Holding the lunge line and whip

Goal

Hold the line and whip so you keep control and cannot get tangled or dragged.

Before you start

• Basic understanding of lunging
• Guidance from an experienced instructor

What you need

• Lunge line
• Lunge whip
• Gloves

Step by step

1. Hold the line like a rein, thumb on top, with a light, even contact.
2. Lay the loose part in flat loops of equal size in your hand; never wrap it around hand, fingers or wrist.
3. Hold the whip in your other hand, tip towards the ground or behind you.
4. Never let the line hang slack on the ground where you could step in it.
5. Change the whip from hand to hand behind your back, never in front of the horse and never by laying it on the ground to pick up.

The horse's body language

Watch your own posture and the horse's response: calm, clear signals work best. If the line pulls tight or the horse rushes, step back to calm.

Common mistakes

• Wrapping the line around hand or wrist
• Uneven or large loops that can tangle
• Changing the whip in front of the horse or laying it on the ground

Safety

• Never wrap the line around hand, fingers, wrist or body; if the horse spooks you can be dragged.
• Wear gloves against rope burn.
• Always change the whip behind your back, never in front of the horse.

Stop at once if

• The line tangles or catches around your hand
• The horse pulls hard or panics

Supervision

Recognised bodies have you practise handling the line and whip first on a fixed point or with a person, before lunging a horse. Young riders should do this under supervision.

More about this

The biggest risks in lunging are in the line: a loop around your hand can become very dangerous if the horse spooks. So use flat, equal loops you can drop in one go, wear gloves, and handle the whip calmly and predictably.

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