pole work

Question
i own a 14.2hh pony and i wont to do different excises including pole work but im stuck on how to use the poles. what excises can i do with poles and what i the measurements for them many thanks.

Answer
poles should be five feet high and not more than 3 inches in diameter when placed they should be 9 metres apart.
the first exercise to master with poles is the turn round the bottom pole, this may sound simple but it can seem tricky when trying to get it right.
A sound basis in flatwork is essential as to make a proper turn the pony needs to move off the leg and be able to respond to the seat to slow down without losing momentum.  When executed properly a turn occurs without breaking stride, without the horse sinking too far back on their hind legs, and with the rider's knee not more than three inches from the pole at any time during the turn.  I would recommend teaching the pony to double rein as you can then alter the amount of direct rein and the amount of neck rein depending on whether you are turning round poles or barrels.
Some of the most fun games involving poles are the mug races.  For these you need several tin mugs and four bending poles.  The two mug race is the most simple, mugs are placed on poles 1 and 3 and the rider transfers the mug from pole 1 to pole 2 and then from pole 3 to pole 4.  this is a test of accuracy and precision.  The best games riders in the world can do this in less than 6 seconds at a full gallop.  For the three mug race mugs are placed on poles 1, 2 and 3 and the rider then transfers a mug from pole 3 to pole 4, then from poles 2 to pole 3 then from pole 1 to pole 2 before riding for the finish line.  This tests the turning skills and short distance acceleration of the pony and double reining skills are essential.  It also breaks the mind-set of the pony that they go up and down once and thats it as it involves several turns in both directions.
A very good exercise if you have a practise partner is to take a skipping rope and complete a normal pole bending together each holding one end of the skipping rope.  It takes practise but can be done at a full gallop when you get really good.  This tests the rider's ability to synchronise and the ponies tolerance of other horses as well as requiring them to be trained out of any urge to be in front all the time as they have to stay directly side by side so the rope is not dropped.