Side reins not only simulate good hands by offering some
flexibility while keeping the horse in a frame, but also help
prevent an excited horse from drifting sideways and stepping on
itself. Side reins should be equal in length on both sides, since
lengthening the outside rein does not create proper bending, but
rather allows the horse to drift to the outside of the circle. If
the horse is correctly fitted in side reins, the elastic in the
outside rein will both accommodate the horse's bend and offer
enough support to prevent the animal from becoming overly bent.
Side reins should be adjusted so that the horse can keep its head
slightly in front of the vertical. Never tighten them to the
point that they force the horse to bring its head behind the
vertical, for this overflexed position makes it difficult for the
horse to see where it is going and pulls apart the vertebrae just
behind the horse's ears, inflicting pain at that point.
Boots are another important consideration when longeing.
Galloping boots and ankle boots will protect the horse's legs if
the animal interferes, striking one leg with the foot on the
opposite side; and bell boots will protect the horse's heels in
case the animal overreaches, striking the heel of a forefoot with
the toe of a hind foot. (If an excited horse is allowed to run on
the longe line, it will tend to bow out on the circle and
interfere or overreach. For this reason, it is very important to
keep the horse at a pace suitable for the size of the circle.)
I prefer a 30-foot longe line to the shorter ones. It gives the
horse enough room to canter comfortably and allows you to have at
least one extra loop left in your hand at all times, so that if
the horse bolts, you will not be instantly pulled to the ground
and dragged. Although some people slide the small loop at the end
of the longe line over their hand and let it rest on their wrist,
I prefer to hold the end of the line in my hand, so that I can
quickly let go of it if necessary. I decided to do this after
witnessing a young girl getting snared in her longe line and
dragged face down for about 150 feet through the mud before her
horse stopped. It was fortunate she was longeing inside an arena.
If the horse had not been corralled by the railing, there is no
telling how far it would have run before stopping.
Try to hold on to the horse if it starts to bolt, for in most
cases you will be able to get it under control. But if the extra
loop you have hanging from your hand is sliding rapidly through
your fingers and you can see that the horse has no intention of
stopping, then at the instant the line runs out, open your hand
and drop the end of the line.
The longe line should be held at the level of the horse's mouth,
with a steady feel all the time, just as on a normal rein. The
longe line, then, represents your primary restricting aid--your
hands. When the horse is traveling counterclockwise, the line is
held in your left hand; and when the horse is traveling
clockwise, the line is held in your right hand.
A longe whip measuring 11 feet or more, including both stock and
thong, should also be used. Pointed at the horse's hocks and
trailing them as the animal moves around the circle, the whip is
used to drive the horse forward. The whip, then, represents your
primary driving aid--your legs. Hold the longe whip in the
opposite hand from the one holding the longe line.
To begin longeing, choose a place that does not have slippery or
deep footing, since slick footing often leads to interference
between the limbs, and deep footing can injure soft tissue in the
legs. The longe line should be wrapped into loops, each measuring
about four feet in circumference, with the first loop being the
one on the bottom. This allows you to drop one loop at a time
from the top, preventing the line from getting tangled.
Thread the snap of the line through one ring of the bit and over
the horse's head, attaching it to the top of the bit ring on the
other side. This enables your hand to act on both sides of the
horse's mouth. While you are attaching the longe line, hold the
stock of the whip under your armpit, on the side away from the
horse. This is the method used to carry the whip whenever you are
working with a standing horse or are walking from one site to
another. The thong should be wrapped around the stock and tied,
so that the horse cannot get its feet caught in it.