Get him thinking
Now it’s time to take things up a gear and really get him listening with this exercise that switches between canter and trot poles. Accuracy will be key here to ensure you transition in time to prepare for each set of poles.
SET IT UP: On one half of a 20m circle, place four trot poles. These should be spaced to allow one of your horse’s footfalls between each (roughly 1.2m-1.7m depending on the length of your horse’s stride). On the other half of the school, place four canter poles (2.7-3.4m apart, depending on your horse’s stride).
How to ride it
a) Ride around the outside of your poles in a bouncy canter. b) Look ahead for the canter poles and ride through the centre of them. c) As soon as possible after the canter poles, trot your horse, looking ahead for the trot poles. d) Trot over the centre of your trot poles. e) Canter as quickly as you can after the trot poles and repeat the exercise. f) Ride around the circle three times and then change the rein to repeat.
BACK TO BASICS: Set up your canter and trot poles on two separate 20m circles. Trot over the trot poles three times on each rein, then do the same over the canter poles.
THE NEXT LEVEL: Raise the poles slightly off the ground to increase the intensity of the work on your horse’s core. You can also add tramlines halfway between the two sets of poles (they’ll need to be quite wide). These act as a marker to help make your transitions more accurate.