Not only does cavaletti work help improve your pony’s way of going, it makes your training sessions way more fun, too! There are tons of different cavaletti layouts that you can try, but here are my three faves.
These exercises are great because you don’t need much equipment – only four poles and four cavaletti! Check out the diagrams with each exercise to find out how to set it up and head to bit.ly/KNOW_THE_ DISTANCE for the ultimate stride guide. Make sure you warm up your pony before getting started. Ride lots of transitions until he’s listening and paying attention to your aids, as well as some lateral movements to get him feeling supple.
Your pony will work really hard in this exercise because he has to engage his core as he lifts each leg. The angled poles encourage him to look at what’s underneath him and think about where he has to place each foot to avoid touching a pole – it requires a lot of brain power!
As you ride through this exercise think about… allowing with your hands to let your pony stretch his head and neck down – this means he’ll be more able to see the obstacles squeezing with both legs to ask him to keep working actively and step over each pole clearly
If these poles were on the ground, your pony would find this exercise a breeze! But by raising them slightly with the cavaletti, it encourages him to pick up his feet even more while maintaining the same rhythm – that’s tough! This is a perfect way to test your pony’s straightness, too, as you’ll want to ride over the middle of each pole because that’s where the heights are all equal.
Before you approach this line… think about riding a smooth turn to keep your pony in balance and work on getting him straight be prepared to rise a little higher as your pony travels over the poles. He will be working hard to lift his body up and over, so make sure you can go with his movements
If you find your pony keeps kicking or knocking over the cavaletti, ask your instructor for advice. He might be weak and finding it difficult if he’s not used to working over poles, or it could also be a sign that he’s stiff or sore.
OUR EXPERT
Do you struggle to concentrate or stay focused on one thing at a time? Maybe you’re trying to learn a dressage test or showjumping course, or perhaps your mind drifts away from reality in the middle of a lesson? By doing these mindfulness and meditation practices, you’ll feel more in the zone, which will do wonders for your riding skills! So why not have a go?
Kathryn Thakrar runs Stable Mind Yoga and helps riders with their wellbeing, flexibility and fitness.
If you want to have hours of fun in the saddle, a girth is a must-have item because it attaches to your pony’s saddle to keep it secure and prevent it from slipping to the side. But there’s more to girths than you might think! Here’s what you need to know…
Finding a girth that fits your pony and measuring it from the end of each buckle is the best way to work out what size girth he needs. When the girth is fastened, it should be just less than halfway up the girth straps. If it’s too long, the saddle may slip and you’ll have to secure it higher up the straps, which will be uncomfy for you. If it’s too short, you’ll struggle to fasten it and it could pinch your pony.
Most saddles have more than two girth straps – depending on which straps you use, they can adjust the balance of your saddle. Speak to your saddle fitter about which ones you should be using to help keep your pony’s saddle in the correct position.
