THE ADVANTAGES OF LUNGING WITH CAVESSON
Updated: Jun 5
By the 16th and 17th centuries, cavessons were well established in European horsemanship. Classical riding masters such as William Cavendish, Duke of Newcastle, and François Robichon de La Guérinière described the benefits of cavessons in their training systems. During this period, cavessons were used not only for lunging but also teaching dressage exercises through work in hand.
Cavesson was invented:
to collect, raise and lighten the horse
to free up the front legs and shoulders of the horse
to teach the horse to bend and halt
As every horse is naturally asymmetrical, one side is more flexible than the other, one front leg carries more weight, while other hind leg pushes more. With the correct method and use of the cavesson this imbalance in the horses body can be easily corrected.
As effective training depends on clear and accurate cues, the cavesson is a valuable tool for groundwork. It provides the most reliable point of contact for the handler to transmit aids with precision for aligning the horse's head to a correct position during flexions. By changing the horse's head position, the handler can teach the horse how to shift his body to achieve balanced weight distribution, and it enables him to perform changes of direction without any interruption. As the cavesson allows the handler to align the horse's head and neck from a correct position, the horse has more ease in maintaining balance during lateral or forward-down flexion. It is also very beneficial for ensuring the horse's comfort, as it protects the mouth from unnecessary and one-sided pressure and the incorrect twisting of the poll, which is unavoidable when a horse is lunged with a bridle.
Correct flexion is impossible when the horse is lunged with a halter or bridle
The twisting or excessive rotation of the horse's poll is inevitable when lunging with halters or bridles. This negative effect comes from the incorrect point of connection, from which the handler cannot expect the horse to bend throughout its body correctly. The poll is an important region that influences the horse's posture. Restrictions or asymmetries can reinforce muscular asymmetry, increasing stiffness or crookedness throughout the rest of the horse's body. Lunging with halters or bridles can deepen existing imbalances and create biomechanical disturbances, which will compromise the horse's performance under saddle as well.
Is the horse really sensitive to the cavesson?
Riders often describe a horse as being overly sensitive to the cavesson and may connect this reaction to the "harshness" of iron piece or chain within the noseband. Like any other equipment, its effect depends entirely on how the handler use it. Excessive, abrupt, or constant pressure caused by the manner in which it is handled can make a cavesson or any other equipment uncomfortable for horse.
For this reason, the effectiveness of a cavesson depends largely on the skill, feel and timing of the person.
It is important to consider the quality of the aids being applied, reflects the hands that guide it.
