Lunging the big boys with Mag in the observer area watching

Almost immediately when I arrived at the barn Gabi said she wanted to show me how to free lunge Mag with him using the ganze bahn, and not just circling me. I was interested how she would teach this. I was not, however, interested in a "how to lunge a horse" lesson, which I got, gratis. *rolls eyes*

I  told her Mag needs to warm up before we "let" him explode and work hard. She got that, thank God. She let him roll repeatedly and finally we started moving him around at a walk, and I was glad that he agreed to walk, since he was loose.

Then Gabi blah blah blah'd the next half hour about what I should do, what Mag needs to do, and I just let it flow out the other ear for the most part. I was prepared to stop her immediately if I thought she was putting him at risk of an injury.

But she got him trotting, well, we both did, and he reluctantly picked up the pace for us. Claudia came in and sat on the bench, watching, for some reason.

We even got Mag cantering but Gabi was saying I need to say GALLOP to him (German for canter) and I refuse to give commands in German. I say Canter and kiss to him. I never use those sounds for anything else so she's talking Quatsch when she says I need to use "one word."

We kept him moving for an entire half hour and Gabi said I need to make him do this an HOUR EVERY DAY until he is calm, because "Otherwise he is much too tense." I disagree. I said, "I think this arena is too small to free lunge for an hour, but I will give him a chance to move every day on his own if possible, if he needs to run." And tension, I don't see it. I will try to get someone to video us but I'm pretty sure I recognize tension and I just don't see it.

Mag showed no signs of needing to move today, which I was pleased to see. I truly think Gabi expected him to flip out and start bucking and playing out of desperation, but she got to discover that Mag is a laid back type, and only explodes occasionally. Seriously I've never met a lazier hotblood in my life.

Then she showed me her trick to making a horse use the ganze bahn. She got her ultra long lunging whip out. Indeed, it's long enough to touch the horse wherever he is in the arena! He did cut corners (unlike the warmbloods in the videos below - they know to stay on the ganze bahn by now!).

I stood in one corner and Mag did his, "What are you doing there?" thing, staring at me and trying to join me. She yelled at him a lot. She yells a lot. In fact it's funny, no one else yells here, just Gabi. Everyone else promotes a relaxing atmosphere for our horses.

"Vorwarts!" she shouted at Mag. He pranced along and then Gabi and Claudia showed me a little ignorance - Gabi said to Claudia, "I keep waiting for the poop to come out but it never does, it's just how he holds his tail." Claudia agreed. I thought, "How ignorant can you be....." but joked along with them, "'Your mare is in heat' I was told, but I answered, 'My GELDING is Arabian'." Just like Steffi told me this week via email, in general, Germans do not have experience with Arabians.

But I stay by my belief that there is no way to exhaust an Arabian to prevent their natural state of alertness. And to try would be cruelty. So, I'll warm him up, and let him loose whenever possible to play, but I won't force him to trot a half hour.

I got to try the ultra long whip on my own, and practiced hitting the dressage letters on the wall as Mag walked around. Then Gabi showed me how I used her whip wrongly - there were two knots in it. I took them out and we were done.

Then Claudia went and got her warmblood Argo, and Bettina's big bay horse Alex, to free lunge as well. I said, "Hey, let's let Mag stay in the arena, in the audience section, to watch! It will be good for him. Then she couldn't find her handy (cell phone) and was frantically looking everywhere, and she left us. I decided to start to warm up the warmbloods at a walk, after they insisted on meeting and greeting Mag enthusiastically. In fact, they wanted to say hi to me too but Alex was rude about it, he thrust his head against my chest and I tapped on him, "Hey now, that's not nice." Then Argo said hi to me appropriately, standing a bit away and reaching out his muzzle to me. Everytime I'm around Argo I feel he really likes me. If I visit the geldings, he'll come up to me, "Hey, you!"



My piebald horse.



Alex notices how messed up Mag's mane is.



Take note of the barricade between the arena and the audience section - a couple of lunge lines on jump standards. Seems to work pretty well, until it doesn't.....



Yes, you can chew on me. Mag hung out in this tiny spot for the entire half hour, chewing on things and picking things up and being cute. And glaring every single time the big boys went rushing by, "Too close!"


I got them moving but they started playing and Alex is vying for 4th place in the herd, Argo's place, but he's currently 7th and it's not really working. Claudia returned and watched me lunge. I got a little video of Alex trying to pass Argo, even though Argo must be first (and Mag knows this too!). Claudia can be seen standing with Mag - he had his lead rope wrapped around a hind leg and freaked out a little but she calmed him down. Then she laughed as he went around and put everything in his mouth, picking things up. She said, "Your horse is adorable!" I said, "My wheelbarrow at home has had its handles chewed off!" It was pretty nice how Mag just stood in the audience section without needing supervision.


Then we both lunged them and did some fancy changes of direction through the middle (a large figure 8) repeatedly. These two know their stuff! Sorry I have no film of that figure 8 we kept doing, it took all my concentration cuz it's a new movement for me (to have horses change direction by crossing the middle line.)



Finally done, I took Mag to the barn and let him have his bucket, and worked on removing the black arena footing from his body. Three teenagers arrived and took their horses to the arena, so I saddled up quickly. By this time, of course, Mag was no longer warm. So I lunged him again a few minutes as the girls played with their horses, but none of them rode, they were just doing ground work.

I got on and Mag was very calm in comparison to yesterday. No, I don't think it was the half hour of trotting,  I think it was just a calm Monday with horses working with him slowly and peacefully, and very few people walking by.

The door was open again, that's the second time I've ridden with that open door, but Mag didn't seem to mind. Willy drove by with tractor, no problem.

But as we were coming down the long side, suddenly Sleipner decided to LEAVE! He just crashed through the barricade and all the jump standards fell down in different directions! Mag spooked but I stayed on, thankfully. Then I cracked up because it was so funny. Leony had to untangle him from the giant mess he made and Mag's heart was pounding, "What the heck was that, that's not normal!" and I just laughed. I realize that if it had happened behind us and not in front of us things may have been worse. I thanked Leony later, "Now my horse knows crazy things can happen!"

I put Mag away and watched Gabi give an in-hand lesson to some little kids, which I found interesting. But she sure yells a lot. I won't pay someone who yells at me. But these are German kids, they expect to be yelled at at a riding school.

My favorite Welsh pony, Jolly, was there too, giving the tiny girl leading him the utmost attention and respect. He was fixated on the child, trying his very best. I love that pony! I noticed that Gabi did not yell at this girl, perhaps she's too young?






Jolly looks big from this perspective but he's a Welsh B, the size of my donkey. I hate the look of worry in his eye as he sees Gabi coming. "What did I do wrong?" I want this pony for my own. But he is serving in the best purpose, letting little girls fall for horses, being the safest, most attentive pony for them. Ok but I still want him for my own!

Back at the barn Mag was pushing his stall door open, trying to get out to go to his paddock, but Willy decided they needed to be in at 4 pm due to the ice and snow and rain. (RAIN! YAY!). But Mag was looking at his watch, "It's not 4:30 yet! I need my snow and ice paddock!" I told him, "Look around you. All the geldings are in the barn with you." "BUT THE MARES ARE NOT!" No, not yet, geez. Poor Mag had a rough half hour. *smile* See you tomorrow Mag, or maybe not, so be good. Mach kein Bloedsinn.