Jane begins by walking Harley in a small circle, widening out gradually and encouraging him to move away and independently from her.
At the beginning of each lunge session, Harley sticks his nose in the air, as though he needs to reassure himself that his head is not strapped to his chest. Jane never starts the lunging with side reins, they are only put on when he is relaxed and ready for them.
The first 2 or 3 lunge sessions, Harley did gallop around and buck at first, as though he did not know it's okay to walk on a lunge line and thought he had to tear around like crazy, but each time he galloped less, and at his third session, he did not buck at all, and trotted much sooner. By his 5th session, he barely cantered and there was no bucking at all. Notice in the photo below, Harley is very relaxed and stretching down on his own.
Harley was finally ready for side reins. His first session with the side reins went very well. I was concerned that he might panic, as side reins were badly misused on him in the past, but he barely reacted at all. Notice how much slack there is in them; they are never to be used to force a horse's head down, only to keep it straight.
Jane has the side reins very loose, so Harley feels the weight of them on the bit, but no restriction. He does raise his head a bit, and then lowers it almost to the ground, I think to make sure there is nothing that is going to restrict or trap him. Once he has been reassured that, as Jane says, "It's his head and he can do whatever he wants with it," he relaxes and trots nicely. After three successive good transitions, Jane changes direction, and then after three more good transitions, Jane ends the lunge session, and invites Harley to come to her. Sometimes he walks right to her....other times, he makes her wait :)
Then I ride him, and his back is very loose and he is very relaxed. We walk a few patterns, circles and loops, and then trot, and the last 3 lessons we have cantered. Each canter session is more relaxed and quiet, but we still have a long way to go.
All of the above photos were taken during the same lunging session. They demonstrate the difference you can make in your horse by lunging him properly, using the right equipment, and allowing the horse to feel safe on the lunge line. I highly recommend Jane's Lunging for Longevity video. It will change your horse's life, and yours.
We will be lunging Harley 2-3 times a week, as consistency is the key to success. I think lunging is going to be a great tool to help Harley break through all the bad memories, and realize that no one is going to fight him or hurt him, because lunging is on his terms and he can make his own decisions. Empowering him that way is just what he needs to help him feel totally safe and comfortable when he is lunged or ridden.
