V-POLES

WHAT THEY ARE AND WHY WE USE THEM

V-poles can be super helpful training tools if used correctly. They have a whole host of training benefits, including improving you and your pony’s:

• Straightness and accuracy - V-poles also offer the perfect channel to guide your pony straight to the fence, which helps you to get a feel for how to ride the best approach to fences of all types and sizes.

• Bravery - V-poles can look a bit scary for ponies and riders who haven’t seen them before, so practising riding these fences can make both the pony and their rider a little bit braver.

• Technique - Simply setting up V-poles can encourage your pony to make a better shape with his body over the jump so that he lifts his back over the fence and tucks his legs in more neatly. Ultimately, training him to do this makes it more likely that you will jump clear in future.

How to use them

Correctly introducing V-poles is very important to help you get the most out of them. Once you’ve warmed up over crosses and a small upright:

• Put a pair of V-poles on a low upright, making sure the end of each pole touches the wings to give your pony lots of space between them.

• Approach the fence in trot or canter – whichever you feel more confident in. Look up, widen your hands and squeeze his sides with your legs to keep him straight.

• Sit tall, keep your lower leg secure and perhaps even hold the mane in case he is a bit nervous and makes a big leap.

• After the jump, ride away positively and give him scratches as a reward for getting it right.

Once your pony feels confident over the fence, you can gradually pull the poles towards the centre of the fence until they are touching. Remember to keep the fence small until you both feel ready to jump bigger – there’s no rush to raise the height!