Lungeing a horse is a great way to exercise them, as when done properly a lot can be achieved in a short amount of time. As well as a useful part of training, lungeing is particularly helpful when you don’t have time to ride but your horse needs to stretch their legs, or you want to watch the horse move without a rider or saddle on, or maybe they need to expel some energy before you get on. Choosing to use a lunging whip (or lungeing whip) is personal choice.
When used well, a lunging whip is a supporting aid to the handler’s voice and body language. Your positioning and how you hold a whip while lungeing is key. The lunge rein will always be in the hand that is aligned with your horse’s head, while the whip goes in your other hand — which is probably holding excess lunge rein too. As you lunge, you will be walking in small circles with your body slightly behind the horse, so they are moving forward away from you.
Think of the whip as an extension of your arm. If you ask the horse to increase the pace or you’d like more engagement of the hindleg and they’re not responding off your voice prompts alone, back it up by lifting the whip. Some horses may need to see the whip ‘flick’ to be motivated by it. Gentle use of the whip as an aid are key: it must never be used to hit a horse to make them go forward, or to punish a horse who isn’t doing as you have asked.
A good lunging whip needs to be sturdy yet lightweight, so it’s comfortable and easy to hold. If you’re tight on storage, consider looking for a telescopic or foldable whip to save on space.
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Shire’s Lunging Whip
Colours: Black, bright blue, raspberry, red, orange, green
Length: 160cm
This thread-stem lungeing whip has a rubber grip handle and comes in a wide range of colours.
Buying in the UK? RRP £9.99 Purchase here
Ships internationally
County Lunge Whip
Colours: Black, burgundy, navy, pink, purple, royal blue
Length: 200cm
This durable and flexible whip is suitable for everyday training. It has an easy-grip handle, sturdy braided shaft and thong design.
Buying in the UK? RRP £22 Purchase here
Ships internationally
Dublin Lunging Whip
Colours: Black, blue, purple, red
Length: 160cm
This whip has a rubber textured grip handle and comes in a variety of colours. The Dublin Brights Lunge Whip is also available in more colours (RRP £11:75) including hot pink, orange, lime and yellow.
Buying in the UK? RRP £13.25 Purchase here
Buying in the USA? RRP $22.50 Purchase here
Ships internationally
Horze Two-Part Lunging Whip
Colour: Black
Lengths: 180cm, 200cm
This whip divides into two parts, making it easy to store. It has a long nylon lash.
Buying in the UK? RRP £12.99 Purchase here
Ships internationally
Telescopic Lunge Whip
Colour: Black
Length: 200cm (95cm when retracted)
This innovative telescopic whip is retractable for easy storage and transportation.
Buying in the UK or Europe? RRP £32.48 Purchase here
European shipping available
SHOWMASTER Telescopic Lunge Whip Slim
Colours: Black, pink, turquoise
Length: 217cm (76cm when retracted)
This light whip has a comfortable grip and handle decorated with glittering stones. The whip folds into three parts for easy storage and has a 215cm-long dirt-repellent silicone lash making it easy to keep clean.
Buying in the UK or Europe? RRP £36.90 Purchase here
Ships in Europe
Horze Tunis Carbon Lunging Whip
Colour: Black, blue
Length: 180cm
This super-light lungeing whip is made of carbon. It is telescopic and folds down to a smaller size.
Buying in the UK? RRP £29.99 Purchase here
Buying in the USA? RRP $49.99 Purchase here
Ships internationally
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