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Expert
Posts: 2531
  
Location: WI | Polebending is starting to get big up here in the midwest, so I've made it my winter goal to get my horse started on poles. What are some good resources? I think there is 1 video and I don't think any books on the subject, any ideas? |
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The Resident Destroyer of Liberal Logic
Location: PNW | Lateral work, lateral work, lateral work. You don't want an S shape through the pattern. You want a lateral movement of the shoulders from "point" to "point". I'd set the poles up and start at a walk or trot practice moving through the pattern using your legs and inside hand (which obviously changes each pole) to laterally shape your horse and maintain forward motion.
I wish I could draw for you.... This is hard to explain.... |
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The Resident Destroyer of Liberal Logic
Location: PNW | Lateral work, lateral work, lateral work. You don't want an S shape through the pattern. You want a lateral movement of the shoulders from "point" to "point". I'd set the poles up and start at a walk or trot practice moving through the pattern using your legs and inside hand (which obviously changes each pole) to laterally shape your horse and maintain forward motion.
I wish I could draw for you.... This is hard to explain.... |
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 1D Lawn Mower
Posts: 1417
Location: Southeast, Texas | When I start mine on poles I make them track in moving forward but flexed toward the poles, we work the cutting flag so this bend is pretty natural for them. I choose a rate point at the end pole just as a do in barrels, and start by stopping there. Between each pole I ask my horse to move off of my leg in the direction we need to go, I guess this is almost like side passing though my colts are taught to move away from my leg while still giving me their nose and staying round through the ribs. Some don't like their horses that soft and bendy, but I like to know I have their nose, shoulder, and hip. It just works for me. I only do this exercise when I am first starting them, and working at a walk. From my experience, it really instilles the "move away from my leg" that they already know, but gives them an exact point to "place" that knowledge. They know that they have to keep their body off the pole. It seems to help them pick up leads through the pattern as well. I'm not a expert in this, but this has gotten my horses working through smoothly and consistently. They can clock in the money at the jackpots that offer poles, but that's all they've ever run. It's fun, but not my favorite. I have a gelding that LOVES to run them, me.. Not so much! |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12841
| You need to teach your horse to move off your leg. Since you are not really side passing you need to teach your horse to two-track-----move forward bend the horse's head slightly away from the direction you want move and put your foot into the same side to get the horse to move away from your leg. Like if you want to two-track to the right SLIGHTLY bend horse's head to the left and put your left foot into the horse's side--he should move away from your foot. Start at a walk then go to a trot. Once you have this down, then you can start on poles. I would start at a walk and build up to a trot. You need to exaggerate when you move off the poles. (go wide) When your knee is at the pole you are actually past the pole and need to start moving the other direction. Exaggerate Your end poles too. Be sure you are past the end poles before you turn. When you run you should be able to lightly pull straight back alternating sides to cue your horse. When you have control you shouldn't hit poles. I start my horses and send them to a trainer to finish. My horse is 2013 APHA Reserve World Champion Pole horse. My trainer trains the same way I do. Also, we are all used to running against Edwin Cameron who is the only person that I know that runs 19 second pole patterns EVERY time. If you want to compete at all, you better be good. Hope this helps. |
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The Resident Destroyer of Liberal Logic
Location: PNW | streakysox - 2014-11-02 10:34 PM
You need to teach your horse to move off your leg. Since you are not really side passing you need to teach your horse to two-track-----move forward bend the horse's head slightly away from the direction you want move and put your foot into the same side to get the horse to move away from your leg. Like if you want to two-track to the right SLIGHTLY bend horse's head to the left and put your left foot into the horse's side--he should move away from your foot. Start at a walk then go to a trot. Once you have this down, then you can start on poles. I would start at a walk and build up to a trot. You need to exaggerate when you move off the poles. (go wide) When your knee is at the pole you are actually past the pole and need to start moving the other direction. Exaggerate Your end poles too. Be sure you are past the end poles before you turn. When you run you should be able to lightly pull straight back alternating sides to cue your horse. When you have control you shouldn't hit poles. I start my horses and send them to a trainer to finish. My horse is 2013 APHA Reserve World Champion Pole horse. My trainer trains the same way I do. Also, we are all used to running against Edwin Cameron who is the only person that I know that runs 19 second pole patterns EVERY time. If you want to compete at all, you better be good. Hope this helps.
This is EXACTLY what I was trying to say!
Words are hard. Lol.
Sorry, I'm a very visual learner/instructor - I have a terrible time trying to verbally explain myself. |
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Veteran
Posts: 127
Location: Kansas | Ken Smith has a DVD and might be on youtube he really does a good job showing you do what the above posters explained. I knocked a full second off my finished pole horse by watching him! |
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 Cute Little Imp
Posts: 2747
Location: N Texas | http://www.sunrisewest.com/horsemanship.html
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Regular
Posts: 96
| 2 words Ross Carnahan he is from Indiana look him up at NPBA site etc..  |
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I Need a Xanax!
Posts: 2774
| I've watched tons of videos and read lots of books.....this is by far the best one I've read yet. http://www.tackstop.com/19sec.htm |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 617
Location: London Ontario | I also have my horses move a lot of my body weight shifting...just and idea |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 554
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I trained with Wayne and this is a great book. He worked with Ken at Sunrise West a bunch before he passed. Wayne's passion was poles. I am glad I got the chance to work with him.  |
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  Rebel Without a Cause
Posts: 2758
Location: Adopt a homeless pet - www.petfinder.com! |
I second this. The video from Sunrise West is great, and I highly recommend the book 19 Second Pole Pending by Wayne Sandberg, too. Getting them started right is so important, and in my opinion you can over do the lateral work and lose forward motion (meaning time) definitely check in to these two resources. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 371
| start out trotting the poles and have your horse side pass through but not until you get to the MIDDLE. they will catch on quickly and start cheating you and go to step through soon as they get their shoulders past the pole. if you let them change there you will be taking poles down with their hip. so the biggest thing to have a good pole horse is to get to the MIDDLE between the poles before u let them change. this is how I taught my mare and she has ran low 21's with maybe 10 hot runs and I didn't drill her much on them either. |
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Fire Ant Peddler
Posts: 2881
| svincent - 2014-11-02 10:52 PM
streakysox - 2014-11-02 10:34 PM
You need to teach your horse to move off your leg. Since you are not really side passing you need to teach your horse to two-track-----move forward bend the horse's head slightly away from the direction you want move and put your foot into the same side to get the horse to move away from your leg. Like if you want to two-track to the right SLIGHTLY bend horse's head to the left and put your left foot into the horse's side--he should move away from your foot. Start at a walk then go to a trot. Once you have this down, then you can start on poles. I would start at a walk and build up to a trot. You need to exaggerate when you move off the poles. (go wide) When your knee is at the pole you are actually past the pole and need to start moving the other direction. Exaggerate Your end poles too. Be sure you are past the end poles before you turn. When you run you should be able to lightly pull straight back alternating sides to cue your horse. When you have control you shouldn't hit poles. I start my horses and send them to a trainer to finish. My horse is 2013 APHA Reserve World Champion Pole horse. My trainer trains the same way I do. Also, we are all used to running against Edwin Cameron who is the only person that I know that runs 19 second pole patterns EVERY time. If you want to compete at all, you better be good. Hope this helps.
This is EXACTLY what I was trying to say!
Words are hard. Lol.
Sorry, I'm a very visual learner/instructor - I have a terrible time trying to verbally explain myself.
Need to add--YOU DO NOT PULL A HORSE OFF A POLE WITH THE OUTSIDE REIN. You move them over with the inside rein. |
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 I am Woman hear me Roar
Posts: 3395
Location: Choctaw, Oklahoma | Very good advise!
I haven't ran poles in years, but I think it's more fun than barrels
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Rebel Without a Cause
Posts: 2758
Location: Adopt a homeless pet - www.petfinder.com! | streakysox - 2014-11-02 10:34 PM You need to teach your horse to move off your leg. Since you are not really side passing you need to teach your horse to two-track-----move forward bend the horse's head slightly away from the direction you want move and put your foot into the same side to get the horse to move away from your leg. Like if you want to two-track to the right SLIGHTLY bend horse's head to the left and put your left foot into the horse's side--he should move away from your foot. Start at a walk then go to a trot. Once you have this down, then you can start on poles. I would start at a walk and build up to a trot. You need to exaggerate when you move off the poles. (go wide) When your knee is at the pole you are actually past the pole and need to start moving the other direction. Exaggerate Your end poles too. Be sure you are past the end poles before you turn. When you run you should be able to lightly pull straight back alternating sides to cue your horse. When you have control you shouldn't hit poles. I start my horses and send them to a trainer to finish. My horse is 2013 APHA Reserve World Champion Pole horse. My trainer trains the same way I do. Also, we are all used to running against Edwin Cameron who is the only person that I know that runs 19 second pole patterns EVERY time. If you want to compete at all, you better be good. Hope this helps.
Two-tracking - yes! That is what I meant when saying you can overdo lateral work. When I started my horse on poles, I should have been doing lateral work two-tracking, but I think I got him doing too much side-passing and it caused him to dive in a bit as he passed each pole and losing forward momentum with speed. He ran 21s, but I think my overfocusing on lateral work in training (and one crappy end pole) is what kept him from being a 19/20 second horse, which he should have been. JMHO. Poles are so fun! Once you run them a while it makes barrels seem easy, lol!
Edited by Calangelo 2014-11-03 12:02 PM
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 Veteran
Posts: 232
Location: Winging It in KY |
^^ This!!!!! |
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