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Horse Training - Pole Work
Pole work can be used for a number of different reasons to help horses on the flat and also as a progression towards jumping.
Poles are made of wood or plastic. They are approximately ten to twelve feet long and 5 inches in diameter. You can use anything from one to ten poles at any one time it just depends on the exercise being done. Poles can be ridden over in walk, trot and canter and they help the horse to maintain balance, rhythm and energy throughout the exercise.
When first introducing your horse to poles, start off with a single pole approached in walk with a straight approach and get away, when the horse is walking over it correctly then you can proceed with trot and canter. Now it is time to ride over three poles in walk then in trot and canter remembering to increase the distance in between the poles as you change pace.
Poles For Flatwork
They are used in walk, trot and canter and help the horse to maintain a balanced, rhythmic pace with plenty of energy and flexion from the horses hindquarters. When placed close together they encourage the horse to shorten and collect the pace and if placed further apart they encourage the horse push from their hindquarters to open out and lengthen the frame of the horse.
Pole work also adds an element of interest to the horses training session and can help them to concentrate as well.
Exercises For Flatwork
- Have the poles set at a short distance to encourage shortening and collection of the stride.
- Have the poles set long to encourage lengthening of the stride.
- Have two sets of three poles set out on either side of the menage with one set asking for collection and the other for extension.
- Place seven poles on a curve so that when the center of the poles is ridden it will be at working trot, when the inside of the poles is ridden will encourage a shorter more collected stride and when the outer edge is ridden it will encourage lengthening. This is a great exercise for mixing collection and extension and because it is ridden on a curve it will also require a great deal of propulsion to be generated from the hindquarters.
- Place a single pole at each quarter point on a twenty meter circle to help you to ride twenty meters accurately and to give interest to the young horse learning to circle.
- You can also use poles when riding serpentine loops, you do this by placing them on the center line to mark out exactly where the loop needs to cross the center line. You will find yourself really looking up and ahead as well as giving your horse some extra interest when riding this exercise.
- Use a single pole when riding a turn on the forehand. By riding either up to it or along side it you can use it to help to keep the horse from moving off.
- Use a single pole positioned over x to ask for flying changes, if you raise the end of the pole of the direction you are trying to ask for it will help to encourage the horses inside hind leg to come up and change.
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Pole work For Jumping
Poles are used to help the horse approach the fence with balance and control, they can also be used to encourage the horse to place the exact number of strides between fences and to encourage the horse to land on the correct canter lead. If a placing pole is slightly raised a few inches it will also aid in the energy and activity of the pace, therefore helping the horse to really activate their hindquarters.
A placing pole is a pole that is positioned before a jump at a set distance that will encourage the horse to take off in the correct place. Placing poles, when positioned in a row before the fence will help to prevent the horse from rushing towards the fence and can help to make them concentrate after the fence as well.
When poles are made into jumps they must always be resting in jump cups which attach to the jump wings. Jump cups can be either a deep semi circle or a shallow one, the more shallow they are the easier they are to knock down.
A ground pole is one that lies directly under the jump on the side it is being jumped from and gives the horse a base line in which to judge the bottom of the fence from.
Exercises For Jumping
- A line of trot poles are placed to lead the horse up to the fence.
- A line of canter poles are placed to lead the horse up to the fence.
- A cross pole is positioned on a twenty meter circle with a placing pole before and after it at the correct canter distance and on a slight curve to match that of the circle, this will help to encourage the horse to land on the correct canter lead.
- Position a placing pole in between a one stride double remembering to allow for take off and landing. The same can also be done for related distances. Using poles for related distances is a very useful way of teaching the horse to shorten or lengthen their stride and in so doing you will be able to put five or even six strides into a related four stride distance.
- Position a single fence with a slightly raised placing pole in front of it to help to get a much rounder and elevated canter.
Pole Distances
On average a horse will canter 3.65 meters with every canter stride and you need to allow approximately 1.9 for take off and 1.9 for landing when jumping from canter.
The distance in between poles on average is:
- Walk poles - 0.90cm apart.
- Trot poles - 1.25 m apart.
- Canter - 3 m apart.
- One stride double - 5.5 to 6m when approached from trot and 5.5 to 7.5 when approached from canter.
- A two stride double - 11 to 14 m when approached in canter.
- Related four/five stride double - 18 to 25 m.
- Bounce from trot - 2.75 to 3.65 m
- Bounce from canter -3.65 to 4 m.
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