Looking for a simple way to spice up your schooling at home? Try cavalletti work. Regardless of your discipline or level, riding over and between poles can improve:
• your horse’s strength, balance, rhythm, tempo and connection
• your accuracy on circles, turns and straightaways
• simple changes
• transitions and more.
In this article, I’ll share several exercises that will work toward all of these goals. Be sure you understand each entire “course” or pattern before you start. Once you’ve gotten the hang of them, focus on your position as you practice the exercises. Go through a mental checklist over and over: How is my position and alignment, where are my elbows, spine, seat bones, legs, weight?
Don’t worry if your horse makes mistakes. Just stop, take a deep breath and calmly repeat the exercise until he figures it out. When he does, give him a walk break and plenty of pats and praise.
Exercise Setup
For these exercises, you’ll need 24 solid, heavyweight poles (at least four of which are 12 feet long—the rest can be anywhere 8’6” 12’ 8’6” between 8 and 12 feet). More advanced riders will also need 12 pairs of solid, unbreakable risers that can lift 4’-4½’ poles approximately 8 inches off the ground.
Build a square box in the middle of your arena out of the four 12-foot poles. Perpendicular to each of the box’s corners, build a set of
