20/10/2025
๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐จ๐งโ๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐
๐๐ง๐๐๐ฌ
Polework is the most undervalued training tool we have and it shows. Everyone says they want a sound, confident, long lasting horse. But then you see ponies Grade A at seven years old, and you canโt help but wonder, how much jumping did that take? How many schooling rounds? How many miles on joints that arenโt even fully developed until theyโre eight?
๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ โ๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ญ.โ ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ง๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ.
At six and seven, horses should still be learning how to use their body, not hammering around 1.20m tracks twice a weekend. By rights, their job at that age should be rhythm, straightness, balance not chasing points.
And this is where people roll their eyes, because the truth isnโt glamorous, polework is where the real training happens. Not when youโre on top of a fence. Before you ever get there.
A horse that canโt regulate its stride over poles wonโt suddenly fix it over a jump. A horse that canโt stay straight on the ground wonโt stay straight in the air. If your polework is weak, your jumping is a lie. Youโre skipping steps. And skipping steps comes with a bill later usually in the form of lameness or fear.
We donโt have a jumping problem. We have a patience problem. Everyone wants the result, nobody wants to put in the miles. Polework doesnโt โlook impressiveโ on a sales video. It doesnโt get likes online. But you know who did polework religiously? The horses that were still winning in their late teens, the ones who stayed sound long after their peers were โretired due to injury.โ
You put a young horse through poles like the set up shown below, and you will learn very quickly if they drift, if they rush, if they lengthen one stride and shorten the next, if they think their way through questions, or panic through them. Thatโs education.
๐๐ก๐๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ง ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐, ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐จ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ง ๐๐ฅ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐จ, ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐๐๐๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐งโ๐ญ ๐ฒ๐๐ญ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ.
Itโs not talent that makes a future horse. Itโs time. Time spent in walk over poles. Time spent in trot learning rhythm. Time spent building the brain before asking for the jump. Anyone can point a brave horse at a fence. A horseman builds one from the ground up.
And letโs be honest, this industry has stopped prioritising the horse. Itโs not about producing athletes anymore; itโs about producing price tags. Horses are being fast tracked up the levels not because theyโre ready, but because someone wants to sell them before the weaknesses start to show. We talk about welfare, but then applaud speed of production. The answer isnโt more jumping. Itโs more polework.
๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐ถ๐๐ปโ๐ ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ถ๐โ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐โ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ถ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ, ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ๐.
Photo credit: RFS
