Trot Poles

Another thing you can do is make a wheel shape with the poles. While working on trotting the poles you can work on bending as well.

I wouldn't start with cavaletti's until he gets ground trot poles.

Maybe you're not spacing them correctly. For walk/trot, it's 3 human steps apart (toe to heel). For cantering, it's 6 steps.

A green horse might be clumsy going over them at first, even if they're set up right. In that case, it just needs practice.

Oh see I did not know the steps thing. The person who called themselves a trainer a year ago that helped me had me walk 4 normal human steps and said that's all I needed. I spaced them one trot stride and only did 2 and he did a lot better and less tripping today. I love experimenting with them and he looks like he is actually thinking about what he's doing :p

Trot poles are your friend! If you can get a hold of one more make the last one a little farther out. That keeps them on their toes. The distance isn't written in stone, the idea is for them to learn where they're putting their feet.

Putting them out a little farther apart and driving them into an extended trot over the poles could come after he's figured this out.

Depends on the horses stride. As horses get conditioned, their stride will change - typically lengthen as they are able to stretch more.

If I am working a really 'trippy' horse, I will say STEP as they come to the trot pole. The cue will transfer to trail when you are heading over rough patches.

Thanks guys!! Im so glad I finally decided to use this tool, there's so many different things you can do to keep them thinking! And mls, I know about the step thing, but sadly I always forget to use it!! Hahaha bad me!! Ill work on saying it more often though :) thanks again!

Keep your leg contact on as well.

Ya leg contact.....that's a whole other thing! Lol He always seems to run through my leg pressure and completely ignore it. I'm trying some different things to help him get a little more sensitive to it. He is still very green, so I don't expect him to fully understand, but he is a brute! Completely stubborn :) to get him into a trot sometimes I really have to use my dressage whip )even though don't want to, and I've been told to get some humane spurs. He just has a lot of trouble on the left side. I know a lot of it ahs to do with the rider, so I am trying to be more aware of what my body is doing to send the signal to him. ALTHOUGH yesterday, after pushing him into the trot several times by close to the end of the session, he was following the circle pretty well and not cutting im, so it's really just time I suppose.

Some horses have longer strides than others, and you need to know what your horse can comfortable trot over. Or walk, or canter. If I were to ask you to trot over some poles that were placed too far apart, you would trip over them too. A great way to see if he can make it comfortably over the ground poles is lunge him just in front of the poles and you can see about where his legs land and can then make adjustments. His feet should land in between the two poles at any gait. Ground poles are a great exercise, and I really wish I had some at my barn.

Oh thanks ricci that's a good tip, I didn't even think of that :)