Do you have 5 or 6 poles that you can use in the arena?  They don’t have to be the same length or width.  In fact, the more variations you have, the better. If so, I am going to encourage you to ride this exercise a few times this week and begin noticing the differences. It is one of the most simple and effective ways to develop your skills as a rider.  And it will help develop your horse as well…  There are two ways to approach this. The first is to just place the poles randomly around the arena. No set layout.  No set ‘track’.  Just random poles, at random angles and intervals, sprinkled around your arena.  Obviously, apply common sense and don’t place the poles too close to the track or at tight angles to the corners, etc. If in doubt, think ‘sweeping’ bends and corners.  The second is to get out a pen and paper and scribble a bit!  A few squiggles, circles, loops, and twists.  Then just draw the poles on this wonderfully creative ‘track’ you have just created. Take your ‘plan’ and create it in the arena. Whichever way you decide, what is key is that the poles are random.  No straight lines, no related distances, no doglegs or anything at all, expect pure random.  Then, simply mount up and off you go..   Read More...   Additional Resources on This Topic

• Top 3 Mistakes when it Comes to Groundpoles
• Improving Your Riding with Your Light Seat
• Basic Exercises Using Groundpoles
• Learning to Measure Distance the Easy Way
• Free Online Community for Equestrians
• Daily Strides Podcast