How to Longe a Horse

Longeing a horse is a controlled way to exercise the animal and to keep it fit.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Longe Line
• Longe Whip
• Halter

1. Walk your horse to a round pen. A 60-foot pen or smaller is ideal.
2. Use a longe line (a 30-foot line with a loop for your wrist at one end and a latch at the other) to work your horse.
3. Use a longe whip to get the horse to walk or move out.
4. Attach the latch to the left side of the halter and hold the longe line in your left hand.
5. Hold the longe whip in your right hand.
6. Stand facing the left side of your horse.
7. Slowly step sideways towards your horse's hip. This should move your horse forward.
8. Continue following at a safe distance behind and off to the side of your horse as you slowly let out the length of the line.
9. Cluck or kiss to your horse to make him move faster. If he won't move out, lightly wiggle the whip behind the horse. Never hit your horse with the whip.
10. Stay in the center of the round pen and keep your eyes focused on your horse's hip.
11. Say "Whoa" when you want your horse to stop. If he continues, stay in the center of the pen while you step towards your horse's head to stop him. Give the "Whoa" command again.
12. Lightly yank on the line if the horse fails to stop. Reinforce the "Whoa."
13. Slowly walk towards the horse and rub him on the face and neck as a reward. Make work a pleasant experience.
14. Change the latch to the other side of the halter and repeat exercises to the right.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't attach the latch to the bottom of the halter, only to the side.
• Alternate the side you start with. Don't get the horse in the habit of going in one direction first.
• Use a stud chain over the nose of the horse, attached to the end of the longe line, for horses that have a tendancy to run off or misbehave. Be careful with a stud chain as you can severely hurt a horse with one.
• If your horse doesn't work as well to one side, start on that side first until both ways are even.
• If your horse has a habit of dropping its inside shoulder when you longe it, don't use a longe line, just use a whip (only in a round pen.)
• The longe whip is only used to wave behind a horse or crack and make a noise to get the horse to move, not to hit the horse.
• If you don't have access to a round pen, you'll have to use an arena. Be careful. Your horse may try to run off.
• Never let too much slack get in your line. If your horse moves in as he goes around the circle, pull the line in. Slack in the line can be dangerous if a horse tries to run off.
• If your horse has been in a stall for several days, he may have built up lots of energy. Be careful.
• Never loop end of line around your wrist. Hold loop with your fingers so that if your horse runs off you can let go of the line.
• Be careful when you longe your horse in an arena with another horse.