In the world of equestrian training, there is a growing trend towards incorporating poles into the exercise routines of horses. By incorporating poles into horse’s training, the riders and trainers can encourage horses to engage certain muscles and improve their overall movement patterns. Additionally, during polework, horses are required to carefully adjust their foot placement, which improves their coordination, proprioception and balance.
But what is the science behind the use of poles and how does it affect the horse’s movement? Let’s examine the specific ways in which polework influences a horse’s gait, posture and muscle development through the lens of equine biomechanics.
Equine biomechanics is the study of how a horse’s body moves and functions. With sound understanding of biomechanics, trainers and riders can make informed decisions about incorporating different training methods into their horse’s routine. One such method is the use of poles. By placing poles on the ground, trainers can help improve a horse’s coordination, stride length and engagement of the hindquarters.
Only a handful of studies investigated how polework affects equine biomechanics [1-4]. Some studies focused on kinematic measurements such as joint angles of limbs, stride or back range of motion [1-3]. Other studies assessed movement over poles affected kinetics, i.e. how ground reaction forces acting on the limbs changed with the addition of poles [2]. Finally, one study evaluated muscle activity in selected trunk muscles during polework exercises [4]. Interestingly, during a stance phase, the addition of ground or raised poles, did not affect fetlock joint angles or the peak vertical forces [1]. Consequently, trotting over poles is unlikely to cause excessive strain of the soft tissues that are responsible for supporting the lower limb.
Based on the findings from biomechanics studies, polework can certainly be a useful addition to your horse’s training. Let’s look at the benefits of using poles in more detail.
Horses need to flex their joints more in order to clear the poles. This increased flexion of forelimb and hindlimb joints during the swing phase was observed both in walk [4] and trot [2] when horses were moving over poles compared to no poles condition. The changes were also greater when raised poles were used compared to ground poles. This can be particularly useful during rehabilitation when the aim is to restore the range of motion after an injury. Interestingly, although trotting over poles might feel more bouncy, the withers and croup height did not increase during the suspension phase [2]. Similarly, in walk, the up and down movement of the upper body did not increase when poles were added [4].
Muscle activity in longissimus dorsi and rectus abdominus was shown to increase with the use of poles [4]. As these muscles contribute to core and postural stability, poles can be a great addition to your horse’s routine if you are trying to target core muscle activation and develop your horse’s balance. Interestingly, greater proportionate increase in muscle activity was seen in walk than in trot when poles were added. Consequently, walking over poles might be a suitable modality for targeting core muscle activation without increasing limb loading.
To date, no studies have evaluated forelimb or hindlimb muscle activity during polework. Knowing which muscles are more engaged during polework could, in turn, help trainers and equine rehabilitation professional design evidence-driven training and rehabilitation programmes for horses.
Horses cannot see their hooves as they go over the poles as they are reliant on visual perception during the approach to judge how much they need to lift their hooves. Polework exercises can help horses learn how to adjust the movement of their limbs in order to clear obstacles safely. Simply riding over poles scattered around the arena can lead to improved proprioception. No complicated polework patterns are required.
To summarise, there is a growing trend in the use ground or raised poles while training horses. While the number of equine biomechanics studies that investigated polework is limited, the results so far indicate that working over poles encourage horses to engage certain muscles and increases a range of motion of the limbs without increasing limb loading. However, further studies are needed to enhance our understanding of how to make the most of incorporating poles into a horse’s training routine.
Make sure you check out my equine biomechanics blog series:
You can also book a session with Eva who offers biomechanics-informed horse and rider training in South Bedfordshire and nearby areas. Eva has more than 10 years of equestrian coaching experience as well as extensive knowledge of horse and rider biomechanics.
References
[1] Brown, S., Stubbs, N.C., Kaiser, L.J., Lavagnino, M. and Clayton, H.M. (2015) ‘Swing phase kinematics of horses trotting over poles’, Equine Veterinary Journal, 47(1), pp. 107–112. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.12253.
[2] Clayton, H.M., Stubbs, N.C. and Lavagnino, M. (2015) ‘Stance phase kinematics and kinetics of horses trotting over poles’, Equine Veterinary Journal, 47(1), pp. 113–118. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.12251.
[3] Walker, V.A., Tranquillle, C.A., MacKechnie-Guire, R., Spear, J., Newton, R. and Murray, R.C. (2022) ‘Effect of ground and raised poles on kinematics of the walk’, Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, p. 104005. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2022.104005.
[4] Shaw, K., Ursini, T., Levine, D., Richards, J. and Adair, S. (2021) ‘The Effect of Ground Poles and Elastic Resistance Bands on Longissimus Dorsi and Rectus Abdominus Muscle Activity During Equine Walk and Trot’, Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 107, p. 103772. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2021.103772.
Recent Comments