodies.

6. Work only with horses that walk well on the lunge and with an experienced lunge. Do not make sudden movements or shift your center of gravity abruptly – this can frighten the horse. Also, avoid riding in too small a circle – this will be bad for the horse’s joints.

The advantage of lunging is that you can create your own personalized training program. To get rid of your shortcomings, mentally go through a short checklist every time you pass the 12 o’clock lap mark. For example, think: “heels down, knees bent.” The more often you check your balance by moving your arms and upper body while in the saddle, the better position your foot will have and the safer your position will be.

Below – some exercises to get you started:

For beginners

Start walking. Place your hands on your hips (hands on the bones of the pelvis). Relax your elbows and do not grab anything with your hands. Stretch the body up, let the weight go down to the heels. Feel your pelvis rise and fall with the rhythm of your horse’s stride. Make sure your legs are directly under your center of gravity and that the hip, knee and ankle angles are correct.

The rider concentrates on keeping her fingers still and her leg position unchanged. She focused her eyes in front of her – looking between the horse’s ears. This helps her keep her body high and centered in the middle.

Once you are relaxed and comfortable in the saddle, try the following exercises:

1. Work your stride on a two-point landing.

Notice how the upper body leans down as the legs go back and leans back as the legs go forward. To prevent this, focus on getting your legs directly under your body, no matter what your upper body is doing. Stretch your leg and drop your heel, feel the flexibility in your ankles without losing the angle at your knees.

As you begin to sit more confidently, exaggerate your two-point seat by bringing your chest closer to your horse’s neck. Then try bending over to both sides of your neck. The more you work on changing your center of gravity, the more secure your leg position becomes. You will also become much more aware of your balance. You will begin to feel it yourself, better than an instructor telling you where your body is going.

Many lunge riders unconsciously work against the horse’s movement by pushing or holding on to it rather than absorbing it into the supple, relaxed spine and joints. One of the best ways to avoid this is to put your hands on your hips and concentrate on relaxing your elbows. Feel for the bones on the front of the pelvis and place your hands there.

2. Play with different hand positions and movements. Stretch your arms out to the sides like the wings of an airplane, concentrating on keeping your fingers calm. Extend both arms in front of you. Put them on your head. Place them behind your back. Make slow alternating circles with both hands. Try patting your head with one hand while rubbing your belly with the other. Change your position frequently to challenge your posture and balance. This will also improve elbow flexibility when you later need to take the reins.

There are many fun exercises you can try first at the walk and then at the trot. For example, put both hands on your head, like the horsewoman in the photo. Notice how her torso stays “high” and she looks forward, while at the same time her weight goes down through her heels. Although the rider’s seat is quite secure, I would like her to lower the stirrups down on the hole. This would help her move her legs into the correct position (she has a very long thigh in relation to the lower leg) – lower them down, hugging the sides of the horse.

3. Turns.

We hold our hands on the hips and quickly turn to the right, looking over the right shoulder, and then to the left, looking over the left shoulder. This will help strengthen your legs while relaxing your upper body.

Patting your head with one hand, patting your belly with the other hand. This is a great test of coordination. Look: the rider remains centered and aligned above her feet.

4. Let’s take it easy on the go. This task is more difficult than it seems. Rise out of the saddle and sit back quietly, just as you would at a trot, without disturbing the position of the legs. You can hold on to the horse’s mane, or put your hands on your hips, or spread them apart, or come up with something of your own.

First practice two-point landing at the walk, then as you ride more confidently, try the exercise at the trot. The rider has an excellent two-point landing. Her weight has properly gone down into her heels, her knees firmly pressed into the saddle. She looks ahead in the direction of the horse’s movement.

5. To strengthen your seat (the base of your seat), grasp the pommel of the saddle and push yourself down into the saddle, focusing on closing the hatch on the saddle. By strengthening this part of the body, you will allow your back to relax. Your sluice is supported by a stable, properly positioned leg. Keep your legs under your body with your toes pointing up, but they must not be turned out or you will grab the horse with the back of your legs. This will teach your horse to ignore the impact of the leg or overreact to it. Instead, the legs should lie flat on the horse’s sides.

When you are ready, you can remove the stirrups, but the angles of the hips, knees, and ankles should remain the same as when riding with stirrups. Pay attention to the angles of the rider: they match the angles in the photo above, where she worked with stirrups.

6. Find your horse’s average gaits. At each gait, the horse must be able to lengthen and collect his stride and frame. Start by looking for “gears” on the walk. Use your legs to ask the horse to lengthen his stride while maintaining the same rhythm. Always check if the horse reacts quickly to the leg. If necessary, ask a lunging horse to help you (by cheering a sluggish horse with a whip or voice, or by gently calling a horse who is in a hurry and breaks into a trot). Then release the pressure and allow the horse to return to a comfortable pace. Repeat this until you can switch between two different “gears” without losing the rhythm.

The above exercises do not have to be done in that order. Do whatever works for you, according to your skills, abilities and comfort level. They will load you so that at first, you may only work on a walk. This is good. When you feel comfortable, try removing the stirrups for part of the lesson and repeat the exercises, then put the stirrups back to end the session.

When you are ready to trot, begin by lowering the stirrups to your usual length. When you get comfortable, repeat the same exercises as in the walk. Also work on feeling and identifying which diagonal is going forward without looking down. This is a great way to stop looking down. Do not hurry. Give yourself time to develop these skills.

For more experienced riders

As your stability in the saddle increases, do more lunging at the trot, experimenting with your own variations of the exercises above, both with and without stirrups. Practicing two-point landing in a trot without stirrups is a proven exercise for developing muscle strength and improving balance. Do not forget: the training must be completed before you exhaust yourself. Before finishing, ride a little, with extended stirrups to pull down your legs and drop your heels.

Try the following exercises:

1. Riding at a posting trot, changing diagonal every four paces. Focus on the rhythm of your horse. If necessary, count out loud. Pay attention to the reaction of the horse even to occasional swings in your balance forward or backward. This will help improve your understanding of what she’s doing underneath you and help you keep your rhythm while overcoming obstacles. When you get comfortable, try to change the diagonal after three paces, after two. Finally, repeat the exercise without stirrups.

2. Training trot. When you feel ready, sit in a training trot. Hold the bow with one hand. Sit yourself deeper into the saddle, focusing again on closing your legs from hips to knees. Make sure your shoulders stay aligned over your pelvis and heels. Make a few circles, paying attention to whether you become enslaved or not. Then return to the posting trot or walk.

As you get stronger, you will be able to sit at the training trot for longer periods of time. If you get a stitch in your side, take a break! Your abdominal muscles are telling you that you are overdoing it. When your legs are still in place, try to let go of the saddle pommel. Focus on the gateway. It should provide a firm landing, you should not enslave the lower back.

Then at the trot, you will be able to perform the exercises that you did at the walk – rotation of the body and arms. Do not forget to monitor the position of the back, especially the lower back – the “easy” state should remain, do not strain and do not pinch. The body should stretch upward, allowing the hips and spine to move naturally to absorb the stress of movement and follow the horse. When you are comfortable with this task as well, try riding the training trot without stirrups. This will force your back to become the shock absorber it should be, which in turn will relax it even more.

When working at the training trot, try to take care of your horse’s back. Remember that your bouncing in the saddle causes her discomfort.

3. If your horse is able to lunge adequately at the canter and the lunging is experienced enough, you can work on the canter by doing the exercises you did at the walk and trot. To lower your weight deeper into the saddle, first hold onto the saddle pommel with one hand. This will help keep your seat in contact with the saddle until you learn to follow the movement instead of moving against it.

In order to sit well at the training trot without jumping out of the saddle and without knocking on the horse’s back, you need a solid contact of the sluice with the sides of the horse. The rider, holding on to the bow with one hand, helps herself to sit deeper in the saddle and make the contact of the sluice stronger. Her legs are pulled down, her heels are down, and her torso is “high.”

One of the best exercises for strengthening your posture and creating balance is working in a two-point position without stirrups. Practice with the stirrups first. Do your best to maintain proper knee and ankle angles. The relaxed shoulders of the rider and the expression on her face gives the appearance of ease of exercise, but not everything is as simple as it seems!

If your horse works well at the canter, this exercise can help you strengthen your seat-to-saddle connection. You will also be able to follow the horse’s movements more smoothly. Hold onto the pommel with one hand to lower the weight down and sit deeper into the saddle, distributing the weight around the horse’s sides, allowing the hips and spine to move freely. The rider allows her weight to go down into her seat and heels, keeping her body high and relaxed. Her gaze is directed forward.

Eddie Federwick (source); translation Valeria Smirnova.