Pole dancing!

[J-Lu]

Hi all,

Has anyone ever done pole dancing with their horse?

Here’s a video of how it should be done;

Jonathan Field and Quincy's Spanish Dance

A friend who does this with her Florida Cracker spent the weekend at the barn this weekend and today, Sir SpooksAlot was introduced to the pole. We started on the ground and he was not confident but we worked through it. I then played with it a bit under saddle and he was so good! I had to hold the reins in one hand and the pole in the other, and we practiced dragging it (weird sound) and then walking a perfect circle around it (really emphasizes your leg and seat, not reins), having him do a turn on the haunches underneath it to go in the opposite direction (man, so glad he was OK with it hitting his ears and him not reacting) and then carrying it like a javelin in both hands (he was OK in the right eye but not so much in the left - he was skeptical but OK).

What a fun exercise to really test your dressage skills and get your horse to listen to you in a totally new situation! We dragged it around, we tested my aids to walk in a perfect circle around it so that the tip stayed in one place (SSA started to really look at the mark in the sand, that was what he cared about most), we went close to the tip in the ground so that the tip in the air was way above his head, and I held it in the middle above his withers so that both eyes saw the excess on either side of him. Sir SpooksAlot was skeptical but OK with it! He then started to snooze when we did turn on the haunches underneath the bar and stopped. I was so happy he was fine moving his forehand under the pole and it hitting his ears that he decided to snooze in the sun. We’ll do more tomorrow. It was a nice mental, not physical, day.

Has anyone played with a pole like this? What did you do and how has this helped your riding?

If not, it’s kind of a cool thing to use to validate seat and leg aids rather than rein aids. And test your aids in a very different way.

[Bluey]

Garrocha

[J-Lu]

Now we looked exactly like this today!

Comparatively easier for a baroque horse, not so easy for a warmblood but I Strive STRIVE to ride at this level of mastery. And not fall off with what this guy is doing leaning over his horse. DAMN!

TYhanks so much for this! I was just happy to not get killed today. See that end of the pole at 39 seconds? My horse was like “Umm, no. It’d going everywhere I’m going. WHY?”

Thanks for this! Beautiful!!!

[Scribbler]

Yes I’ve seen this done at various levels at Iberian shows. The garrocha pole is used to handle cattle. It’s part of Working Equitation but obviously not this level at beginner competition.

[J-Lu]

Of course! That is mastery of the exercises!

[goodhors]

And this is probably where “cow poke” came from, using pole to roust cattle out of the scrub brush as the Spaniards spread into our western lands.

It certainly is a feast for the eyes, seeing horses work so well with the pole. Baroque horse or not, the “no reins, speed control” using seat and legs is certainly a marvelous goal to work towards! Hat in hand, pole in the other keeps it honest!! Ha ha

Warmblood or not, horse learning the slow movements and body control to do them, then “stepping it up faster” yet still correct, can only be helpful in his other gaits and things you want from him. Our big 17h horses learned to do Western things at slow speeds, still moving in true trots, canter, pivots and turns, not passing the western breed horses in classes. Made them better, more adjustable in their other disciplines, for better results. They knew where their bodies stopped and started, could control their parts SO much better. Light on the reins thru true, self-carriage, not forced into a frame or hanging on your hands or behind the bit.

Thank you @Bluey for the great video! A pleasure to watch it!!

Good luck with SSA, this type pole practice WILL make him a better horse! Just be careful twirling around, be ready to LET GO so you don’t pull your shoulder to hurt yourself.

[J-Lu]

OMG, day 2! (Owner took it home - she was just here for the weekend with her horses and hubby)

Before bridling, again held the pole up so he could see it above his head, “pet” his neck and butt with it, slid it across my saddle so he could see it with both eyes, etc. I knew it would be a good session when I discovered that he was “dropped” after this intro session. That is his indicator that he’s very happy with what you’re doing.

Today, we did our normal ride and then got the pole and practiced what we did yesterday. Pole owner came down to watch me ride and was so thrilled SSA took it up so well! She has seen SSA in action over the years. Today, we did turn on the haunches so my horse had to move his front end 180 degrees under it while I held the end up above my head, walk on, then turn on the haunches in the other direction. Then, I learned 180 degrees turn on the forehand so his haunches passed under the pole while we both faced away from the pole. He was so good!!!

Then, I learned from the owner how to walk down centerline while it dragged, hold the end of the pole above my head and leg yield under the pole and go straight for a bit, then hold the pole up and leg-yield back under the pole. We then repeated in a half-pass. He was so GOOD!!!

Lastly, he picked up the canter from the walk and we tried to ride a circle around the pole so the tip was in the same spot, but that was a 8m circle and my horse said Can’t hold that. So we tried it again and rode a 11-14 m circle around it with the pole dragging around. Of note, this was the first time I or anyone else rode with one hand. I put the reins around my index and pinky fingers so I had control over both sides of his mouth, but never did this before and did it with both hands so I could switch hands with the pole. He was SO GOOD and acted like he did it a million times - totally in frame and self carriage. I immediately jumped off and praised him when we were done.

Man, this work takes a LOT of coordination on my part and SSA seemed to LOVE it! He was so relaxed, really listened to the aids because the work wasn’t hard but he was mentally engaged, and was fine with it touching his body and ears again today.

I think this one was 12’ and “standard” is 13 '. I honestly think I’m going to purchase one to help give the aids “meaning” in performing a totally different “job” that he can relate to. I think he really enjoyed the fact that a turn-on-the-haunches wasn’t a random movement placed in a random place, but meant that the pole would be dragging on the opposite side of him. His immediate “job” was to place himself on both sides of the pole and there was a tangible item for him to focus on.

Anyway, we did a lot of firsts this weekend and I was so shocked that my hypervigilant horse was all about playing with the pole!! The dressage training was really tested and he passed with flying colors. So fun!

Sorry for the long response but I was so happy and we had so much fun!

[Bluey]

@J-Lu

OMG, day 2! (Owner took it home - she was just here for the weekend with her horses and hubby)

Before bridling, again held the pole up so he could see it above his head, “pet” his neck and butt with it, slid it across my saddle so he could see it with both eyes, etc. I knew it would be a good session when I discovered that he was “dropped” after this intro session. That is his indicator that he’s very happy with what you’re doing.

Today, we did our normal ride and then got the pole and practiced what we did yesterday. Pole owner came down to watch me ride and was so thrilled SSA took it up so well! She has seen SSA in action over the years. Today, we did turn on the haunches so my horse had to move his front end 180 degrees under it while I held the end up above my head, walk on, then turn on the haunches in the other direction. Then, I learned 180 degrees turn on the forehand so his haunches passed under the pole while we both faced away from the pole. He was so good!!!

Then, I learned from the owner how to walk down centerline while it dragged, hold the end of the pole above my head and leg yield under the pole and go straight for a bit, then hold the pole up and leg-yield back under the pole. We then repeated in a half-pass. He was so GOOD!!!

Lastly, he picked up the canter from the walk and we tried to ride a circle around the pole so the tip was in the same spot, but that was a 8m circle and my horse said Can’t hold that. So we tried it again and rode a 11-14 m circle around it with the pole dragging around. Of note, this was the first time I or anyone else rode with one hand. I put the reins around my index and pinky fingers so I had control over both sides of his mouth, but never did this before and did it with both hands so I could switch hands with the pole. He was SO GOOD and acted like he did it a million times - totally in frame and self carriage. I immediately jumped off and praised him when we were done.

Man, this work takes a LOT of coordination on my part and SSA seemed to LOVE it! He was so relaxed, really listened to the aids because the work wasn’t hard but he was mentally engaged, and was fine with it touching his body and ears again today.

I think this one was 12’ and “standard” is 13 '. I honestly think I’m going to purchase one to help give the aids “meaning” in performing a totally different “job” that he can relate to. I think he really enjoyed the fact that a turn-on-the-haunches wasn’t a random movement placed in a random place, but meant that the pole would be dragging on the opposite side of him. His immediate “job” was to place himself on both sides of the pole and there was a tangible item for him to focus on.

Anyway, we did a lot of firsts this weekend and I was so shocked that my hypervigilant horse was all about playing with the pole!! The dressage training was really tested and he passed with flying colors. So fun!

Sorry for the long response but I was so happy and we had so much fun!

We can hear the happiness of both of you in your report.
Thanks for sharing that wonderful experience.

[ParadoxFarm]

That’s so cool. I know if I tried it, carrying the pole level, I just know the front tip would hit the ground and I’d end up pole vaulting myself right off my horse!

[Scribbler]

@ParadoxFarm

That’s so cool. I know if I tried it, carrying the pole level, I just know the front tip would hit the ground and I’d end up pole vaulting myself right off my horse!

Yes it made me think of a friend who dumped himself in a kayak in shallow calm water because his paddle hit sand.

[ParadoxFarm]

@Scribbler

Yes it made me think of a friend who dumped himself in a kayak in shallow calm water because his paddle hit sand.

That would be me!