Over 50 fun and easy-to-follow exercises using ground
poles to improve the horse's musculature and way of going.
While working with ground poles is not new to most riders,
incorporating
them in training with creativity and regularity may require a little
inspiration and guidance. Enter Ann Katrin Querbach and her positive
and
persuasive ideas for developing the horse's body and movement in healthy
and
correct ways over poles. With progressive exercises at all three gaits,
on the
longe line and under saddle, she provides a basis for building a
strong
foundation, step by step. Or, just as easily, the reader can cherry-pick
the
exercises best suited to resolving a particular issue or improving a
certain
quality.
Readers will find exercises that focus on:
- Rhythm and tempo
- Forwardness
- Straightness
- Transitions
- Collection and lengthening
- And building the horse's abs, legs, and hind end
Pole work develops coordination, balance, and concentration in
both horse and rider. It helps the rider develop a feel for a "correct"
trot,
active hindquarters, and lifted back in the horse. The rider learns to
maintain
"positive tension" ("engagement") in her body, while still remaining
relaxed
enough to follow the horse's movement. The horse must lift his hind
legs
significantly higher than usual in order to clear the poles, developing
the
coordination of the dorsal and ventral muscle chains, lifting the
horse's back
and engaging his neck. He is encouraged to build muscle in a manner
that's both
systematic and correct. This collection of exercises seeks to provide
all these
benefits and more, not only for the dressage rider seeking to correct or
optimize
the elements judged in competition but also for the recreational rider
wishing to
keep her horse fit and sound over a lifetime.
