Horse Training: Using Long Lines

Here Everette is getting Bonnie to take a turn to the left. You can see how the right rein is relaxed and the left one is showing tension. He is gently tapping on the left line, which in turn gently taps on the bars of her mouth. Bonnie left this lesson with NO abrasions in her mouth, on her gums or wearing on the corners of her mouth.

Here is Bonnie at the trot. I was happy to see the extension in her front leg as her future is in Dressage. Notice how the lines are loose, not pulling on her mouth. To stop, just give gentle tugs, tapping the lines in a see-saw motion and say whoa. It may take time to get the horse to stop, don't worry, in these first lessons your horse is trying to figure out what you want. As soon as the horse stops, release the pressure. This is the reward.

Here Bonnie is asked for a turn to the right. The right line is tapped, you can see the tension in is in the photo, while the left line is slack. Bonnie has yet to respond to the cue, but she does without a fight and has now turned both right and left. She has also stopped and backed. We ask for only one step back in the beginning. The long line training session lasts about 1/2 hour, her entire session is about 1 hour and 10 minutes. She is doing great, showing a real willingness to learn.

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