Set up two poles about 12-14 feet apart and go through them just as you would the trotting poles. These are a little more tricky, however because you must find your distance to the first pole.
The best way to teach your horse to do lead changes is with a ground pole set in the middle of the arena. Make sure you get your horse completely straight to the pole. When you are directly over it, shift both hands in the direction of the lead you want (calmly, Don't jerk the reins) and and squeeze with your outside leg while keeping your inside leg at the girth.
If you have a horse that LOVES to run at the trot after a transition from the canter, this is a great way to solve it. Work in only a small portion of the arena. Pick up the canter and after 4 or 5 strides, come back to the trot. The first few times you do this, you will not notice much of a difference. But as they get tired, they will slow down naturally on their own. When they do, praise them and tell them how good they are. This worked within a week on my horse!
This is a good exercize for achieving proper canter transitions. At the trot circle the opposite way that you wish to canter. Make a 10-15 meter circle. When finished with the circle, change the bend of your horse and immediately canter off. This works because when circling in the opposite direction your horse is moving off your inside leg which becomes the outside leg when you change bends to ask for the canter. Your horse is not leaing on your outside leg and immediately ready to canter off.
Change between walk, trot, and canter
every 8 strides. It keeps both your horse and yourself alert and attentive and
helps you warm up, especially for a show.
~*~From Calista~*~
Take a leadrope and tie it in a square knot around
the horse's neck. Tie your riens in a knot and leave them on the horse's neck.
Then start with walking, doing circles, reverses, and halts. Work your way up
through the gaits until you can canter. This teaches you to use your other
natural legs besides your hands and help your horse be more relaxed. And
remember....don't let your horse get out of control!! Your riens are there if
you need them. Just try learning to use your wieght and legs first.
~*~From Calista~*~
If your horse is getting bored with the regular round and round the
arena at all three gaits use this exercise.
Start at a walk and increase the pace as you and your horse gets better. Ride
around the arena and at every corner make a circle as small as you can without
breaking. Go around the whole way so you are facing the way you were before.
This works great at a walk and trot but with cantering try a circle on each end.
Another exercise is leg yeilding but to make it more challenging follow these
steps.
~*~From Valerie~*~
Set up a ground pole in the middle of the ring. Ride your horse at a walk to the
pole and halt over top so that the pole is between the fore and hind legs. Then
use your right or left leg to get your horse to leg yeild over the pole until
they are off it. Try riding up to it at a trot when you get better.
Trotting Poles...with a twist!
~*~From Valerie~*~
Set up a pole in the middle of the ring so the ends are facing the longer sides.
Set up another pole a few feet from the first so it is the opposite way (if the
first is like this _ the other will be like this | ) One the opposite side do
the same with another pole. At a walk go over the first and as you are turn your
horse towards the next and so on. This is challenging and it may be a bit before
you can trot it.
~*~From Valerie~*~
Training and Showing Tips by Anna Jane Mullins
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