# Exercises using trot poles



## munschk (Mar 11, 2008)

I like to make my trot poles a little more interesting by putting a tyre under the one side (alternating for different poles), or even both, to really make the horse think about what he's doing with his feet.


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## JumperStride (Jul 1, 2010)

I had an old WP horse who used to literally drag his hooves across the ground. Set a bunch of varying distances etc. like you said, had a few of them slightly raised by putting them on a bucket or something. What really helped him was setting up trot poles in zig zags. 
>
<
>
<

something like that. Really woke him up to where he was placing his feet.


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## boldstart (Oct 11, 2009)

Oh they are really good ideas.

I rode my boy over the trot poles the other day and he was indeed shocking at it.
We almost crashed out =/
He was just not picking his feet up at all.

I try putting something underneath the poles noe and see if he responds better.


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## flamingauburnmustang (Dec 25, 2008)

^^ Haha. Night Heat also tends to trip over trotting poles. I usually give her a squeeze a stride away from the poles so it wakes her up enough to lift her legs higher. :roll:


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## spirithorse8 (Jun 30, 2010)

In order for horses to correctly learn cavalletti work, the rider is required to squezze both calves inward and upward. This does two things, the pressure inward is impulsion and the pressure upward rises the back which then allows the hindquarter to be engaged which then allows the forlegs to extend.
Please do not use ground poles as this is not creating the workout the horse requires.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

spirithorse8 said:


> Please do not use ground poles as this is not creating the workout the horse requires.


Step 1 is ground poles.

Step 2 is caveletti at the lowest height

Step 3 is the next height

etc

If the horse is trippy over ground poles, there very well could be injuries with any additional height.


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