Get Creative with the Heart Exercise

with Tania Grantham

As usual, with my layouts I’ve split the exercises up into sections. Once you have mastered all the different lines and exercises, I’d encourage you to mix them up within a training session. I often revisit layouts again and again, and each time I still get so much use from them.

How to set up the exercise:

Eight standard three metre (10ft) poles.

It’s super simple to lay out; all the gaps are a pole’s length. If in an arena, set up the top and bottom of the heart to point to A and C, and the centre line will run through the middle.

As the title suggests, it’s time to get creative with this layout. 

There are many ways to use poles other than simply riding over them. As you’ve seen in previous features, I like to cross poles at different angles and incorporate transitions. I also like to incorporate proprioception-specific work. Proprioception is basically our body’s awareness of where it is in relation to the rest of the world. So, in the case of our horses, it’s proprioception that allows them to judge a stride to a fence and self-adjust or work over different surfaces/terrains without tripping or losing balance.

Exercise 1: Zigzag Poles

We know that horses don’t have the best eyesight close up. If presented with a difficult shape to judge visually, they rely far more on their proprioception to negotiate it.

The zigzag of poles can be ridden in a walk or trot. 

In walk you cross the poles towards the outside 1/3. The horse will get 1 step in the smaller gaps and 2 in the larger ones. By crossing the poles at angles and having uneven gaps, the horse has to focus and be body aware to step over them correctly.

In trot, you need to cross the centre of every pole. Maintaining straightness is very important as it keeps the striding even. Crossing the central stripe is a slightly longer trot step than usual. This, combined with crossing the poles at an angle, usually results in far more lift and cadence in the trot and encourages a lengthening within the stride. 

Exercise 2: Leg Yield Within the Heart

This can be ridden in walk and trot, and you should ride the leg yield in both directions. 

By combining the poles with a lateral movement you are testing and improving your horse’s reactions and focus on your aiding. The poles also help to keep the horse thinking forward within the leg yield.

Exercise 3: Turn on the Forehand/Pirouette

This is a walk exercise that can be done ridden or in-hand.

If ridden, the turn can be either a pirouette or a turn on the forehand. If in hand, then a turn on the forehand is easier. 

Stepping in over the poles activates the horse’s muscles and joints before you ask them to make the turn. It’s a brilliant exercise for suppling and control.

Exercise 4: Leg Yield Over the Poles

Done in walk, either ridden or in-hand.

This, for me, is the ultimate proprioception exercise. Please don’t underestimate the difficulty of it! 

I would start this in-hand, simply leading your horse back and forth over the poles in almost a mini serpentine. Once comfortable with this, practise asking them to leg yield side to side away from the poles. To do this, I stand at the head, facing the horse and use a whip to help guide the haunches in the desired direction. Then try leg yielding over the poles. The combination of lifting up over the poles and stepping sideways is fantastic for building strength and athletic suppleness, as well as challenging the horse’s proprioception. 

Exercise 5: Side Pass

Done in walk, ridden or in-hand.

Side pass is an exercise used in TREC, Working Equitation and Western Dressage. It is an excellent exercise for any horse and rider to challenge focus and control.

Start by side passing away from the poles, and then try it over the poles.

Polework is so Versatile

With just this 8-pole layout, there are so many different ways to use it, both ridden, lunging and in-hand.

Over the past four features we have shown you many options, but don’t be afraid to experiment with other lines, transitions and lateral steps. We almost want to use polework as another aid: it helps us challenge our horses to amplify and improve their reactions and way of going.

However, it is important that we keep our horse’s confidence. If your horse struggles with a particular line or exercise, go back to something simpler and then work back up to the more technical version.

Remember to give your horses plenty of breaks to physically stretch and mentally process what you are doing.

Most of all, have fun!

Tania Grantham of Inspire Dressage is a Grand Prix rider and trainer and Pole Work specialist. Based in the South East of England, she works with a wide range of horses and riders striving to bring out their best using innovative and fun polework layouts and exercises.

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See other Polework exercises from Tania:
Circles and Curves with the Heart Training Exercise
Transitions with the Heart Exercise