No matter how you spell it, there are a LOT of benefits to teaching riding lessons on the longe line.
Students can focus on their position and balance without having to worry about guiding the horse or maintaining the correct pace. They are free to ride without reins, which helps develop confidence and an independent seat.
We like to teach regular longe lessons to students of all Levels. In fact, it’s a requirement for both Yellow and Purple Horsemanship Levels. Over the years, we’ve collected some tried-and-true exercises that our students will practice with enthusiasm.
But first, let’s talk safety...
-
The purpose of this post is to share fun exercises, NOT to explain how to conduct a safe longe lesson. Don’t assume that because you have experience working a horse on a longe line, you are qualified to teach a rider.
If you are new to instructing, please seek mentorship before attempting to teach longe lessons on your own.
- A successful longe lesson requires an excellent horse. Not every horse is a good candidate for this job, especially when required to work at all three gaits. Test lesson horses extensively beforehand, and keep your standards high: horses that are tense, quick, spooky, hollow or unbalanced need not apply.
- When you find your perfect longe lesson partner, keep his well-being first and foremost. Longeing places a lot of strain on the horse, so keep these lessons short - 30 minutes max - and avoid longeing on consecutive days. Thoroughly warm the horse up first, with lots of long lines and minimal circle work. Whenever possible, have students rise to the trot before sitting, and ALWAYS make time for 10-15 minutes of walking before performing faster work on the line!
- When you find your perfect longe lesson partner, keep his well-being first and foremost. Longeing places a lot of strain on the horse, so keep these lessons short - 30 minutes max - and avoid longeing on consecutive days. Thoroughly warm the horse up first, with lots of long lines and minimal circle work. Whenever possible, have students rise to the trot/jog before sitting, and ALWAYS make time for 10-15 minutes of walking before performing faster work on the line!
- You’ll need an enclosed workspace with good footing and minimal traffic. If sharing the arena with other students or riders, consider using ground poles to mark off your longeing area.
- Reins should be secured in a way that allows the horse to stretch down and forward while remaining accessible to the rider in case of an emergency.
- When working without stirrups in an English saddle, we recommend removing stirrups from the saddle entirely instead of crossing them. This is more comfortable for the horse and potentially the rider as well, if your leathers are bulky or stiff. If you must cross them, make sure the buckles are pulled down several inches and the leathers are rotated to lie flat under the skirt.
- You can read more about our criteria for longe lessons in How to Teach Horsemanship Using Our Lesson Plans.
- You may decide that longeing is NOT a suitable activity for your horse or rider. If that’s the case, many of these exercises can be modified to be performed on the leadline at the walk (suitable for beginners) or while riding on the rail with reins knotted (advanced riders only).
Here are a few of our students’ favorite longe lessons:
Look, Mom, no hands!
Ask riders to place their hands over their bellybutton and lower back to center themselves.
Have them imagine that between their hands is a goldfish bowl. Their goal is to ride transitions without letting the goldfish bowl tip over or slosh out water.
Beginners can practice transitions between the walk and the halt or the walk and the trot, with and without stirrups, while more advanced riders can shift between trot and canter or walk and canter.
Initially, you may need to cue the transitions, but once balanced, students will find that they can use their seat to ride upward AND downward transitions without their reins – an exciting epiphany for everyone involved!
Ballerina game
At a walk, slow sitting trot, or canter without stirrups, ask students to ride with both arms outstretched. Once they are comfortably balanced and following the horse’s gait, they must slowly raise and lower their arms in their best imitation of a ballerina. Graceful movement is the goal!
Too hard? Allow students to keep their stirrups, or leave one hand on the pommel.
Too easy? Pick up the pace, or ask students to practice ballet arms while riding with their eyes closed.
Dance party
Ballet getting boring? Let your students take the dance floor by showing off their moves while riding without stirrups.
You can suggest a popular dance, or let them choose their own – with the reminder that their dance should not frighten the horse or disrupt their balance.
Note: This exercise will probably make you feel old. These days, we usually have to explain to young students how to perform the YMCA, the Macarena and the Cupid Shuffle!
Music is a delightful addition to this game, and appreciated by students of all ages. If you haven’t yet invested in a sound system for your arena, look for a Bluetooth speaker with a remote, so you can cue music without having to leave your longeing circle.
Changing seats
This works best in trot. Ask students to choose a “magic number” between 4 and 10. Explain that they will be alternating between all three seats at the trot: posting, two-point, and sitting trot. They must switch every time they reach their magic number; if they choose 8, for example, they will rise for 8 beats, trot in two-point for 8 beats, and sit for 8 beats. Then the cycle can begin again!
Don’t forget to practice in both directions. Keep things interesting by occasionally changing the magic number, or assigning a different count to each seat.
Too hard? Eliminate the sitting trot. Too easy? Have students perform the exercise with their arms in various positions, without stirrups, or both!
Ups and downs
A similar exercise utilizing stirrup stand can challenge riders of all levels at the rising trot. Ask students to rise for two beats and sit for one, or sit for two and rise for two.
Have them hold mane or a neckstrap until they get the rhythm down, and be ready to count steps out loud to help them find their groove.
Once the exercise is riding smoothly, vary the number of beats, asking students to rise for three or more strides, or mix and match “Up” steps with “Down” steps.
Practiced correctly, this exercise will banish a chair seat – and yes, it can be performed in a Western saddle as well!
In good hands
Soft, following hands are dependent on an excellent independent seat AND arms and shoulders that are free of tension. Put your students to the test by asking them to sit or rise the trot while passing a glove behind their back or over the shoulder.
Need a visual? Check out the photos of the Cow Face post in this Horse Illustrated article. Don’t be surprised if they find one side much harder than the other.
Personally, it makes us twitchy when we see riders balancing on the reins at any gait. We have repeat offenders practice the Ribbon Game on the longe line, with crepe paper tied to the saddle’s D-rings (good for perchers) or looped around the horse’s neck (perfect for students who tend to ride behind the motion). If they repeatedly break the ribbon, they aren’t ready to ride the horse independently… no exceptions!
Banish the bounce
Another helpful prop can be used to encourage a following seat at the sitting trot and canter.
Place a folded bandana under the rider’s seat and ask them how long they think they can keep it there.
You can modify the difficulty by adjusting the placement and number of folds, and award a prize to riders who can transition between a walk, trot and canter without losing it.
Collaborative longe lesson
You want to teach regular longe lessons, but your students ride in small groups, and you don’t have an assistant. Does that make longeing a no-go?
Not necessarily. The trick is to make sure that all students feel like active participants, even when they aren’t riding on the longe line.
We occasionally work longeing time into 2 and 3-person groups by dividing the arena with poles and asking waiting students to park their horses on the other side of the barrier. From there, they are allowed to suggest exercises for the rider on the longe line – keeping in mind that what goes around comes around, so if they call out “two-point without stirrups” they are likely to have the favor returned!
Keep each turn short – we recommend a maximum of five minutes on each side – and modify any suggested exercise you think is unsafe or too difficult.
This method keeps students mentally engaged throughout the entire lesson. Remember that some students may be uncomfortable speaking up in front a group. Be ready to help them come up with exercises by providing leading questions and suggestions of your own.
Passenger and pilot
If you are working with very advanced students and reliable horses, you may be able to place students in pairs and let one student handle the longeing duties.
This exercise should be practiced with caution: remember that as the instructor, you are still the person responsible for ensuring that the student has a safe and successful experience.
We generally require that students have earned their Purple Level longeing checkmark before allowing them to “drive” in a two-person longe lesson.
Teach your students to longe like a pro with our series of fun unmounted HorseSense lessons:
No matter what longeing exercises you practice, make sure everyone thanks the hard-working lesson horse afterward!
Like any other lesson, longe sessions should be thoughtful, varied, and FUN. Think beyond endless circles of sitting trot – with a little creativity, your students will look forward to longe line days, and may even ask you for more!
