A Poll: Cavaletti
- Thread starter PopStrop
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henryhorn
Well-Known Member
The problem that occurs is they have those cross pieces on the ends, and if you stack several on top of each other and you hit them, they can roll into a dangerous tangle of sharp ended crosses and poles that don't roll out of your way as poles do.
I can tell you from personal experience, when my horse didn't pick his legs up he caught his legs in the cavallettis, fell headlong landing on my hand.
I broke three bones, had two months in a full plaster and to this day can't hold a yard brush in a normal way due to arthritis in the joint.
Cut their ends off and use a simple system of wood blocks with a U cut out of the top, at least then the poles roll forward if walloped.
I can tell you from personal experience, when my horse didn't pick his legs up he caught his legs in the cavallettis, fell headlong landing on my hand.
I broke three bones, had two months in a full plaster and to this day can't hold a yard brush in a normal way due to arthritis in the joint.
Cut their ends off and use a simple system of wood blocks with a U cut out of the top, at least then the poles roll forward if walloped.
Slinkyunicorn
Well-Known Member
I guess the answer is they aren't safe - you just don't see them anymore.
How is the little ponio doing? and how are her hooves now?
How is the little ponio doing? and how are her hooves now?
PopStrop
Well-Known Member
If they're not stacked, and are used individually or in a grid, are they safe, or does the fact that they roll awkwardly put anyone off using them?
I used to use them years ago and never had a problem (but didn't stack them) and was thinking about buying some small dog cavaletti for ponio
but then got discussing the safety aspect of them with a friend which left me intrigued as to general opinion
I used to use them years ago and never had a problem (but didn't stack them) and was thinking about buying some small dog cavaletti for ponio
Cahill
Well-Known Member
i do not like them.
you could easily fall on your face on the X parts.
i use small logs or tyres.
i do not think there is a call for them since the advent of polyjumps.
(i have noticed broken cavaletti are most often seen abandoned in fields with old baths)
you could easily fall on your face on the X parts.
i use small logs or tyres.
i do not think there is a call for them since the advent of polyjumps.
(i have noticed broken cavaletti are most often seen abandoned in fields with old baths)
PopStrop
Well-Known Member
She's great ta slinky
Her feet are a lot better than they were, but my current farrier is now saying that they're as good as they're going to get, but her heels are still far too long so have another farrier coming out to give me another opinion
Current one's brought her toes back and got her feet back underneath her but thinks that her contracted/long heels don't matter too much because she's not ridden
Current one's brought her toes back and got her feet back underneath her but thinks that her contracted/long heels don't matter too much because she's not ridden
Noodlejaffa
Well-Known Member
Sorry, but we're seeing a huge resurgence of cavaletti in our part of the world. I know they're very unfashionable (and still frowned upon by PC?) but I use them with my BSJA trainer and he thinks that they are fabulous. We only use them for grid work (no stacking) and have found them to be a huge help, particularly when bringing on young horses.
hadfos
Well-Known Member
I dont like them at all
Only takes a lazy horse to trot over...not pick up feet and they are heavy enough to floor them,or you
...obviously not big enough to jump over unless you stack them and that is a NO no
Only takes a lazy horse to trot over...not pick up feet and they are heavy enough to floor them,or you
f_s_
Well-Known Member
I remember them.....try not to though as it shows my age!!!!
Definitely a safety aspect with them, maybe they've made them lighter now but they were heavier than poles today, and if they did take a roll the X's were hard and sharp!
Definitely a safety aspect with them, maybe they've made them lighter now but they were heavier than poles today, and if they did take a roll the X's were hard and sharp!
Ranyhyn
Well-Known Member
For me a huge no-no, I would never use them. I think they are archaic and there are safer ways of achieving the same end result.
MrsMozart
Just passing through...
Ooh, I said 'Safe'.
I haven't used them for a while, but back in my day... (many, many moons ago), we used them all the time.
Single. Stacked. Grids. All sorts of things. I don't have any memories of them being dangerous or painful, or an issue in any way at all. The weight of them is just like a cross-country jump if a horse hits it.
Ho hum. An interesting discussion me thinks
I haven't used them for a while, but back in my day... (many, many moons ago), we used them all the time.
Single. Stacked. Grids. All sorts of things. I don't have any memories of them being dangerous or painful, or an issue in any way at all. The weight of them is just like a cross-country jump if a horse hits it.
Ho hum. An interesting discussion me thinks
Dubsie
Well-Known Member
Well I voted NO as the only time I fell off on a jump as a teenager was onto a stack of 2. I was going over the jump but pony decided not at the last minute and I fell and landed with the X end on my shoulder (no body protectors)resulting in a bit of a hole that was painful for months, and it totally put me off jumping!
Personally I like the polyjumps my daughter uses, they're a lot easier to move about and adjust heights, and no sharp corners. We also use any suitable raised container and any suitable pole shaped item to increase the number of poles above the set we have, so our jumps are upturned buckets, flower pots with drainpipes and all sorts, but nothing fixed and all relatively soft landings.
If they are now being made lighter in plastic and with rounded or soft corners to the Xs -or if as Henryhorn says if a plastic block with a U out of it then maybe not so bad, but I don't think you see them much now in the traditional form.
Personally I like the polyjumps my daughter uses, they're a lot easier to move about and adjust heights, and no sharp corners. We also use any suitable raised container and any suitable pole shaped item to increase the number of poles above the set we have, so our jumps are upturned buckets, flower pots with drainpipes and all sorts, but nothing fixed and all relatively soft landings.
If they are now being made lighter in plastic and with rounded or soft corners to the Xs -or if as Henryhorn says if a plastic block with a U out of it then maybe not so bad, but I don't think you see them much now in the traditional form.
Slinkyunicorn
Well-Known Member
Stinkbomb - thanks for that - hadn't seen them before they are perfect!!!
Erehwemos
Well-Known Member
Oooh I used to use them all the time!
Had quite a collection of them in my old field, never had any accidents with them - so I said safe
Had no idea they were taboo these days!
Flame_
Well-Known Member
There's an element of risk with cavaletti, but you'll probably use them for years with no problem whatsoever. Less dangerous than riding down a road IMO. That said, why not just use jump blocks and poles, unless you've already got cavaletti?
kerilli
Well-Known Member
I don't like them, haven't used them for donkey's years, and wouldn't have any now even if someone arrived at the door and offered me pristine ones for free...
there are better, safer ways of improving a horse's athleticism.
i think i read somewhere that WFP had big squared off poles (more like telegraph pole size i think) which won't roll if kicked and are higher than normal poles. they sound perfect to me.
there are better, safer ways of improving a horse's athleticism.
i think i read somewhere that WFP had big squared off poles (more like telegraph pole size i think) which won't roll if kicked and are higher than normal poles. they sound perfect to me.
PopStrop
Well-Known Member
It was just that I saw a guy at a show a couple of weeks ago selling horse & dog size jump wings and cavaletti, and the dog cavaletti were really small and lightweight and got me thinking about jumps for little one in the future (we're only doing groundpoles ATM).
TBH I need to get some smaller poles anyway, the ones we've got are the big lightweight plastic ones but they're huuuge compared to Tocha's little legs, so if I'm going to buy poles I may as well use the polyjumps at the yard rather than buying poles AND cavaletti
Stinkbomb - Do you have any problems with the stability of polepods? I had some from the girl who designed them when they were first manufactured (she's local), but really struggled with them in the woodchip school on the yard I was on back then. Any more than one and it just wasn't stable.
We've got a firm sand surface on the yard I'm on now so I may invest in a couple
Having thought about cavaletti and polyjumps, the only advantage I can see of using cavaletti over poles & blocks is it's less to carry
and with no safety worries over the latter I think I'll give the cavaletti a miss!
They were pretty cute though
Thanks everyone!
Interesting poll result too....
TBH I need to get some smaller poles anyway, the ones we've got are the big lightweight plastic ones but they're huuuge compared to Tocha's little legs, so if I'm going to buy poles I may as well use the polyjumps at the yard rather than buying poles AND cavaletti
Stinkbomb - Do you have any problems with the stability of polepods? I had some from the girl who designed them when they were first manufactured (she's local), but really struggled with them in the woodchip school on the yard I was on back then. Any more than one and it just wasn't stable.
We've got a firm sand surface on the yard I'm on now so I may invest in a couple
Having thought about cavaletti and polyjumps, the only advantage I can see of using cavaletti over poles & blocks is it's less to carry
They were pretty cute though
Thanks everyone!
Interesting poll result too....
megwan1
Well-Known Member
I dont mean to sound dense here but was is a cavaletti???
is it like x shape "wings" that are bout a foot tall or have u mixed it up with sumthin else?
x
is it like x shape "wings" that are bout a foot tall or have u mixed it up with sumthin else?
x
PopStrop
Well-Known Member
Cavaletti are fixed poles on X ends.
Some have the X pieces the same length which are generally shorter X pieces to act as raised poles.
Some have the X higher/lower on the X pieces so that depending on which way up the cavaletti is, there are 3 different heights.
Does that make sense?
Some have the X pieces the same length which are generally shorter X pieces to act as raised poles.
Some have the X higher/lower on the X pieces so that depending on which way up the cavaletti is, there are 3 different heights.
Does that make sense?
Ranyhyn
Well-Known Member
Kerilli you are right, in my XC book by WFP he does indeed you heavy telegraph looking poles - he also favours a shorter pole, to encourage horses straight.
HayleyandBob
Well-Known Member
the place i did my work experience had fencing rails (flat side down) attached to a sort of squished triangle peice of wood at each end to hold them up but with no point X bits.
They just fell over if knocked and were no more pointign or sticky out than show jump wing bases
They just fell over if knocked and were no more pointign or sticky out than show jump wing bases
Tnavas
Well-Known Member
Pony Club has banned them now world wide.
I think they are all right used as a raised trotting pole but once stacked they are dangerous. They tangle if knocked over which is what makes them so dangerous.
I think they are all right used as a raised trotting pole but once stacked they are dangerous. They tangle if knocked over which is what makes them so dangerous.
PopStrop
Well-Known Member
Oooo now they are ideal! Thank you
megwan1
Well-Known Member
yes thanks i now know wats being discussed!!!!!!
gnubee
Well-Known Member
If they sold those blocks with poles attatched to them, you would have all the advantages of a cavaletti with no sharp edges (though obviously still would be a safety risk if you stackd them).