Pole Exercises

By Lisa Wieben and Birgit Stutz | Photos by Gary Wieben Rider Lisa Wieben. Horse Pirro, young Warmblood gelding. Pirro is currently being ridden English, but will be shown in both English and Western Dressage.

Exercises with poles are not only fun, but are also very beneficial for horses of all levels. Riding over the poles will engage the horse’s abdominal muscles and lift his back (providing his head does not elevate).

The following exercises require only four poles, so are easy to set up and can be ridden at a walk, jog, and/or lope, depending on the training level of horse and rider.

Heart exercise:

Ride over the first pole, then arc to the angled pole to the right before circling around and back down across the centre pole. Or you can ride straight across the centreline, then circle around to the angled pole, then over the first pole again. Imagine riding half of a heart. Ride both sides of the heart. Aim for the middle of each pole and maintain straightness in your horse (straightness in relation to the line you are riding).

Teardrop exercise:

Jog across the first pole, arc to the angled pole to the right, then jog onto a larger half circle, pick up the lope and lope over the next angled pole (this is a good one if your horse hasn’t done many lope overs and you just want to try one pole). Aim for the middle of each pole and maintain straightness in your horse. Do the exercise in both directions.

Circle over two angled poles:

The next version is riding a circle at a jog or lope over the two angled poles. Make your circle big enough so you have enough strides between each pole. Depending on your horse’s stride length and whether you can shorten or lengthen the stride will determine where you cross the poles and how many strides to ride between the poles. As with the previous exercises, ride the exercise in both directions.

Lisa was riding a fairly green horse so she rode more toward the outside of the poles on a slightly bigger circle. The poles were spaced so three to four strides fit between. Remember to always keep your eyes up and look where you are going and turn your body in the

Riding the Heart: Either ride to the angled rail, then back down centre, or go up the centre two poles, then arc to the angled pole. Pirro changing bend from the right arc to left bend over the last pole (the first pole on the centre line)

Riding straight down the centreline after riding over the angled pole.

direction of the bend.

Riding circles and bending lines helps develop the horse’s bend off the rider’s leg. Ask the horse to bend by applying rhythmic pressure from your inside (inside of the bend) leg at the girth while at the same time turning your body into the direction of the turn (outside hip toward the horse’s inside ear). Depending on the size of the circle/ bending line your body has to turn more or less. Your hands will follow the turn of your body. If your horse needs more help turning, use your outside aids – the outside rein against the neck will help turn the horse’s shoulder and your outside leg against the horse’s side will help turn the body. Pulling on the inside rein could cause the horse’s neck to overbend, which will then allow the body to continue to drift away from the turn. Thinking of your reins and legs as blocking where you don’t want the horse to go and funneling the horse where you do want to go will also help.

Your horse should change from bend to bend without inverting (lifting his head and hollowing his back). If the horse inverts while going over the pole or starts to lean into the turn and not bend through his rib cage the exercises will not be as effective.

If your horse has a tendency to fall in when on a circle or bending line, think leg yield out and shift your weight slightly to the outside of the horse’s bend without leaning or collapsing in your hip. Aim to ride a few strides straight – one stride before, over, then after the pole before beginning a new turn.

Lope a circle over both angled poles.

Trotting the circle over the angled poles in more of a stretching frame. Loping the circle over the angled poles.

Be sure to keep the horse connected from back to front using your seat and legs to send him forward into your receiving (never pulling) hands. Your horse will be using many different muscles as he bends his body in both directions and lifts when going over the poles.

Maintain a consistent, steady rhythm at the gait you are riding.

Have fun with these pole exercises and feel the difference it makes in your horse! For a video of this exercise, check out https://youtu. be/15YsSOL8o5w.

If you are unsure of where you are heading it is always a good idea to connect with a coach that knows the sport you want to prepare for. We (Lisa and Birgit) are both available for online and in-person lessons.

Be sure to send your questions to nancyroman@saddleup.ca as we will answer another reader question next month.

Lisa Wieben’s passion is empowering women in becoming confident and healthy riders. As an Energy Medicine Practitioner and Clinical Somatics Practitioner she addresses pain, tension, hormones, stress, and the issues that appear as a result. As a Centered Riding Instructor and Irwin Insights Master Level 7 Trainer she works with riders incorporating awareness exercises both on and off the horse. Balance the rider, balance the horse! Book a clinic that incorporates all the modalities! www.somaticrider.com

As an Irwin Insights Level 6 Master Certified trainer and coach, Birgit Stutz helps riders of all levels and backgrounds advance their horsemanship skills by developing personal and situational awareness, focusing on indepth understanding of equine behaviour, body language, psychology and biomechanics. Driven by her passion for both equine welfare and performance, Birgit believes that facilitating effective communication between horse and rider is an approach that fulfills our responsibilities to the horse and elicits great results. www.fallingstarranch.ca.

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