Ive just started to teach my 6yo horse to lunge, she is picking it up nicely, i can send her off now into a circle any direction at a walk but how do i get her to keep her pace and not stop to face me, each time she does this i praise her to tell her she was doing well, then send her back out again, she also sometimes tries to avoid me getting into position to send her out again, i should mention she does not like whips at all, i only use it to tap her shoulder when i send her out (after ive told her to walk on) to get her to move forward, then relax myself to release the pressure a bit. im guessing i just need to keep on with this until she eventually keeps going until i tell her to stop. im doing this in quite a small circle for better control at this stage as when i try to push her out further she stops to face me. just wondering if anyone has any helpful tips

The problem is that you are tapping her shoulder. The shoulder is just behind the drive line, pressure on or in front of the drive line is to stop or change directions. Only bring the whip up to her shoulder if that's what you're asking her to do. All forward motion comes from her hindquarters, so that's where you should be tapping to ask her to move out. Actually, if you just bring the whip towards her rear end, from behind, that should be enough pressure to make her go forward. Clinton Anderson has a very good video about lunging on RFD TV online, signing up for an account is free.

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You can find the drive line by tying a soft rope loosely around your horses neck. Anywhere in front of that line will make her stop or turn. Anywhere behind it will cause the horse to go forward.

Use a lunging whip. You of course don't hit her with it, but tap the ground behind her to keep her going.

You shouldn't praise her when she stops and looks at you, because that makes her think that stopping is correct. You should praise her while she is walking in the circle. When she stops, don't say anything, just send her out again. Remember to always finish on a high, and praise her after a job well done :)

Good luck :)

Common practise is to use the whip, not on the horse but to create the loud crack behind her to encourage her to move. Preferably a lunge or buggy whip. Anything coming from behind the horse is startling for them because they have difficulty seeing anything behind them. My horse used to spook at big fuzzy caterpillars. It doesn't take a lot to make them uneasy or spook them. She will get used to the whip. She is not supposed to like, that's why it is effective.

Well, you praise her for coming to the center, so that's what she thinks she is supposed to do. Use your lunge whip to send her back out and keep her going that is what it is for. pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com

A small circle is really hard for a horse to perform, so you are actually making lunging harder for her than it has to be. Send her all the way out to the end of the line.

You can have the same partnership riding her and making her do what you want. When she won't lunge and turns into you, comes to you or stands in front of you, she is telling you already that she has "JOINED" with you. She is willing to listen already.
I understand what you want but she doesn't. She is confused.
If you are wanting to teach her circles it is best to do it saddled up and you riding her into the circle patterns you want.
Are you teaching her circles for a reason.
Westerns riders, reiners will teach a horse to go from a larger circle to a smaller one to teach spins, but eventually the circles won't be needed once the spin is learned.

Most people lunge for the wrong reason. Do you really need to lunge your horse. Tape the whip of your lung whip to the shaft of the whip so it is just a big long stick. When the horse starts to turn towards you, hold it out like an extension of your arm. Or when the horse turns towards you make them immediately change directions and trot. The object of the horse is to not to have to move, so anything it does that makes it move more it will want to avoid. When starting a horse, most trainers run the horse in the round pen until it stops and turns towards them. This is the horse latching on to them. You may be trying to undo something the horse has been trained to do.