Lungeing is truly an art, and when performed correctly, effects a complete and fundamental gymnasticising of the horse, developing his ability to bend laterally and flex horizontally. Linda Tellington-Jones says that lungeing “is a very valid groundwork exercise”.

It furthers the dominance/trust relationship, builds endurance, strength and musculature, develops balance and agility, and improves reaction time and the horse's general attitude to work. In the words of Klaus Hempfling, it “teaches human and horse to focus and ­communicate with one another through the use of subtle body language.”

The horse’s movement and paces can be worked on and improved, and the verbal aids taught on the lunge can be used later under saddle. “Lungeing is essential for ­getting the animal correct in balance and pace without a rider,” says Robin Porter. Lungeing should consolidate the work done under saddle, and in a young, unbroken horse, prepare him for it.

Liberty work in the lunge ring combined with longlining and traditional single line lungeing, either in the Picadero, lunge ring or larger ménage is complementary to the horse’s training, provided it is done knowledgeably. An overschooled horse becomes sour, so ­alternating lungeing with riding in an arena and hacking out is ideal, regardless of the ­discipline he is used for.

But just as riding a horse incorrectly is ­detrimental to him, lungeing has the ­potential to cause great damage if implemented ­incorrectly, says Linda Tellington-­Jones. ­Chasing a horse around endlessly in an incorrect frame is bad for him mentally and physically.

Kelly Marks says that working repetitively in small circles damages joints, tendons and ­ligaments, building incorrect muscles and ­encouraging faulty movement and carriage. Lungeing should never be used as a form of ­punishment, or deteriorate into a mindless ­exercise which robs the horse of his sense of fun and joy.

Lungeing is intense work, so the horse’s age, conformation, size, level of fitness and stage of schooling must be taken into account. Syliva Loch maintains that lungeing should be “progressive” in nature: initially he should be worked gently, for short spells on a large circle, building up to smaller circles when he has built more stamina and balance, being ­sufficiently strong and supple.

The purpose of good lungeing is to build up his strength over a period of years (not weeks or even months!). Most classical ­trainers, ­including the Spanish Riding School, employ single line lungeing as well as longlining. ­Kelly Marks ­maintains that longlining keeps the horse in ­better balance by creating ­bilateral pressure. There is also added scope for ­variation in the lunge work, as you can go off the circle onto a straight line, perform neck flexions, change direction instantly or work outside the round pen.

Longlining is notoriously harder than single line lungeing, so make sure that you know how to do it correctly to avoid confusing the horse or damaging his mouth. Spin lungeing, lungeing over poles and work in the ­Picadero allows you to further the horse’s balance, ­agility, ­collection and instigates use of the hindquarters.

Many lungeing aids can be used, including side reins, German elastics, neck lengtheners, the Chambon and the De Gouge. The choice and setting of these would be influenced by the horse’s conformation, stage of training and the trainer’s level of proficiency at using them. Incorrectly set gadgets will cause more harm than good by teaching the horse to move ­incorrectly, become resistant, stiff or adopt evasions to compensate.

Correctly used aids build a horse’s ­musculature, develop his movement and ­suppleness, ensure his frame is correct and ­softens his mouth. A horse which is ­problematic when being lunged correctly should have his back, teeth and tack checked, and possibly receive further schooling in hand or under saddle before lungeing further, but introduced gradually, problems rarely occur.

It is critical to note that you should never pull on the lunge line. The rope should always loop softly, in essence, the horse is always free! If the trainer consistently keeps a hold on the lunge line, the horse cannot find and ­maintain his equilibrium.

All the goals of lungeing are disrupted the moment the trainer tightens his hold on the lunge line, for the horse then ­mobilises his counter push/pull forces which not only throws him off balance, but throws him ­heavily on the forehand. The horse should be able to be sent away from the trainer or move close, enlarging the circle or decreasing it, while maintaining a slightly looped line, and so never ­restricting his freedom of movement. Only once he has learnt this, can he be lunged in an open space.

Apart from the lunge ring (or round pen, bull ring) which is usually 15-30 m in ­diameter and has its roots in the American west, the ­Picadero (or “temple of the horse”) is ­traditionally ­Spanish. It is a small square ménage with an inner measurement of 10,75 m. Klaus Hempfling, author of Dancing with Horses, claims that in such a ménage a horse can be trained to High School level.

Sessions in the Picadero are kept short and are either performed at liberty, with a looped lunge line or under saddle. Frequent changes of rein within the square by changing through the circle or spinning on the haunches to the outside are used. The circle that the horse moves on within the Picadero, is more like a rounded off square, alternating straight and turning strides. According to Klaus Hempfling, this figure forces him to continually change his centre of balance so that he is constantly ­gymnasticising himself. SAH