For horses coming back in to work I like simple exercises that are prescriptive and clear. If you focus on doing the small things well then the big things look after themselves. This is a really useful pole exercise which can be done in any sized arena or on grass.
The Set Up
This setup works in a 25m wide school, if you have a smaller school you will need to rotate the circle by 45 degrees so that you can go around the poles.
The Exercise
In canter ride one quadrant (two poles) on four strides, then miss a pole, then another quadrant on four strides, then miss a pole and so on.
Next do the same with two consecutive quadrants (three poles), miss a pole, another three quadrants, miss a pole and so on.
Repeat on the other rein, and then move on to three quadrants (four poles) miss a pole, three quadrants etc.
The idea is to control the line around the inside leg without losing the shoulder. Always look ahead so your eyes move from the next pole to the quadrant beyond it, well before you’ve jumped the pole. The horse has to really let go through his back, allowing you to access deeper muscles. The exercise is a tool to assess the quality of his work. As a rider it gives you an awareness of how each horse naturally copes with the distances and therefore what you need to concentrate on when training the canter.
