Polework exercises
Polework exercises for horses are great for improving their posture, core strength, straightness and proprioception, which is the awareness of their own body and movement. They’re good for you as a rider, too, as they make you focus on accuracy, planning and give you a feel for rhythm – and they keep your training interesting.
Polework is also regularly used as part of rehabilitation and strengthening programmes as they can be used in endless different ways to alter the way your horse uses his body.
If you need some inspiration for polework exercises to try at home, check out the examples from top riders and trainers below.
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Try this asymmetric in-hand exercise to build your horse’s topline and strengthen his weaker sideBy Martha Terry Published
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How a straight line of poles can improve your horse’s agility and hoof-brain coordination from the groundBy Martha Terry Published
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Find the key to your horse’s suppleness and core strength with this maze exercise in walkBy Martha Terry Published
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Improve the quality of your horse’s paces using just three polesBy Martha Terry Published
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Execute smarter square halts with the help of four polesBy Tania Grantham Published
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No time to ride? Use this quick and easy to set up in-hand pole layout to engage your horse mentally and physicallyBy Martha Terry Published
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Test and improve your horse’s adjustability with this eventer-favourite two-pole canter exerciseBy Bethany Stone Published
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Encourage your horse to lift and lengthen with the help of this zig-zag polework layoutBy Tania Grantham Published
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Practise changing leads over poles or jumps with this figure-of-eight layoutBy Martha Terry Published
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Boost the quality of your horse’s canter with this straightforward poles routineBy Martha Terry Published
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A simple polework exercise to help distinguish between sharper corners and rounder circlesBy Tania Grantham Published
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Boost your horse’s suppleness and manoeuvrability using five poles on the groundBy Martha Terry Published
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Improve your horse’s bend in walk with this simple polework exerciseBy Martha Terry Published
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Refine your centre lines using just two poles and two conesBy Tania Grantham Published
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Olympic rider shares simple polework exercise that can improve flexibility and rideability in horses at any levelBy Martha Terry Published
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How to stop the drift and correct a horse that swerves over a fenceBy Ellie Hughes Published
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Learn how to strengthen your horse at home using poleworkBy Stephanie Bateman Published
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‘Aim to do this straightforward exercise to score 10 out of 10’: how Harry Meade uses polework to improve supplenessBy Martha Terry Published
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Not just for trotting over: Michael Eilberg shares his innovative use of polesBy Polly Bryan Published