Young horse and poles

[lovelyfrenchie3000]

I’m a bit stuck as my young horse has developed an aversion to poles.

She’s just had 12 weeks off and before that, she was starting to canter over ground poles etc. Since being back, admittedly I haven’t done a tonne of in-hand polework but every time I have, she’s walked over them no problem. She will walk and trot over single poles without an issue but if there is a line of them, she will “refuse” the first time and then go over sweetly (usually) on both reins in walk and trot. Admittedly, only done poles under-saddle 2-3 times since she’s been back so is it just a case of doing it more and she should remember what to do?

 

[sportsmansB]

Do you have another nice horse you can follow?
Trotting around after another one who doesn't make a fuss for a couple of sessions will likely make a world of difference

 

[Jenko109]

I am assuming the time off was not related to injury?

 

[lovelyfrenchie3000]

I am assuming the time off was not related to injury?

No, not injury related. Just a bit of weather, laziness to ride (on my part) and young horse needing a break

 

[SEL]

Is she coming in with her head down so she can actually see them and work out where to place her feet? I am guaranteed demolition derby if my youngster hasn't really focused on them

 

[lovelyfrenchie3000]

Is she coming in with her head down so she can actually see them and work out where to place her feet? I am guaranteed demolition derby if my youngster hasn't really focused on them

To be fair, thinking about, no! I hadn’t thought about that as so used to my older horse just trotting over them no matter what. One time, there was a jump block kind of on the corner to the line that she was gawping at and another time her focus was on the horses in their fields being idiots. Feel very silly that I hadn’t thought about the fact she wasn’t actually giving her full focus. I guess I underestimate how much of a baby she is sometimes.

I think I’ll set up a line of 4 poles today down the long side away from distractions?

 

[Tarragon]

Is she coming in with her head down so she can actually see them and work out where to place her feet? I am guaranteed demolition derby if my youngster hasn't really focused on them

I tried some pole work with my just backed pony (though this was in hand) and he scared himself silly by tripping over one of them and knocking the pole and the block. Poor lad, he was shaking afterwards (he is a sensitive soul). I have now put poles out so he has to walk over them every time they come in or out of the stable. Partly to get him used to them, partly as a genuine exercise, and partly so that if he does knock them (and he does!) he won't panic so much.

 

[sbloom]

How a horse goes over poles is super important, otherwise you're just strengthening in the dysfunction. I would say she could do with a little more lifting/strengthening in front, keeping her lower neck switched off, before you do too much ridden pole work. Also be really sure that you know when the horse is tiring, pole work is hard, and these big group sessions (not your case I know!) can be terrible, horses and ponies going round with ears up their nose, or cranked in and/or crooked, for up to an hour.

 

[lovelyfrenchie3000]

How a horse goes over poles is super important, otherwise you're just strengthening in the dysfunction. I would say she could do with a little more lifting/strengthening in front, keeping her lower neck switched off, before you do too much ridden pole work. Also be really sure that you know when the horse is tiring, pole work is hard, and these big group sessions (not your case I know!) can be terrible, horses and ponies going round with ears up their nose, or cranked in and/or crooked, for up to an hour.

Interesting - thank you. I am trying to do pole work regularly with a mix of in-hand poles and ridden to build her up as she is quite weak across her back and hind end. I would say our in-hand sessions are probably 10 minutes and our ridden sessions are currently 15-20 minutes, which includes warm up and cool down. Like I said, she’s only done ridden poles a couple of times since being back and I certainly don’t want to overdo it! I think we take for granted how tiring poles can be on young horses. But obviously if it’s a case of she needs to be stronger to do ridden poles then I’m happy to park that and use in-hand poles for a little bit instead.

 

[SEL]

To be fair, thinking about, no! I hadn’t thought about that as so used to my older horse just trotting over them no matter what. One time, there was a jump block kind of on the corner to the line that she was gawping at and another time her focus was on the horses in their fields being idiots. Feel very silly that I hadn’t thought about the fact she wasn’t actually giving her full focus. I guess I underestimate how much of a baby she is sometimes.

I think I’ll set up a line of 4 poles today down the long side away from distractions?

Just do a couple in walk so she's got her head down, looking at them and focussing on where to put her feet. Just a few times from each direction to start with. Keep straight so she's working her body evenly.

I have a set of wooden ones out in the field all the time. We will often walk over them on the way back to turnout or if I'm bringing someone in. I'll walk over them as part of the warm up for a schooling session on a long rein and generally not make a big "we are doing polework today" deal out of it. The best use of poles from a biomechanics perspective is head down, stretching in walk in a straight line. Keeping a youngster dead straight over them is harder than it looks. Weak baby cob gets quite annoyed with me if he isn't allowed to drift to one side.

 

[lovelyfrenchie3000]

Perfect thank you SEL. I’ll start doing that. Yes fully agree that keeping young horses straight is tricky! They’re so wibbly wobbly.

 

[Red-1]

BH can be a bit like that if presented with a whole line having not gone over a few singles. He became quite the professional last year, but since then has had some months turned away to grow up. Last night we did a little jump clinic, first time over trot poles, yep, he refused. To be fair, they were at single distanced, angled round a bend, near scary fillers, almost level with the entrance, and made of the bright plastic foam. He did them foot perfect in trot and canter after that though, so I don't think it is a physical issue.

I am not overly concerned, he was likely just a bit overawed at being in a new place, with strange horses. I think the additional brain processing power to work out where to put his feet temporarily put him over tolerance. I just let him have a little look, came round and did them again. He over-jumped the later canter pole where wings were at the sides too. I'm talking actually jumping it! Again, just a baby thing.

If they were still doing this a few months down the line I may think they had an issue, but at the moment, I consider it just a baby brain getting back into the habit. I think that if I'd had him working right off the leg, it would be less likely to happen but it was a social event and I was also busy chatting.

 

[SEL]

I also think some horses just "get" poles better than others. Even as a baby the Appy was clever enough to sort her feet out over some quite complex arrangements that had older horses clattering them.