Poles for schooling

LHIS

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Hi All

Looking for recommendations please for some trotting poles. My arena is high up and exposed, and we get a lot of weather. I’m going to and fro with wooden or plastic poles. I’d prefer plastic for the longevity, and ease of moving. Wood would get very wet and I have no where sheltered to store them either.
The cheapest I’ve found plastic poles for of a decent length is £33 each, and I want 10 or so. Is this just how much they cost and I need to like it or lump it? Timber cheaper, but not much tbh.
 

TotalMadgeness

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We're high up and exposed and my plastic poles have stood the test of time - compared to my wooden ones. I bought a set 3 years ago from Jumps Online. You can fill the poles with sand to weigh them down too.
 

ElectricChampagne

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a friend of mine got some round wooden fence posts, cut off the stake part at the end and painted them herself. They were the weather treated posts so she just painted them over that.
Worked out much cheaper than actual painted poles and she still has them a year later.
 

chaps89

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£33 sounds reasonable to me. I looked last summer but just couldn't afford proper poles. I bought some fence posts instead and chopped the spike off and painted them. They live outside and are wearing well so far.
Possibly not very conventional but they do the job and were far cheaper than buying proper ones.
 

LHIS

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Do you think using drain pipes, putting some sand in, and end caps would work? I can’t really afford spending a few hundred on poles at the moment but would love to be able to use poles at home.
 

Horsekaren

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Do you think using drain pipes, putting some sand in, and end caps would work? I can’t really afford spending a few hundred on poles at the moment but would love to be able to use poles at home.
I have used drain pipes as the are £5.00 a pop from B and Q but they are very lightweight and if the horse lands on them they smash. Also if they catch them even just the slightest bit they move out of place very easy which is annoying if you don't have a pole putter backer.
 

TPO

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At the Caroline Moore/Ros Canter demo they were using dressage boards as trotting poles since they don't roll away. That might be a cheaper (& safer) alternative if it's only for ground poles and not jumping?

I bought stained/treated jumping poles from a local supplier for £15 ea, it was slightly more expensive for the painted versions. I like plastic poles for how easy they are to move (use them at the arena I hire) but I like something more substantial for pole work. I just use potties or blocks to stop them moving if the horse stands on them.
 

milliepops

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yup drainpipes are no use at all for ground poles and only slightly less awful for jumps!

I got treated poles for about a tenner from my local timber merchant, they don't move anywhere near as much as plastic poles and will last a good few years.
If you have somewhere you can leave them out then lengths of chopped up telegraph poles are brilliant for groundwork too ;) very very heavy though!
 

LHIS

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At the Caroline Moore/Ros Canter demo they were using dressage boards as trotting poles since they don't roll away. That might be a cheaper (& safer) alternative if it's only for ground poles and not jumping?

I bought stained/treated jumping poles from a local supplier for £15 ea, it was slightly more expensive for the painted versions. I like plastic poles for how easy they are to move (use them at the arena I hire) but I like something more substantial for pole work. I just use potties or blocks to stop them moving if the horse stands on them.

Yes having something with a square edge would be handy, it’s just the timber element I’m concerned about. They’d get a real soaking on a regular basis and I’d be miffed having to replace them regularly. Can’t decide what to do for best!
 

TPO

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I'm far from an expert on poles but I've had these ones 6mths so far and they've "wintered" out without any shelter or cover and as still as new. The last time I had a set of showjumps was about 10yrs ago and when I sold them they were about 15 yrs old, I hadn't looked after them and they sat out in the open with no shelter and were still in good nick. Some of the wings needed new nails and a couple of new slats but that was it. I think if it's treated/painted properly they are pretty hardy.
 

chaps89

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As well as fence posts I also bought rails - the flat side means they're less inclined to roll away if the horse catches them. 1 rail was too long to fit in the box so I had them sawn in half so they are skinny poles but I just see it as again unconventional but a plus as it means I have to be far more accurate!
 

be positive

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I have wooden poles living outside that must be pushing 20 years old now, they have been painted once or twice in that time but otherwise are fine being left, a really good covering of weatherproof paint should give you better value than plastic ones. If you leave them with one end off the ground it helps prevent them becoming totally saturated.
 

neddy man

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Just google agricultural merchants or agricultural supplies in Lancashire. Ask them for prices for tanalised pressure treasured timber 100 mm rounds , (or 100mm square like dressage boards) then paint them , painted or not they will last you 10 years even left outside all the time.
 

Nudibranch

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Just to add, late to the party, I have pressure treated wooden poles and they've been outside for 5 years now (mostly lying on wet grass) and look as good as new really. Never got round to painting them though! The main thing is make sure they are properly treated.
 

Toby_Zaphod

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I don't use round poles for trotting poles, I'm worried about a horse landing one one & it rolling away under him. I always used lengths of 2" x 4" or similar, they stay where they are put, don't role away & don't cause any issure with the horses.
 

GoldenWillow

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I got my plain wooden timber poles from a local wood yard, they were less than £10 delivered. They are about 9 years old now and are stored outside. I do try and lift them off the ground over winter as they're not in use then but haven't the last few years. It's only last year that a couple have shown signs of rot and the others are all fine. I did buy a few heavy plastic covered poles and whilst they still look good after 5 years I couldn't afford a lot of them. I've left my poles mainly rustic as I detest painting poles, I did wrap a couple with some spare vinyl wrap we had which has worked well apart from a few wrinkles!
 
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