Sports therapist Laura Payne explains the advantages of in-hand polework exercises and her golden rules for effective polework.Polework exercises are a simple and effective method of helping to strengthen and condition your horse without excessive concussion on joints and limbs.Its a great way to improve his natural balance and self-carriage. If your horse is happy in his body, he will be willing to move forward and be more confident in his stride.Problems arise when a horse is repetitively worked in the same way over a period of time, and instead of improving and strengthening, injuries occur due to repetitive strain and over-working tired, restricted muscles.I use polework as a means of identifying where a horse wants to naturally put himself. Thats to say, is he left or right-sided? Is he straight? What muscles does he struggle to engage, and is this because he doesnt know how to use them, or because he doesnt want to due to strain or pain?Alongside manual therapy I use polework on a daily basis for injury prevention, strength building and rehabilitation rebuilding neuromuscular pathways that have come into misuse for whatever reason.I predominantly do these polework exercises in-hand, in walk, as this is far more difficult and highlights where the horse is struggling basically, if he cant do them in walk, he wont do them well in trot.You want your horse to feel hes able to do the exercises yes, he may struggle at times to sort out his stride or where to put his feet but we dont want to set him up to fail. So less is more. Start with a few poles on the ground and once he can do these without touching them, either raise the height or add another pole, but never both at the same time.Lauras eight golden rules for poleworkAlways warm up your horse for 10 minutes before you start.Remember, walk is best.Introduce one exercise at a time for five minutes only, two or three times a week, then build up to 15 minutes.Start with just two or three poles and only add in more when your horse doesnt touch any of them.Repeat exercises equally on both reins and learn to lead from both sides.Allow a stretch between exercises.You dont need to use gadgets. Stick to simple exercises which make your horse use his body correctly.Dont forget to cool down afterwards.Related contentAndrew Hoys groundwork exercises to improve balance and core strengthGroundwork exercises for horses that build trustWhy hacking in hand has so many benefitsScales of Training in dressage explainedHone your jumping style with these grid exercises from John ThelwallThe post How in-hand polework can improve your horses balance and self-carriage appeared first on Your Horse.