51_66HSMarch.
qxd 1/24/2005 2:52 PM Page 52
training tips
The language of
long lining
Irwin is long lining a 20-month-old Morgan gelding in preparation for a first ride that will come once the horse is more physically developed. Note
the lines/reins are neither hanging loose or pulled tight. Irwin has absorbed the gelding's forward movement into soft hands that define the
boundaries of “where NOT to go,” keeping him focused and on track. Also note the “baby” gelding's soft and relaxed expression.
T
The fine art of ‘long lining’ is not just
for trainers who start young or ‘problem’
horses before they mount them for their
first ride. Working with the long lines can
also be a great rehabilitation exercise
for horses recovering from injury that
need to be ‘hand walked’. Ground driv-
ing can also keep our horses in a work-
ing frame of mind during the cold winter
months because we can wear our
warmest boots and clothing while driv-
ing from the ground, something that is
not always feasible from the saddle.
Besides that, walking briskly behind a
horse is exercise that will keep our
blood circulating much better then it
does when we’re sitting in the saddle.
Last, but certainly not least, long lining
is a lot of fun!
I teach many of my students long lin-
ing because it helps them understand
and feel the concept of how to have a
52 HORSE SPORT / March 2005
by Chris Irwin
horse ‘in-hand’. All too often I find riders nervous, mischievous, or downright
who are stuck with the habit of hands angry and difficult, then it will challenge
that pull (even if only a little) on the the contact the driver is creating and
reins. We see immediate improvement look for a ‘gap’ in the hands on the
when these riders climb back
in the saddle after ‘getting
the feel’ on the ground with
I teach many of my students
the long lines. Their horses long lining because it helps them
are far more relaxed, moving
level-headed or well-round-
understand and feel the concept
ed, and definitely ‘coming of how to have a horse ‘in-hand’.
through’ with more engage-
ment from their hindquarters.
The horses also have a much more other end of the lines. This can be dan-
relaxed eye, soft mouth and licking lips, gerous because if your horse finds the
as the hands of the rider discover how slightest opening in the
to ‘hold a horse’ with absolutely no blocking/boundaries that your hands
backward motion or pull to the reins. should be proactively creating then,
Long lining is the most difficult your horse will make an unwanted turn.
ground exercise to master with a horse An unwanted turn when riding is one
and it is also, by far, the most danger- thing but, when working on long lines
ous. I say this because if a horse is this can quickly lead to a horse getting
www.horse-canada.com
51_66HSMarch.qxd 1/24/2005 2:52 PM Page 53

training tips

tangled up and/or wrapping his or her- wall. Instead of a hard resistance there walks off. This is not as easy as it
self up completely in the lines and this is a ‘give’ in how the mattress absorbs sounds so I’ll repeat do not walk for-
could lead to a very serious wreck with your push. In this example, your arms ward with your horse. Instead, simply
some horses. and hands are simulating the body of allow your hands to be relaxed and
How to avoid these gaps? I’ve used the horse advancing into the hands of ‘open’ so that the horse is pulling the
the analogy before that as you face a the rider/driver which, in this case, is the reins/lines through your fingers and out
clock imagine that you and your horse absorbing restraint of the mattress. Your of your hand. Wait until the horse has
are facing straight up to 12:00 and that mattress did not grab or pull you to it in taken two or three steps and then softly
is exactly where you want your horse to the slightest. Your bed simply absorbed and gradually close your hands on the
go. Your right rein should not be used to your advance with elasticity and this is lines to disallow anymore slipping as
pull your horse back to 12:00 after it has what your horse needs from your con- you join in with your horse at the walk.
turned left towards 11:00. Likewise, the tact with his or her mouth. Once walking, you will need to find and
left rein is not to pull left to
straighten your horse to
12:00 after it veered right to
1:00. Instead, your left rein
should proactively block the
head and neck of the horse
from turning right in the first
place.
I say that long lining is the
most difficult groundwork
exercise with horses to
master because it requires
that we time the movement
of our legs perfectly as we
walk along with the stride of
our horse. If we walk too
quickly the lines go ‘slack’
and the horse finds the
gaps that allow those con-
fusing and potentially dan-
gerous unwanted turns. On
the other hand, if we walk
too slow, the horse feels too Long lining is an excellent training technique for both horse and rider that requires little financial investment. A
much contact and will not surcingle, a bridle with a plain snaffle bit and two cotton longe lines are all the equipment that is needed.
want to move forward into the bit. This When learning how to long line I sug- develop the perfect pace that neither
results in a horse being either ‘inverted’ gest you have a friend ‘head your horse’ inhibits your horse by walking too slow
(hollow-backed) or ‘behind the bit.’ You with a halter and lead rope over the bri- or allows unwanted turns from gaps as
don’t want the horse to feel that you’re dle while you get into position standing you walk too fast. The idea behind this
slamming a door in its face but you also behind your horse. Next, take all the exercise is to develop a feel for absorb-
don’t want it wandering all over the slack out of the lines to the point where ing the forward movement of your horse
place and getting itself into trouble. To you can ‘feel’ the horse and the horse softly into your hands.
develop the subtle feel of appropriate can feel the presence of your hands. If Once your horse is moving, if it is
contact with the mouth of a horse your horse suddenly lifts its head up wandering like a drunk and making
requires learning how to absorb the for- high, or starts backing up, then this is a unwanted turns, then you’re most likely
ward movement as a horse moves into sure sign that you went past the point of walking too fast which creates slack
your hands. taking up the slack and the horse has reins and thus, creates gaps in your
Here’s a simple exercise. Push your felt you pulling back against its mouth. boundaries from the bit. On the other
hands down evenly against the mat- We want slack out of the lines without hand, if your horse is inverted with its
tress on your bed. No matter how hard crossing that fine line into pulling back. head up high, refusing to move forward,
or fast you slam your hands into the Now, ask your friend to step forward or walking sluggishly with its nose
mattress you’ll notice that you don’t and lead your horse but doing so with a behind the vertical or ‘behind the bit,’
bang abruptly and painfully into the bed loose lead rope. Now here’s the trick: then you are either walking too slowly or
like you would if you tried this against a you need to stand still as your horse you’re going ‘fetal’ and pulling your

www.horse-canada.com March 2005 / HORSE SPORT 53

51_66HSMarch.qxd 1/24/2005 2:52 PM Page 54

training tips

will see ‘masters’ leave the outside rein

hands and arms back into your body.
Once we have the movement of the
horse absorbed into hands that block
unwanted turns then the turns that we
do indeed want are easy. To turn a
horse right while long lining we simply
‘give’ or decrease our left rein contact toSimply put, the best behaved horses
allow or ‘release’ a right turn. ‘On the
other hand,’ we decrease a little of our
right rein contact to allow a left turn. It’s
really this simple: A horse in hand turns saying ‘she’s in good hands.’
right by decreasing the block of the left
rein and turns left by decreasing the
block of the right rein. A word of cau-
Simply put, the best behaved horses rein to allow a left turn if
are most often ‘in the best hands’
and the most poorly behaved horses horse will feel bound and
are the ones getting pulled on.
tion: When people are learning to ‘give’
or decrease their ‘outside rein’ of a turn against the hips of the horse.) This is
they most often tend to release way too
much and cause the horse to overturn
and go off track. This then triggers the
You can teach an old
horse new tricks!
This17-year-old pony
mare had a lifelong
history of refusing to
cross water. Being
only 13 hands, Chris
was too tall to ride her,
so opted to long line
her through her
issues. Within min-
utes, the old gray
mare was boldly
going where she had
never wanted to go
before.
human reflex to pull and ‘fix’ or straight-
en the horse. Remember — the physi-
ology of a horse is such that its body
and mind are ‘one and the same’ so
once we start pulling on our horses, all
kinds of behaviour problems kick in.
are most often ‘in the best hands’ and
the most poorly behaved horses are the
ones getting pulled on. Hence the old
Another concern in long lining is the
outside rein being held too tight against
the outside hip and haunches of the
horse. For instance,
when giving your right
you do not release
enough contact your
blocked not only in the
bridle but also against its
right hip. (If you’re so
inclined to allow the long lines to lay
the main reason why horses learning to
long line will sometimes ‘refuse’ to turn.
In the higher levels of long lining, you
against the haunches so that the line
itself works like a rider’s outside leg to
‘hold the haunches on track,’ thereby
blocking them from ‘falling out’ of a
turn. This is fine for upper–level horses
but it can be too jamming for the
younger, greener horses, and they will
not want to move into the bit if they feel
they can’t turn because the line on their
haunches is in the way. Remember,
training before schooling; horses first
need to learn how to turn by an outside
rein ‘giving’ before their turns are ‘fin-
ished’ or ‘packaged’ into the higher lev-
els of more collected gymnastics.
For safety sake, it’s a good idea to
have a competent friend close by to
help in case of an emergency and they
should have a sharp, serrated knife with
them to cut your horse loose of entan-
gled lines if, God forbid, the worst
should happen. Always use cotton or
leather lines instead of nylon (to avoid
‘burns’ to either you or your horse).
Always wear gloves, use a D ring or full
cheek snaffle instead of leveraged bits,
and make sure you are not letting your
lines drag behind you on the ground as
they can too easily be stepped
through/over, and you may find yourself
tangled in a dangerous mess.
I would also recommend that you first
practice your long lining on your easi-
est, safest, most reliable and forgiving
horses and do so in a small, fully
enclosed arena. In fact, as comical as it
sounds, the easiest and safest ‘horses’
to practice on are actually your human
friends. Have them play the role of the
horse and they can offer you valuable
feedback as to whether they feel you
pulling, holding too tight, or whether or
not, you have gaps in your blocking
contact. Once you have learned how to
keep your friend and your easier horses
‘between your hands’ and going exact-
ly where you want, then begin to gradu-
ally work your way up to the more chal-
lenging horses and more open spaces.
Until next month, happy trails and keep
your horses in-hand.

54 HORSE SPORT / March 2005 www.horse-canada.com