YOUR HORSE'S TRAINING POLEWORK | EIGHTEEN POLES
PART 4
POLEWORK IS INCREDIBLY demanding on a horse's body and so it is vital that he is fully and correctly warmed up before he goes anywhere near a grid. It is equally important that he is mentally switched on because if he isn't paying attention to the rider, the likelihood of himnot knowing where his feet are and tripping over the poles is greatly increased.
To avoid such issues, thewarmup should include plenty of transitions in walk, trot and canter, moving frompace to pace (unless the rider has specific problems, or a particularly hot horse in the faster pace). Using canter if possible will assist the horse in employing different muscle groups while also helping a lazy equine to be a littlemore forward. It will thus improve his way of going, will allow his hindquarters bemore engaged, and it will lighten his forehand, meaning that when the time comes to approach the poles the outcome through the gridwill be the best that it can be.
Having warmed up the horse correctly therewill be occasionswhen the rider realises that today simply isn't the right day for polework. This isn't the end of theworld. There is always tomorrow.
Common rider problems
There are several problems that riders demonstrate when tackling poles, and it is useful to be aware of the following things
