The Adult Longeing Guide

Over the past couple of decades, I’ve heard just about every myth, half-truth, and truth about longeing. I’ve read a lot of good books about longeing, but few talk at any length about longeing the rider. Overall, this subject, I believe, is a little misunderstood in the United States. We think of it as a way to habituate children to horseback. It’s common in beginning lesson programs, both for the young and the not-so-young. But once riders can sit the trot and canter competently on the longe line, we set them free. Often adult riders plateau—they remain permanently at, say, first level in dressage, or in the same height class in the hunter ring. Some adults get stuck emotionally, battling back the same old fears every time they ride. Longeing the adult rider is the perfect way to work over and beyond those inevitable places you can get stuck in with your riding. While you certainly can—and should—longe young riders, my focus here is on helping adults. We all develop habits, especially those of us who ride by ourselves. Building in longeing sessions breaks up the riding routine and helps us conquer those automatic physical responses we develop when we don’t have an instructor yelling at us all the time. It’s also an opportunity to invite a friend over for a low-key horse date.