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Discussion on Cavaletti Spacing
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Member:
cpacer
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Posted on Wednesday, Mar 19, 2008 - 8:46 am:
Hello, can anyone tell me how far apart cavalettis should be set for a 14.3 hh horse?
We're just walking over right now and keep hitting them, so not sure if we're being lazy or maybe they're spaced wrong. Would the spacing need to change for trotting over?
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Member:
canter
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Posted on Wednesday, Mar 19, 2008 - 9:27 am:
cp, it's not so much the size of the horse that matters but the size of the horses natural working gait - whether walk, trot or canter - that determines the cavaletti spacing. Some people with a good eye can watch the horse work and set them perfectly...for me, it takes a bit more trial and error
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Member:
stevens
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Posted on Wednesday, Mar 19, 2008 - 10:05 am:
Fran's right on. It's a pain to do cavaletti by yourself, but at least you'll only be getting on and off a 14.3 horse. My guy's 17.2 so I ask a friend to help and reset them as needed for me and then return the favor for her.
A great general book on training with cavaletti is available on Amazon and is by Klemke.
Is your horse hitting them with the front or back legs? Are you using real cavalettis (raised) or just poles on the ground? If the latter, try raising them to encourage your horse to be more careful.
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Member:
cpacer
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Posted on Wednesday, Mar 19, 2008 - 10:21 am:
He is hitting with the front. Seems like I could move them out a couple inches and they might be fine, but thought there might be a method to it all.
I have the poor man's version -- cinder blocks with PVC pipe which gives me 3 different heights, 4 if you include the ground!
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Member:
ntucket
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Posted on Wednesday, Mar 19, 2008 - 10:36 am:
Another trick is to lay them out like a fan on a semi-circle, so they are closer together near the center and further apart as they go out. Riding on a circle approach what you think is the correct spot and then adjust in or out on the next pass. Great for getting the horse to listen to you, and encourages precision from the rider. Best part is not getting on and off and losing the momentum of the session. Just don't forget to change direction as soon as you get a steady response.
Have fun!
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Member:
erika
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Posted on Wednesday, Mar 19, 2008 - 12:20 pm:
Great idea Mary!
CP,I also thought you could lunge your horse while you set the distances and hopefully, they will carry over to mounted work. Then you don't have to keep getting off and on.
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Member:
stevens
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Posted on Wednesday, Mar 19, 2008 - 3:19 pm:
If he's hitting with the front, I would move them closer together, not further out. This is assuming that you're trying to do just one stride between poles.
You could try starting with just one, then adding additional cavalettis one at a time to get both the distance and let him build up his muscles.
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