Pole exercises/rehab programmes

Michen

Michen

Well-Known Member
Joined
22 January 2014
Messages
12,875
Visit site
Does anyone have a specific rehab programme (just as something to follow to keep us occupied with some structure on these dark evenings!), or really good pole work exercises that can be done ridden or in hand?

I’m doing pole work a few times a week with Boggle but getting a bit bored of walk/trot poles in a straight line, raised or not etc.

Something to follow even in terms of how often, how many times to go over the poles etc would be quite helpful to keep me on track!
 
Following with interest. Sorry I don't have anything (other than the obvious), but hope someone else does.

Various configurations of doing transitions between poles I find quite useful.
 
Not quite the season now but I copied a Christmas tree set up (from shi*eventersunite on fb) and was quite good fun to walk,trot and canter through in various configurations. OP had tied tinsel to the poles for added excitement- I didn’t do that!
 
There's an app called Equi-pole polework app. Has lots of different layouts and exercises they also have a Facebook and Instagram page with a few extra ideas on them as well
 
Rob Jackson (horseback vet) had me put a fan of poles in each arena corner. Limited poles so I think I did 2 corners of 3 or 4. Twice over then change rein. Only do a few times because muscles get tired.

Another of his is hand walking a figure of 8 over a single pole
 
I hate this new obsession with making impossibly complicated patterns which, IMO, only serve to confuse the horse and potentially create incidents whilst not adding anything to the horse's development
I am a fan of a simple layout of 3 or 4 poles on a circle set at walk distance on the inside and trot in the middle. You can use this in multiple ways and raise them if you want. You can make the circle bigger or smaller to open up or compress the stride and it's a great way to ensure that you're staying on the line of the circle. You can incorporate transitions up and down the pace before and after the poles, ride bigger then smaller circles etc. Simple but effective.
Dont go over them endlessly- I would do short phases of work over the poles in between normal flatwork
 
My physio recommended me the book 55 Corrective Exercises For Horses. It’s brilliant has lots of information and gives you programmes to work through gradually. Great for rehab.
I was also told that polework for horses is like going up and down the stairs for us humans. A couple of times if you’re relatively fit you’ll find easy, repeating a bit more will get you puffing but doing 100’s of steps you’ll find exhausting. I try to keep that in mind doing polework and never have more than 5/6 in a row at most and make sure to break it up with general flat work. I do cringe when I see an insane amount of poles in a row and horses being put over them repeatedly ?
 
I like the 55 corrective exercises book. There's a few exercises that require landscape like hills or ditches and stuff that I don't have. But there's lots of pole work exercises as well as bodywork, in hand and ridden exercises. Generally well explained and easy to follow. I've been doing what I can during the extended break my two are having as well as trying some Masterson Method bodywork. I think it's all helping. It's helping me not feel awful that we haven't been riding anyway!
 
I am wary of recommending pole work to my customers, it's easy to think that just doing it is enough, the horse must be in the correct form, and if they are (or even if not) they tire a lot quicker than you think. I watched a video a while back of a horse being walked in hand over a series of raised poles, on the third pass his hocks were twisting because of tiredness and the exercise would have been doing harm not good.

I'm a big fan of the postural approach from the Manolo Mendez DVDs, straightnesstraining.com and things like In hand with Jenku (google it).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top