Most of the groundwork you will do involves lunging, in which the horse moves through his gaits around you in a circle. Groundwork is essential for training and useful for letting a fresh horse blow off some steam before you mount him.

Lunge Line

You will need approximately 30 feet of lunge line and a long lunge whip. Lunge lines are strong and usually have a “donut” on the end for hanging onto without having to strap your hand into a loop, which you never ever want to do. If your horse happens to spook and bolt while she is on a lead rope or lunge line and you have it looped around your wrist, you could be dragged or break your arm from the force of the pull.

Lunge Whip

Lunge whips are standard tall whips with a long snapper. When on a lunge line, the horse circles around you, and the lunge whip helps you form a triangle (horse, line from his head to you, whip from you to his rear) to keep your horse moving forward on the circle. Lunge whips are not intended for actually whipping the horse.