Pole Work for Enhancing Your Horse’s Movements

Pole work is a great complement to flatwork. While there is a tendency to associate it with show jumping, pole work is a powerful tool for horses, regardless of the discipline. Besides, pole work can be really fun and helps to break the routine for horses and riders.

In this article, we will tell you all about the benefits of pole work, along with some exercise ideas and safety tips to make the most out of it. Also learn about how you can use Pivo to improve your ride and training sessions.

Pole Work For Supple, Healthy, Strong, And Happy Horses

Pole work helps horses develop and learn things that would be difficult or impossible to achieve with other methods. They provide clear visual references for horses to understand, encourage the actuation of new groups of muscles, spark horses’ interest, and stimulate their curious minds.

There are infinite ways to combine trotting poles, so the possibilities are endless. Depending on how you lay them out, you can help your horse improve on each step of the training scale, develop muscular mass, and strengthen their core.

Scrolling through Instagram and other social media platforms, you will find dozens of polework layouts and templates. It’s important to identify which ones are suitable for your horse and what the benefit of doing them is. Before choosing an exercise, you should consider these items:

What is the gain from this exercise?
Is it useful for my horse?
Does the exercise match my horse’s training level and my riding skillset?
Is it healthy and safe for my horse?

Depending on the exercise and layout, you can:

Help horses to learn to keep their pace, find a good rhythm, and adjust their stride length.
Promote the action of certain muscles, like the hind legs.
Teach your horse new things, such as flying changes, backing up, etc.
Many exercises have combined purposes or outcomes.

How Often Is Pole Work Recommended?

When you find one or more exercises suitable for your horse, it’s important to add them progressively to your daily working routine. Remember that some exercises put in motion muscle groups that are harder to stimulate by using other methods. That’s why progression and repetition are key. Imagine going to the gym; you don’t want to end up sore and crumbled. The same applies to horses; they need to start working progressively and work out frequently to keep their muscles in shape.

It’s better and much more effective to do fewer repetitions over an extended period than overstress your horse a couple of times and forget about it. Depending on the time, frequency, and goals, you should repeat the exercises two or three times a week. You can modify or start using another exercise as you reach your goal, and remember that even though repetition is key, try to make variations to avoid boring your horse.

Film your rides and training sessions with your Pivo Pod to have a record of all your progress over time. You can watch back your videos, study your rides, as well as review and analyze your performance. Capture your best and unmissable moments or learn where you can improve, with the Horse Tracking feature combined with the Auto Zoom and Presets!

Pole Work For All Disciplines

The countless amount of pole work exercises can be divided into three categories:

1. Simple Grids

These grids consist of a series of poles placed in a straight line. They are perfect for improving the rhythm and adjusting the stride lengths. Setting three or more poles at the same distance gives your horse a visual aid and is ideal for horses of all ages and disciplines.

If you want to add some musculation to these grids, you can, for example, raise the left side of the first pole, the right side of the second pole, the left side of the third pole, and so on. By lifting the poles from the ground, you will encourage the horse to raise their legs, enhancing the muscles. By alternating the lifted side of the poles, you encourage the muscles to grow symmetrically. The center pole height should not exceed 30 cm and should be adjusted based on your horse’s size and training level. You can play with the distances between poles to achieve different results and regulate the stride length. Closer distances help improve rhythm, coordination, and precision, while wider distances help to enhance the horses’ suppleness.

2. Serpentine Poles

Laying poles using a serpentine pattern helps enhance your horse’s flexibility and swiftness. Besides, you can keep the centerline or move towards the sides to change the bend and train your horse to adjust their strides accordingly. You can vary the difficulty level by opening or closing the bends and extending or reducing the distance between the poles. Closer gaps require more flexibility and precision, while wider gaps help promote your horse’s suppleness and motion range.

Remember symmetry when working with these patterns. Ensure to work the same amount of time on each hand to prevent any issues and keep your horse sound. Also, consider adding a pole after the last pole to promote a smooth transition to bend back to a straight line.

3. Circles And Loops

You can set the poles in different patterns. One of the most common is called “the clock”. It consists of placing poles as if they were clock numbers. For example, two poles at 12 and 6 o’clock and another at 3 and 9. The goal is to ride a circle at the trot or canter and go over the center of each pole. It’s a fantastic exercise to benchmark the horse’s balance and symmetry. It’s also a great exercise to help build a quality canter during the turns and promote the horse’s hindleg action.

The distance between the poles and the imaginary clock’s center will determine the circle’s diameter. Always start with circles with a 20m diameter and adjust as needed. The smaller the diameter, the more precision and flexibility required for successfully riding the exercise. Small circles are great for improving balance and coordination, and bigger ones focus more on suppleness and stride length adjustment.

Combined Exercises

You can combine these patterns to tackle your horse’s training needs. Combining simple gids with serpentines and loops can be fun and is an excellent way to work on multiple aspects of your horse training in one exercise.

Safety Concerns

As always, safety is essential for your horse and yourself. That’s why you should never use round poles as trotting poles. Horses may trip, or the poles could roll and cause serious injury. If you are using jumping poles, make sure to use square ones. Another great and safe tool for building pole work grids are cavalletis: these poles are attached to “X” shaped stands to prevent them from rolling. You can adjust the pole height by rotating the stands. Another good way to prevent the poles from moving is to mount them over wood or plastic blocks. Also, it’s essential to set the distances properly to prevent your horse from tripping or falling. The ideal distance is when the horse steps in between the poles.

Also, it’s crucial to start slowly, from the simple to the most advanced exercises. Allow your horse to adapt and be ready to make all the necessary adjustments when needed.

Final Words

Pole working is excellent to help your horses stay fit and work in their suppleness, balance, symmetry, and more! Remember to choose or plan the exercises according to your horse’s needs, repeat the exercises frequently, and avoid routine as much as possible. When building the grids, remember to do it safely using the right material and adjust the distances according to your horse’s size and stride lengths. Don’t forget to record your progress and share your grids with your instructor and friends with our Pivo Equestrian Silver, your best training and tracking companion for your riding success! Stay tuned for cool grid ideas, riding tips, and much more here at Pivo!