[Ollivander]

Okay, so I just want to start out by saying that he CAME that way. I've owned this horse since the day he was born and he has NEVER been afraid or nervous of anything.

So the problem is, he won't lunge. He'll go around once or twice after I lead him, and then let the line out, but then he just stops and faces me - and no, I'm not too far ahead of him and telling him to stop. I've tried having someone else lead him on a rope, while I held the line, and it goes the same way... one or two circles later, he stops and faces me, maybe walks toward me a bit. If you tap him with the whip, he ignores it, and every once in a while it just starts to annoy him and he'll kick at it. Crack the whip behind him, and he'll take a step or two, then stop ... and ignore any further cracks of the whip.

Same thing happens in the round pen.

Help?

 

[AQHA13]

I think you just need to be more firm. If you tap him and he doesn't move then tap him harder. Walk into his space, point where you want him to go and ask him with a tap, then Tell him to move with a smack. He is just being pushy, he knows what to do, so just make it uncomfortable for him to stand there. Once you get him going let him do a couple laps then Tell him to stop and praise him.

 

[justsambam08]

My gelding does this. He thinks he's being smart....The first thing I did was teach him the cue "move out" to both the left and right, in the round pen and on the lunge line. Then I taught him voice cues for walk, trot, and whoa from the saddle. Of course my gelding is 11, so this was much easier. I would suggest ground driving him to teach him these cues, and then try applying them in the round pen. Then when he knew what he was doing, I rode his a$$ with the lunge whip. He had a fit, doing exactly what yours does, kicking out at it, backing up instead of moving forward, he did mini-rears and other things to try and escape the pressure I was putting on him. Banging the end of the lunge whip worked well for getting him to initially move forward, and then just keeping the lunge whip behind him kept him moving. Now he responds to the littlest lift of the lunge whip and I'm working on graduating him down to hand signals.

Don't be afraid to be FIRM. He won't hate you for it unless you absolutely beat him with it, and continue to do so.

 

[SeWHC]

Haha, story of my life. My horse Darcy came to me completely and ridiculously bombproof. You'd think that would be a good thing, but oh MAN it made training her to lunge almost impossible.

I played nice guy for too long. One day I got frustrated and ended up giving her one good crack on the butt, and that is all it took. She was still rowdy and a little difficult on the line, but she finally understood that when I say MOVE, you MOVE!

Use aggressive lunging stances, get low to the ground, stomp your feet, growl, whatever you have to do to get it through their head that they need to move their feet. You need to be one step ahead of the horse... anticipate when and where the horse will stop and reinforce your aids, pop the whip, cluck, etc BEFORE he shows signs of stopping.

You won't be able to just stand there and expect him to move.... you need to drive him with your aids and your body almost constantly during the first few sessions (until he understands your cues and to move). Aim yourself at his rump, don't get ahead of it. Walk towards it, don't back up. Be aggressive and driving in all of your aids, "releasing" aids and relaxing when he settles into a nice trot or whatever you are asking for, and praise him with a "good boy" or whatever it is you say.

Like I said, anticipate his every move and react accordingly.

 

[SeWHC]

I think you just need to be more firm. If you tap him and he doesn't move then tap him harder. Walk into his space, point where you want him to go and ask him with a tap, then Tell him to move with a smack. He is just being pushy, he knows what to do, so just make it uncomfortable for him to stand there. Once you get him going let him do a couple laps then Tell him to stop and praise him.

I would NOT let him move a few laps and then stop. That is what he's doing now, he goes around a few times and then stops. Bad idea, that just reinforces what he's doing now.

 

[ReiningTrainer]

There is a lesson I use to teach lunging where you first teach a go forward cue spot on the hip, a cue to stop and in your case you will also need to teach him to move his shoulder away from you as well.

I start in a full check snaffle and hold the rein about 4" from the bit. Place pressure on the rein and release when the horse puts slack in the rein. Do this a few times then change sides.

Now tap high on his hip and keep tapping until he takes a step forward. Give him a few moments and if he does not move increase the intensity of the taps. Continue to increase them until he moves, stopping as soon as he does. The next time you ask, start light again.

When he is consistently stepping off on both sides when you give a light tap, build on the number of steps he takes by reapplying the light cue every time he stops. He has to learn a cue means 'Do this until I ask you to stop.'

Now you will stop him by taking the rein toward his hip. When the shoulder next to you stops and he steps over with his hip, release and praise him. Work both the go and the stop cue until he is consistent and light.

You can now work the shoulder. Ask him to go forward, keep your hand about 4" from the bit on the rein, take the rein to the center of his neck and lift while keeping his feet moving forward walk the shoulder away from you. Release on one step and build from there.

When he is consistent with moving both shoulders, hips to stop and go forward, put him on a small circle. Keep him soft moving his shoulders off you if he steps toward you and thus giving him a soft nicely bent neck. If he pulls go to the hip. If he crowds go to the shoulder. Work the small circle until he stays soft and out of your space.

Let line out inch by inch, foot by foot, whatever he can handle staying soft out of your space and going forward. Always stop him with the hip. To change direction on the go, you will cue the outside shoulder to come in (inside rein to start the turn and whip toward the outside shoulder to finish) and go immediately to the other direction.

If he stops, cue that outside shoulder as hard as necessary to get him to finish the turn. If he gets stiff/runs through the turn, bring the circle down to a size you can get control and start again in the new direction. Work the change until he will keep both eyes on you through the change, but not stop.

Work it enough and you wont need the line : )