Distance to Set Cavalletti Poles for Gaited Horses

I have gone to several clinics that use ground poles for exercises as part of the session.  During a Western clinic, the instructor put up poles for a group trot exercise.  Most of the horses were Quarter Horses so the trot poles were placed rather close together suitable for their slow, joggy trot.  Blessi has a big trot, long strided trot for an Icelandic.  Blessi's trot strides were very uneven as we struggled with the timing over the poles.  Of course, the instructor placed the poles to benefit most of the class and Blessi and were outliers.

Jec Ballou, who has experience with many breeds of horses including Icelandics, is the author of several training books including 55 Corrective Exercises for Horses and   Equine Fitness.  Cavelletti  work is important for both gaited and non-gaited breeds but ground pole exercises are great for both gaited and non-gaited breeds.  She has written a great post on how to determine the spacing of ground poles for gaited breeds based on the stride length unique to your horse.  Here are her directions.

"Simple Ground Pole Set-up for Gaited Breeds

1. Set four or five ground poles parallel to each other in a line (so that you can ride straight across them). Space the poles at a distance of 8 feet* apart.
2. Now develop your working gait (Tolt, Foxtrot, Running Walk, etc.)
3. Ride straight across the poles.
4. You should count TWO steps from your horse between each pole. For instance, each front foot should take a step in the space between the poles before crossing over the next pole.
5. Your rhythm should feel like this: CROSS the pole, One-Two, CROSS the pole, One-Two, CROSS the pole, and so on… Feel for those beats and aim to keep them consistent each time you ride over the poles.
6. Repeat the pattern at least 12 times.

**this is an average spacing for a horse about 15.2 hands tall. If you ride a horse with a shorter stride, you will modify the spacing suggestion by 2-3 inches."


You can view the entire article via this link:

https://jecballou.com/cavalletti-exercises-for-gaited-breeds/