Exercises for all levels of riders using ground poles or jumps.
About "Over Fences / Ground Poles Exercises"
Over Fences / Ground Poles Exercises
No label Figure 8 Jump/Poles Course
An eight jump course set up as a figure 8. The exercise is broken up into several pieces...
No label Serpentine Over Jumps/Poles
Using only four jumps, this exercise can be ridden at the trot or canter. At the canter, the serpentine pattern helps riders learn leads and work on turns.
No label Four Poles Pinwheel Exercise
Using only four poles or jumps, set them up on a large circle. Students will walk/trot/canter over the four jumps on the circle, both directions.
No label Four Poles/Jumps Cloverleaf
Using four poles or jumps on a circle, ride a cloverleaf pattern between the poles or over them...
No label Four Poles/Jumps Spiraling
Using four poles/jumps, this exercise involves riding around the outside of the poles in a circle and then spiraling over all four poles, and spiraling inwards to circle the inside of the poles. Riders will then spiral back out over the poles, and to the outside of the poles again.
No label Four Poles Circling Exercise
Using four poles, riders will ride a small circle around each pole. Can be done at a walk, trot, or canter both directions...
No label Four Poles/Jumps Figure 8
Using four ground poles, you will ride a small figure 8 around one set of poles and a larger figure 8 around the second set of poles at a walk, trot, and canter.You can also have students try the figure 8s over fences.
Using poles to set up horses and riders for learning flying lead changes.Â
No label Four Centerline Poles/Jumps
Using four jumps or poles set up down the centerline, here are a few different exercises for your riders to work on their turns and bending...
No label Five Poles, Five Exercises
Using just four poles, here are five exercises that include the walk, trot, canter, leg yielding, and riding over the poles on an angle...
Set up two low verticals and two oxers. You will ride over the verticals on a 20m circle. Take the bending line to oxer. Rollback to the next oxer and bending line to the vertical. The whole exercise is to work on collected canter and work on a horse's over fences form.
No label Collected Walk Over Poles
Using four ground poles only 2' apart ridden in a collected walk, this exercise will help strengthen your horse's core...
No label Zig Zag Poles/Jumps
Using four poles set up in a zig-zag pattern, students will walk, trot, or canter over the poles. Next, raise the poles to jumps...
No label “L” Pole Chute
Set up poles in a big "L" and ride one of the following exercises such as riding through the poles without touching any...
No label Trot Pole Fan
Set up a few ground poles on an angle so they look like a fan. Due to the angling of the poles, riders will need to get their horses into a collected and lengthened stride to ride the different paths of the pole fan...
No label Triangle Pole Exercise
Using six poles, you will set them up in a triangle-like pattern, riding over the poles in different paths to keep your horse listening and not anticipating...
No label Canter Leads Over Single Pole
Using one single pole, practice picking up the correct lead and landing on the correct lead over the pole. You can continue around on a circle and change directions or ride a figure 8...
No label Switchback Poles/Jumping Exercise
A few exercises over "V" shaped poles or jumps placed down the centerline to focus on bending and steering
No label Lead Finder Exercise
Using ground poles or jumps, riders will ride straight over a couple of poles and depending on how they land in the canter will pick the jump on the bending line to the right or left...
No label Figure 8 Between 2 Poles
Use two poles to make a chute to ride through as the middle of a figure 8 pattern.
No label Figure 8 Over One Pole
All you need is one ground pole for this exercise of riding a figure 8 at a walk, trot, and canter. Great practice for canter leads...
Using five poles spread out 4ft 6ins from each other, raise the ends of alternating middle poles to for the ultimate strengthening exercise...
No label Trot to Walk Poles
With only four poles, this exercise will improve your rider's trot to walk downward transitions...
Spread out two ground poles and ride over them in a walk, trot, and canter. Count the number of strides and shorten or lengthen your horse's stride to change the number...
Set up two poles or jumps across from each other on a circle. Try to get the same number of strides on both halves of the circle
No label Simple Four Poles/Jumping Exercise
Using only four poles or jumps, trot the course both directions. You can have riders also try holding their two-point over the whole course and canter over the course on the correct leads...
No label Scattered Poles/Jumps
Randomly scatter several jumps or poles around your ring. Have riders create and ride their own courses - the possibilities are endless! Can practice riding the courses in a walk, trot, and canter...
No label Judging Jump Courses
Set up a jump or poles course for riders of any level (Can walk, trot, or canter) and judge each rider on how smooth the course was or even time the course for the fastest ride...
No label Bending Line Exercise
Using four poles or jumps to create an exercise to practice bending lines...
No label Looking Up Jumping/Pole Exercise
Have a student who likes to look down while jumping? This exercise forces riders to change their gaze as they count the instructor's fingers while going over fences...
No label Walk & Jump the Course
Set up a jumping course and before your students get on their horses, have them walk the lines with you and count strides. Then have them mount and ride the course...
No label A Few Exercises Using Only 4 Poles
Hone your student's and your horse’s focus, control, and precision for reliable communication with these exercises...
No label Poles for Suppleness & Straightness
Encourage your horse to round his back, engage his abdominal muscles and develop suppleness and straightness by using this pole exercise...
Tricky gymnastic patterns demand precision – but if you’re riding a horse who’s keen or strong it can feel like a bit of a battle. This canter grid gives you and your horse confidence to slow down...
Help your horse shorten his stride, engage his core and tuck his hindquarters beneath him with two straightforward exercises...
No label Skinny Jump Practice
If you can’t ride a straight line, or your horse wavers off it, you’ll find jumping narrow fences tricky as the small dimensions mean less room for error. This exercise works to improve straightness, as well as being good prep for skinnies.
If your horse struggles to pick up different leads after jumping, but performs perfectly in their flatwork, it may be that your horse is not straight approaching the jump...
No label Jumping on an Angle
Jumping at an angle is a useful skill to master. It boosts your horse’s confidence, can get you out of sticky spots if your stride isn’t quite right and helps you beat the clock.
No label One Cross Rail, Two Exercises
Think you can’t do much with just one cross rail? Here are two exercises for you to try, which will not only improve the way your horse goes, but also stops the boredom setting in...
When your horse rushes at fences, it’s easy for him to make mistakes and pay little attention to where he’s putting his feet. Try the following exercises...
No label Ride A Bounce
Training your horse over a bounce fence will improve your accuracy and control, as well as your horse's athletic ability...
No label Left or Right Fence Exercise
This exercise gets your horse listening to you better. You will need four jumps all together, two on the centerline and then one jump set up to the left and one jump off to the right...
No label Ride A Jump-off
The final exercise requires you to ride a jump off. It’ll bring out your students competitive side and help train their mind for a competition...
No label V-Poles Exercise for Jumping Clear
The shape of the V-poles encourages the horse to bring his front end up more and round his body over the fence. The narrower the angle, the bigger your horse should jump. Read on to learn how to set up the poles!
No label Raised Poles Before & After Fences
One raise poled placed before and after a fence helps your horse to stay straight and keep the same rhythm before and after the fence, which is important when jumping a course. It also stops him from opening up his frame and getting too long as he canters away. Learn how to set up the exercise...
This exercise only uses one pole and helps to build a rider's eye.
If your horse struggles to pick up different leads after jumping, but performs perfectly in their flatwork, it may be that your horse is not straight approaching the jump. Read how to set up v-ground poles after the jump...
No label Chase Me Charlie
This game is usually played over a single jump. Riders attempt the jump in a single-file line, one at a time. After the last rider clears it, a helper raises the height of the obstacle.
No label Exercises for Seeing Distances
A compilation of exercises for building a rider's eye at seeing distances.
No label Bascule Exercise
4 trot poles to a vertical, then change to oxer(pole-4’9"/pole-4’9"/pole-4’9"/pole-9’6"/jumpThen, you can add a one stride 18 or 19 feet after that, and add on as needed.For the oxer with canter poles, place a pole out on each side of the jump between 10 and 11 feet (this smaller distance will help force him to rock back). The trick is to make the oxer really wide. Doesn’t need to be tall, just wide. This is a great tool to see a horse’s best form, and will quickly show any physical weakness or limitations.