How often to do polework?

[greenbean10]

I do trot poles in most of my flatwork sessions (so around 3-4 times a week), as well as canter poles, small cavalettis and raised poles once or twice a week. Is it possible to overdo normal trot/canter poles!?

I usually warm up over them and incorporate them into some exercises too...I'm not sure if this is too much. Horse is a show jumper so fit-ish and out once every few weeks for shows anyway. I try to use the canter poles to keep my eye in instead of jumping him too regularly.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Sounds like quite a lot of pole work, but I’m not an SJer.

FGI, my chiro vet says that walking over raised poles (up to knee height) is better than trotting/cantering over low poles to get a horse to use itself properly.

 

[greenbean10]

Sounds like quite a lot of pole work, but I’m not an SJer.

FGI, my chiro vet says that walking over raised poles (up to knee height) is better than trotting/cantering over low poles to get a horse to use itself properly.

Oh that’s interesting, I may start doing more in hand then over raised poles. I am trying to do different things to stop my horse getting bored and my go-to tends to be poles so I should probably do in hand work anyway. Thank you!

 

[dogatemysalad]

I was rehabbing a horse and so did in hand poles in walk, set in different patterns 6 times a week. Now it's just twice a week plus a ridden session in trot and canter every other week.
Horse is very co-operative but when he started to get bored, I reduced it. Quality over quantity.

 

[ihatework]

Incorporating a few poles in every flatwork session probably isn’t too much of a big deal/problem especially if they aren’t raised. You can however overdo cavelletti work if you aren’t careful, devil is generally in the detail - for it to be beneficial it needs to be done right.

 

[LEC]

My physio told me how she recommended to an owner walking the horse walks over raised logs. The next time she saw the horse it was crippled. Physio asked why and what had changed and the owner had built a raised log ladder on the way to the water trough so they were doing it several times a day, it was supposed to be done once a day.

Anyway the point behind this tale is everything in moderation. I would be asking yourself why you are using poles so much in your flatwork and would look at developing squares with poles which you go between instead and markers if looking for accuracy, and to mix it up. At the moment you are saying 3-4 sessions a week, guessing you give one day off a week so 66% if yours horses work is doing this.....

 

[milliepops]

My physio told me how she recommended to an owner walking the horse walks over raised logs. The next time she saw the horse it was crippled. Physio asked why and what had changed and the owner had built a raised log ladder on the way to the water trough so they were doing it several times a day, it was supposed to be done once a day.

oh blimey! good intentions, but....

 

[ihatework]

My physio told me how she recommended to an owner walking the horse walks over raised logs. The next time she saw the horse it was crippled. Physio asked why and what had changed and the owner had built a raised log ladder on the way to the water trough so they were doing it several times a day, it was supposed to be done once a day.

Anyway the point behind this tale is everything in moderation. I would be asking yourself why you are using poles so much in your flatwork and would look at developing squares with poles which you go between instead and markers if looking for accuracy, and to mix it up. At the moment you are saying 3-4 sessions a week, guessing you give one day off a week so 66% if yours horses work is doing this.....

Log ladders are great, but yes in moderation, once walk up, maybe 3-4 times a week. But I think the onus has to be on the professional (physio) to outline that sort of detail if they are making recommendations, you can't expect people to just 'know'.

I'd disagree on the 66% comment. quite possible to incorporate a small amount of polework into 5-10 mins of a 45 minutes session and no over-do it. Although always best if you know what you are trying to achieve from the exercise.

 

[greenbean10]

My physio told me how she recommended to an owner walking the horse walks over raised logs. The next time she saw the horse it was crippled. Physio asked why and what had changed and the owner had built a raised log ladder on the way to the water trough so they were doing it several times a day, it was supposed to be done once a day.

Anyway the point behind this tale is everything in moderation. I would be asking yourself why you are using poles so much in your flatwork and would look at developing squares with poles which you go between instead and markers if looking for accuracy, and to mix it up. At the moment you are saying 3-4 sessions a week, guessing you give one day off a week so 66% if yours horses work is doing this.....

Oh no that is really awful!

Yes so to clarify I usually have a row of 4-6 trot poles out which I incorporate into my flatwork sessions, I'd say maximum I go over them 4 times on each rein and I tend to do this around 3-4 times a week (as well as other exercises that don't include the poles!)

Then on one or two of those days I'll add in some raised poles or cavalettis which is a more intense session.

So yes even though 66% of the time we are incorporating poles into our schooling, the focus isn't on the poles if that makes sense and for most of that time it's very low key just trotting down a row of poles a couple of times! I do them is because it gets her more engaged behind and I am useless at thinking up flatwork exercises that have the same effect (horse is a show jumper through and through and gets bored if there's nothing on the ground for her to pick her feet up over!). I will try to start using them in different ways as you say without actually going over them.

 

[greenbean10]

Incorporating a few poles in every flatwork session probably isn’t too much of a big deal/problem especially if they aren’t raised. You can however overdo cavelletti work if you aren’t careful, devil is generally in the detail - for it to be beneficial it needs to be done right.

Thank you, yes this is pretty much what I do and I try to do cavalettis/raised poles either once or twice a week which I'm now thinking I should cut down slightly.

 

[Adoni123]

Can I ask if you are hacking and doing hill work often too?

Pole work is very good - probably wouldn't do it more than once a week - but I'm usually in the school only twice a week and the rest of the week hacking/hill work/cardio out and about!

 

[LEC]

Oh no that is really awful!

Yes so to clarify I usually have a row of 4-6 trot poles out which I incorporate into my flatwork sessions, I'd say maximum I go over them 4 times on each rein and I tend to do this around 3-4 times a week (as well as other exercises that don't include the poles!)

Then on one or two of those days I'll add in some raised poles or cavalettis which is a more intense session.

So yes even though 66% of the time we are incorporating poles into our schooling, the focus isn't on the poles if that makes sense and for most of that time it's very low key just trotting down a row of poles a couple of times! I do them is because it gets her more engaged behind and I am useless at thinking up flatwork exercises that have the same effect (horse is a show jumper through and through and gets bored if there's nothing on the ground for her to pick her feet up over!). I will try to start using them in different ways as you say without actually going over them.

I like Emily Moffitt and Cian O Connors pages as shows what they do at home. Emily often has great jumping exercises using small fences. I like making corners out of poles. I also create 10m and 15m circles with them to ride through to practice accuracy. Then there is transitions. I quite like making mazes as well for leg yeilding round.

 

[greenbean10]

Can I ask if you are hacking and doing hill work often too?

Pole work is very good - probably wouldn't do it more than once a week - but I'm usually in the school only twice a week and the rest of the week hacking/hill work/cardio out and about!

Unfortunately in the winter I don't get to the yard until it's dark so I can only really hack at the weekend if we're not at a show...plus the horse won't hack alone which is an added difficulty. In the summer we do hills twice a week with a friend which we both love.

She is best if ridden 5-6 times a week (physio has recommended little and often) which feels like a lot to do in the school, hence doing poles a lot in a desperate attempt to stop her getting bored - although I suppose she may get bored of poles! Maybe I just need to read some books and get creative

 

[greenbean10]

I like Emily Moffitt and Cian O Connors pages as shows what they do at home. Emily often has great jumping exercises using small fences. I like making corners out of poles. I also create 10m and 15m circles with them to ride through to practice accuracy. Then there is transitions. I quite like making mazes as well for leg yeilding round.

I am going to have a look at them, thank you!

 

[Adoni123]

Unfortunately in the winter I don't get to the yard until it's dark so I can only really hack at the weekend if we're not at a show...plus the horse won't hack alone which is an added difficulty. In the summer we do hills twice a week with a friend which we both love.

She is best if ridden 5-6 times a week (physio has recommended little and often) which feels like a lot to do in the school, hence doing poles a lot in a desperate attempt to stop her getting bored - although I suppose she may get bored of poles! Maybe I just need to read some books and get creative

I see! If you're only going over the poles a couple of times in a session I really don't see that as an issue at all. Sometimes I just randomly chuck hem in the school to see if he's paying attention to his feet!

It's a shame you can't hack more often but I can see why you want to change up your schooling. I don't see a problem with this unless the horse does get bored and stops paying attention to them