Working over ground poles has more uses in training horses than just being the predecessor to jumping. They can mix up your dressage horses routine, strengthen your trail horses hocks, and work as an easy check-in to see how rideable your horse is.Table of ContentsToggleRelaxation & Rideability Fresh Footwork with Ground PolesGround Pole Set UpHow to Set Up DistancesSimple Eight-Pole Set UpBenefits of a Single PoleKey TakeawayTamie Smith of Next Level Eventing in Temecula, Calif., winner of the 2023 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI5*, has a strong focus on pole work in her program.Not only do they help your horse become stronger, but they get the horse to a place where hes super rideable, she says. You can start off super simple, just trotting over one pole.Tamie Smith, winner of the 2023 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event 5*, regularly uses ground poles to check in on her horses adjustability and relaxation. Photo by Mary CageSmith emphasizes that setting up pole exercises doesnt need to be complicated.In my ring, I just have random poles out, she says. Its a really good exercise for the horses to learn where their feet are and for them to let go of their bodies because they have to push over their back when they trot over them.Relaxation & Rideability Additionally, Smith uses poles as a check-in for riders to see if their horses are adjustable and listening. Instead of passively riding over the poles, Smith encourages her riders to think about how their horse is completing the exercises and what holes in their training the poles bring into focus.Smith says to ask yourself the following: Do the trot poles create more tension and make your horse stiffen? Do they create anxiety?The more trot pole work the horses do, the more comfortable they get and the more rideable they become.I always err on the side of making sure that the horse isnt feeling overwhelmed by the trot poles, says Smith. If hes struggling, Ill take away multiple poles and only use one until he gets really confident with it.Fresh Footwork with Ground PolesCatherine Donworth has spent most of her riding career focusing on fox hunting. When her long-time partner, Skippy, was ready to retire, she got a ranch horse named Doolin Banjos. She began prepping Doolin to be her next fox hunting mount, but quickly discovered that he might be destined for a dual career, so Donworth began her dressage journey.Catherine Donworth began doing more dressage after getting her former ranch horse, Doolin Banjos. Ground poles add variety to their riding, especially in the winter. Photo by Samantha ClarkShe uses ground pole exercises to keep things fresh for both herself and her horse in training.When you have a dressage horse that doesnt jump, or doesnt jump very often, poles are a huge way to introduce variety into your schooling, says Donworth.Pole work breaks up the monotony of ring work, especially when the weather doesnt permit trail riding or other activities. Photo by Shoshana RudskiShe regularly sets up different pole exercises in the ring year-round and finds new creative ways to use the smaller space of the indoor arena in the winter to keep training going, especially in colder weather when hacking and hill work arent an option. When Donworth sets up an exercise, she tries to leave it up for others at the barn to benefit from.You can tailor the exercises to whatever level your horse needs very easily, depending on his level of collection or how quickly he can do transitions or how much he can lift his hocks, she says. You can easily lay out a pole exercise, and with tiny alterations, work several horses at different levels without needing to set the whole thing up differently again.For Doolin, Donworth has found that the main benefit has been that poles keep him thinking.Its helped sharpen up his feet, she says. It sharpened his reflexes, and he has to think for himself about where he puts his feet.In addition to the mental benefits, Donworth has also seen physical perks.Its good from a physiological standpoint, she says. It keeps their hocks and back moving in a way that plain flatwork might not. It strengthens their bodies and can increase range of motion without putting extra pressure on their joints.Even walking over small, raised poles gets them to lift their hocks. If a horse has hock problems or arthritis in his hocks, just even walking over poles can loosen, flex, and extend his hocks. Its like us stretching as part of our warmup.Pole work can act like physical therapy, encouraging horses to flex and extend their hocks. Photo by Shoshana RudskiGround Pole Set UpHow to Set Up DistancesWalking poles: Set 2.5 feet apart for most horses.Trot poles: Set around 4 to 4.5 feet apart. Smaller-strided horses may need closer-set poles, while horses with a longer stride may need poles a little farther apart. Adjusting the distance between the poles can help your horse learn to collect or lengthen his stride. Try to avoid having only two trot poles in a row; your horse might think he is supposed to jump both in one go.Canter poles: Set around 9 to 11 feet. Like trot poles, the length of your horses stride can influence your placement.Increasing or decreasing the space between trot poles can teach your horse to collect or extend his stride. Photo by Shoshana RudskiSimple Eight-Pole Set UpPlace four trot poles and four canter poles on either end of a circle. Begin by trotting the whole loop.Then ask your horse to canter through the canter poles and come back to a trot before the trot poles, and then canter again before the canter poles. See how accurate you can get your transitions. Once your horse gets comfortable, try raising some of the trot poles to add difficulty.Benefits of a Single PoleWhether you jump or not, finding a distance to a single pole will help you learn your horses canter stride length and increase his adjustability. Sometimes it feels easier to find a distance to a larger jump, so breaking it back down to a single pole makes you check in on the details.Cantering over a single pole will help you learn about your horses stride length and aid in adjustability. Photo by Shoshana RudskiFor greener horses, trotting a single pole helps build confidence and get them trusting their footwork.Key TakeawayIntegrating ground poles into your horses training program can increase strength and flexibility, add variety, and sharpen response time. A useful tool for riders and trainers at level, pole work is worth adding to your routine.This article about using ground poles in training appeared in the November/December 2023 issue of Horse Illustratedmagazine.Click here to subscribe!The post Using Ground Poles in Your Horses Training appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.