Pessoa - exercises?

[ecrozier]

Bought myself a pessoa (well, a JW training aid to be precise!) a couple of months ago, and initially was using it twice a week, but only have a 10 acre field to school/lunge in at the moment, so have had to give up now due to dark/slippery grass! He was going nicely in trot in it - only ever going to use it on the long and low setting as that is exactly where I need him to be!
Anyway, we are moving to a yard next weekend with a FLOOD LIT SCHOOL

So, once he has settled in it again, I want to do a bit more with him - he's fairly balanced (working nicely at Novice level at home, still doing prelims out and about for the sake of my nerves!), but I want to intoduce some canter on the lunge which I haven't done in the field for fear of him slipping/getting loose, and also maybbe some pole work to encourage him to stretch even more over his back?
Is that a good idea? Do people do that in the pessoa? Do I need to change the settings etc on it? Make it looser/tighter for canter/pole work as opposed to trot? And what exercises do you do over poles? What distance between them? He's a 15hh arab ith a fairly long stride for his height.

 

[Luckylocalian]

Could I jump on the bandwaggon of this post and ask at the same time please how you know you have fitted it right and not too tight or loose - they don't come with clear instructions and I keep thinking mine is too tight but don't know!!

 

[ecrozier]

Not sure this is the correct answer but I just adjusted mine until my horse worked where I wanted him - long and low.

 

[Hullabaloo]

I had to do 3 months lunging in a pessoa for my horses back and was told by the vet to have his head slightly behind the vertical for what we wanted to achieve. I started off fairly loose and as he got used to it and built up muscle I tightened it up gradually.
We had to include pole work, with raised poles as part of his exercise plan and I used to vary distances, raised and lowered etc which made it a bit more interesting for both of us.

 

[the watcher]

I have never actually progressed beyond long and low to the higher more advanced positions, as the 'long and low' builds up the muscles as I want them - and I have never cantered mine on the Pessoa - there more of a chance of the jabbing themselves in the mouth and I don't see the need. low pole work could easily be introduced though

 

[ecrozier]

Hmm, interesting.
the_winter, I'm the same with the long and low as we find it much easier to achieve a 'higher' outline under saddle than the long and low we need to get really good marks at prelim/novice, so not planning to move up to higher settings.
Interesting about not using canter. My instructor actually commented the other day that in a way, J is too much in 'self carriage' for our level, because he doesn't take the bit at all if i give the reins!
Re poles, do people use one at a time? Or several on a sort of curve?

 

[Touchwood]

[ QUOTE ]
Hmm, interesting.
the_winter, I'm the same with the long and low as we find it much easier to achieve a 'higher' outline under saddle than the long and low we need to get really good marks at prelim/novice, so not planning to move up to higher settings.
Interesting about not using canter. My instructor actually commented the other day that in a way, J is too much in 'self carriage' for our level, because he doesn't take the bit at all if i give the reins!
Re poles, do people use one at a time? Or several on a sort of curve?

[/ QUOTE ]

Just to pick up a few points here. Long and low is not the correct outline for prelim - yes, you will not be in a Grand Prix or even vaguely advanced outline, but long and low is a training outline, not a competition one - FEI directives state the nose should be slightly in front of the vertical and the poll should be the highest point.
And just re. self carriage - the horse should always take the rein forward and down at whatever level. A short give and retake will show self carriage - but when you give the rein for a longer time, the horse should always stretch and take the rein forward. Not doing so suggests they are evading the contact by dropping behind it, rather than being in self carriage.