Lunging versus "roundpen happy"

[PSCHOPony@aol.com]

True, many people take the round pen a step to far and use it soley for
conditioning, thinking that the horse is getting a stress and resistant free
workout.  Unfortunetly, this does put a great deal of pressure on bones and
muscles.  Yet, if you work your horse, say, three times a week, on a large
circle and consontrate at the trot, for a total of twenty minutes on the
lunge, you should not have any problems.  You must make sure that the horse is
correctly bending, that your footing is not erratic, deep or extremely uneven,
and that the horse is listening to you.  Remember that lunging is a very small
branch of training in the otherwise mammoth tree.  Good luck.