The Benefits of Lunging

What we are looking for in the horse is relaxation in the gaits. For example at the trot the horse should start to drop its poll and neck. The back should relax and you should see the stride lengthen.
Some trainers say they dont lunge or do round pen exercises with the horse because they want the horse to be edgy and have animated gaits. The truth is that if a horse is spooky and edgy the gaits are going to be stiff instead of relaxed and fluid. 
I have horses that after five days in a stall can be saddled and cantered out without a problem. Still the gaits are stiff. Five minutes of lunging warms the horse up so that when I do get on the gaits are much softer and the horse is more responsive.
3. Focus the attention.
The third objective of lunging relates to the horses mental attention. When the horse is moving in a very relaxed manner his mind starts to relax freeing him to think and respond positively and keep his attention on you.
I want the horse to have an eye and an ear on me. I want him to be looking to me for his next cue. By the end of the exercise I want to be able to control the hindquarters of the horse as well as the shoulders and work on up and down transitions. When I can do this the horse is really listening and there is a unity between us. The whole objective is to have a relationship with your horse.
If you have trailered out for a trail ride horse show or to some other venue and your horse acts up and will not listen to you you can use lunge exercises to get the horses attention back on you.
When you are lunging you are looking for very specific actions from your horse. Lunging is a training exercise not just running around in circles. I see a lot of people lunging on a 12foot line and the horse is running around with the nose to the outside and the shoulder is dropped in. That teaches a horse to ignore you. Your horse should be soft with his nose slightly to the inside.
Working on a lunge line can also teach forwardness. For the lethargic horse you should use a shorter line that allows you to drive the horse with a short lunge
whip or training stick whichever you prefer as a driving tool.
How long should you lunge a horse?
With a young or uneducated horse you might spend anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes lunging because you are teaching them something new. With a mature horse you may spend only five minutes.