Pole Dancing !
Written by Alison Short
With autumn well and truly here many of you will be in the confines of your arena Monday to Friday with the clocks changing at the end of the month.
Schooling can be made more fun and stimulating for both you and your horse with the introduction of pole work, along with improved suppleness, muscle tone and better athleticism as well as putting the spark back into schooling!
Here are a few basic exercises to get you started.
With four poles build a ten meter box with a pole for each side, site this with the centre being at X each corner remaining open, (I choose to use half round poles as they don't roll if they get stood on) then stand facing C with your back to the pole nearest C and pace three to four long strides down the centre line, now place another pole directly on the centre line, a second pole to the left of it and a third to the right. The spacing between these poles needs to be five or six pigeon steps, (heel to toe) apart depending on the length of your horses stride, four to five for ponies.
The ends nearest your ten meter box need to be drawn nearer together to create a fan like effect, this needs some perfecting as if the centre spacing is five then the narrow end will be three, you will know if it is right because the shallow end should be one horse’s walk step, whilst the centre is a trot stride, place a jump block at the end of each pole at the widest end.
You can start the exercise in walk inside the ten meter box, being aware that too much bend will lead the horse onto the outside shoulder and so out of the box, this will be magnified in trot!
Walk out of the box two corners before the fanned poles, paying attention to the same level of bend, moving the horse out from the inside leg aid. When meeting the poles in walk only go over the shallow end so your horse places one foot between each pole, this encourages him to move in a correct sequence and is very useful for horses who pace, (move their legs in an incorrect sequence inside hind and fore together and outside hind and fore together, this feels rather lopping like a camels gait!)
Then return back into the box two corners after the poles, circle inside the box once and repeat the exercise again, making sure you do the same on both reins. This is a time for observation, be aware which rein you need the most outside leg to prevent your horse from leaving the box un requested.
Now very gradually begin a steady trot inside the box this is not about speed but balance and accuracy, if you leave the box go back to walk inside the box and start again. When a regular relaxed rhythm is achieved venture out of the box in the same place as you did in walk, again with the same bend you had inside the box sending him out in a balanced way with the inside leg, only this time to the centre of the poles so he can comfortably trot over them, returning back into the box two corners after the last pole.
Once you have mastered this on both reins you can raise the widest end up by seven to eight inches, this will encourage your horse to lift and flex his joints more, at this stage it is really important that you do not develop a forward seat as this will encourage your horse to jump, rather than elevate himself in the correct pace, if this were to happen go back to walking through the shallow end until he becomes more relaxed.
“No mental stimulation no conversation”
This next exercise is fabulous for regulating the canter, think of your horse like a set of old fashioned scales a brass bowl at the front and back, now imagine a horse who starts off quite balanced but ends up on his nose, this means all the ingredients from the back bowl has gone to the front, see the box as your opportunity to re distribute your ingredients.
Again your ten meter box is at the centre of the school, for those less experienced or on young horses the box can be enlarged to twelve meters, place a pole three strides away from the corner of your box, pointing at a diagonal angle to the corner, from an aerial image you would see the ten meter box with open corners with four poles outside of it dividing a twenty meter circle into quarters.
Begin your steady trot, when you are ready experiment with sitting trot for a few strides and then rising until your horse stays balanced and relaxed, then sit the same and ask for canter remembering to use the outside seat bone and leg to prevent him from leaving the box, during this exercise the quality of the canter is what we are interested in not the quantity.
Once you feel confident plan where your corner is that you are going to leave through, now leave the box with the same bend and inside leg aid as you did in the trot, you will find that you can count the strides between each pole on the larger circle; this will help to maintain a consistent length of stride. On completing the first circle over the poles return into the box through the same corner you left, this is where you get your opportunity to redistribute your scales contents as the box will make him sit down behind and lift the shoulder.
Don't worry if you lost the canter keep practicing, it maybe that your upper body lacks balance or that you are too strong with your rein aids when moving in or out of the box. For those of you on more experienced horses cantering inside the box will be less of a challenge, for the less experienced picking up canter and only riding two corners before leaving for the external twenty meter circle is acceptable, as well as trotting on returning into the box.
Alison Short is a Freelance Trainer and British Dressage judge who holds regular Dressage clinics and pole work sessions, (see diary dates) or call 07719900275 or email alisonshort@btopenworld.com
