my horse wont lunge

Question
i have a 4yr old and everytime i try to lunge him he either wont go or he will go for about 2 circles then he will turn and kick at me. If i try to lunge him in round pen all he does is turn around and kick at me. i would like to know if there is anything i can do to stop this or at least make it better.

Answer
Hi Kira!

Your very young horse has one of two problems.  One, he simply does not know how to longe correctly because he was never trained to it by a human.  Or two, he knows how but, does not respect you enough to do it for you.  Either way it is your responsibility to fix this.  And I suggest you do it soon before he gets any older, bigger or more set in his ways of disrespect.  This could easily turn into a more dangerous behavior.

Google the Monty Roberts "Join-Up" method of round pen exercises.  It is a wonderful explanation of horse language and helps establish correct communication between horse and human.

Longeing is an invaluable tool for humans to communicate to their horse the humans dominance, to teach the horse certain cues and to also take the edge off over energized related riding problems.

When I say you must be dominant over your very young horse, I do not mean beating him with a 2x4.  I mean dominating his mind so that he willingly believes, trusts and obeys you.  Until you understand that, you will not get very far with him.

Lastly, if you are still stuck...speak to your vet, farrier or tack shop and ask them to recommend a local professional trainer who has experience with youngsters in your horse's breed.  Have the trainer out to evaluate your situation and discuss your goals.  Hire him/her to give you some hands-on training to better control your horse's ground manners.  Often just a few visits from a professional can clear up allot of small issues before they turn into dangerous ones.

Good luck and remember to always wear an ASTM/SEI approved helmet!

Solange