Longeing (pronounced “lunge-ing”) is the technique by which a person holds a horse on a long line attached to the bridle and encourages the horse to circle around the person holding the line.
Although used primarily as a way to exercise a horse without its having to be ridden, longeing is also a way for riders to develop and perfect their equestrian skills; with someone else controlling the horse from the ground, riders don’t have to worry about using reins or stirrups.
Emily Esterson, an active rider and instructor, offers valuable advice that ranges from selecting the right horse for the job (equine temperament is as important as physical ability) and the necessary tack that the horse should wear to a series of mounted exercises, each designed to improve the rider’s form, control, balance, and timing as well as correct specific position and timing problems.
In addition, the person holidng the longe line has the opportunity to improve his or her understanding of the elements of horsemanship by observing and commenting on the rider’s form and timing, and then applying the same skills after switching places.
Whether you ride English or Western, dressage or jumping, for pleasure or in competition, longeing is an essential technique for equestrian improvement. The Adult Longeing Guide will take you every step of the way.
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Over the past couple of decades, I’ve heard just about every myth, half-truth, and truth about longeing. I’ve read a lot of good books about longeing, but few talk at any length about longeing the rider. Overall, this subject, I believe, is a little misunderstood in the United States. We think of it as a way to habituate children to horseback. It’s common in beginning lesson programs, both for the young and the not-so-young. But once riders can sit the trot and canter competently on the longe line, we set them free. Often adult riders plateau – they remain permanently at, say, first level in dressage, or in the same height class in the hunter ring. Some adults get stuck emotionally, battling back the same old fears every time they ride.
Longeing the adult rider is the perfect way to work over and beyond those inevitable places you can get stuck in with your riding. While you certainly can – and should – longe young riders, my focus here is on helping adults. We all develop habits, especially those of us who ride by ourselves. Building in longeing sessions breaks up the riding routine and helps us conquer those automatic physical responses we develop when we don’t have an instructor yelling at us all the time. It’s also an opportunity to invite a friend over for a low-key horse date.
Hardback.