{"id":11690,"date":"2019-12-04T17:28:39","date_gmt":"2019-12-04T06:28:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/naturalhorseworld.com\/stage\/?p=11690"},"modified":"2023-09-06T12:13:23","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T02:13:23","slug":"lunging-to-connection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/naturalhorseworld.com\/stage\/lunging-to-connection\/","title":{"rendered":"Lunging to Connection: A Road Less Travelled"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Jo Spiller<\/span><\/p>\n

I have had the most marvelous time writing this article.\u00a0 There are things I thought I knew; I mean, after all, I have a degree from The British Horse Society to teach riding. I have been teaching riders and schooling horses successfully for a long time, so what could I be missing?<\/span><\/p>\n

Then I started studying the theories and methods developed by Cynthia Cooper<\/a>, who teaches a technique I like to call, \u2018bitless, natural riding’, and suddenly I saw connections that had been in plain sight, but somehow hidden, like the image of a pony camouflaged in a larger picture.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"LungingKimDyer\"
Lunging with connection. Photo credit: Kim Dyer<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lunging a horse<\/h3>\n

Do you lunge your horse?\u00a0\u00a0If so, why?\u00a0\u00a0How will lunging benefit either of you?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

People report numerous reasons why they lunge their horses, the most frequent being that lunging takes \u2018the edge off.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Consider this: A horse is a flight animal quick to become highly anxious and agitated, and has the endurance and power to flee predators for extended periods.
\nIs it logical to think that running him in circles for ten minutes is going to \u2018take the edge off\u2019?
\nIt is more likely to cause him physical and emotional exhaustion from trying to stay balanced while running in a tight circle.<\/p>\n

Often people say they lunge in order to teach voice commands.\u00a0 Having a horse who lunges willingly and responds to voice commands is a valuable asset when teaching beginning riders.
\nThese aims are all worth discussing, but they overlook the real reason for lunging.<\/span><\/p>\n

Connection<\/h3>\n

In everything we do with the horse, whether we are on his back or on the ground,<\/span> our goal must be to find and nurture a connection<\/a>.
\nBut what is that, how do we achieve it, and how will we know when we have it?<\/span><\/p>\n

Watch what happens when a group of horses are grazing quietly, and one horse lifts his head and adopts an energy-charged, rigid stance, eyes focused on the distance.
\nThe rest of the herd will stop grazing, come to life, and adopt his energy, readiness, and posture.
\nIf you can imagine the power of harnessing that level of awareness to communicate between horse and human, you\u2019re on the right track to discovering what it is…<\/span><\/p>\n

This connection does not rely on physical contact or direct actions.\u00a0 It\u2019s not a response to avoid some negative consequence.
\nConnection occurs when the horse follows your focus, feels for your feel, and tries to search for what you are visualizing.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

It is difficult to define. I hesitate to use the term ESP (Extra Sensory Perception), because, for many people, it brings to mind images of crystal balls or fortune-tellers.
\nESP is defined as \u2018an awareness of information about events external to the self not gained through our five senses.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

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Connection at liberty. Photo Credit: Wadi Farm Equine<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A connection comes not through seeing, tasting, touching, smelling, or hearing, but from inside the horse and human, from their hearts.
\nI like to say connection occurs when horses and humans apprehend each other\u2019s reality. I love using that word because you can comprehend something without having to understand it.
\nYou just know it, deep down in that place where you just know things.<\/p>\n

So how do you create this partnership?\u00a0 You don\u2019t do anything, to create it, because it\u2019s not a matter of doing.\u00a0 It is much more a matter of who you are being.
\nYou see, we have language for doing things: We can say \u201cPut your heels down,\u201d \u201cSit up straight,\u201d and \u201cGet in the car,\u201d but nobody can tell you how to do \u2018being.\u2019
\nWe have no language for it, so how do we begin to comprehend it? We begin with:<\/span><\/p>\n

The Stravinsky Story.<\/span><\/h3>\n

Igor Stravinsky<\/a>, a Russian composer notorious for creating incredibly difficult compositions for strings, sent a violin sonata to a musician who was considered to be the finest in Russia.
\nThe young musician, after studying the piece, sent it back to Stravinsky with a note that read: \u201cI am honored, Maestro, but this is simply too difficult for me to play..\u201d.
\nStravinsky sent the sonata back to him, along with a note that read: \u201cI am not interested in whether or not you can play it. I am interested in who you are being as you struggle to fulfill the promise of the piece.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Who this violinist was going to be would determine how well he played the piece (if at all), and would require from him an inner transformation.
\nHe would literally need to bet all he thought he knew about his musical skill, his mastery, and all his achievements, against the possibility of the magnificence he could become.<\/span><\/p>\n

In order to achieve connection, you, the rider, must also undergo a transformation.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Like the musician, you must let go of everything you think you know about horses and training them.
\nYou must bet all of your experience and knowledge against the possibility that there is a much deeper, more profound way to be with the horse which can only come about by relating to him on a spiritual level.
\nFor those of you who think that sounds too out there, let\u2019s define spiritual, in this case, as something you cannot see, touch, or measure.
\nIt is qualitative, not quantitative. And in order to find it, you must look, not in the familiar places, but in uncharted territory.<\/span><\/p>\n

Becoming a leader<\/h3>\n

If you want to establish a connection with the horse, you first must become the leader<\/a>.\u00a0 Contrary to what many people believe, you cannot become the leader by trying to force the horse to \u2018respect you.\u2019
\nIn fact, in order to become the leader and create connection, we, as humans, must cultivate unfailing respect for the horse at all times.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

When we become the leader, we don\u2019t demand anything from the horse, nor do we try to dominate him by making him fearful of us. As leaders, we must relate to our horse with the utmost respect, empathy, and compassion.
\nWe must convince the horse that we have similar qualities to that of a herd leader, the most important being calmness, courage, and an unshakable promise that nothing will threaten or hurt him, not on our watch.<\/span><\/p>\n

And how will you know when you have it? Imagine someone who was born blind. One day his doctor tells him that, through new technology, he can perform an operation that will allow him to see for the first time.\u00a0 The patient asks the doctor, \u201cHow will I know when I\u2019m seeing?\u201d The doctor says simply, \u201cYou\u2019ll know.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It is the same with connection. You\u2019ll know.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So, now, why lunge the horse?\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Lunging offers a moment-by-moment opportunity to establish a connection before you ever put a foot in the stirrup.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Shifting your Focus<\/span><\/h3>\n
\"lungingWadiFarmEquineKevin\"
Lunging with connection promotes self-carriage – no need for gadgets like side reins! Photo credit: Wadi Farm Equine.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0In order to achieve a connection with the horse on the lunge line, we need to focus on four objectives:<\/span><\/p>\n