Retired Skidmore College Equestrian coach, Cindy Ford, shares one of her favorite exercises to set riders up for competition success—ground poles. In this issue, Ford provides four step-by-step exercises to practice at home.

Ford explains:

• Riding over ground poles and very small jumps is a great way to polish your skills over fences without wearing out your horse’s legs.
• When we make mistakes over ground poles, our horses rarely help us out, so it’s easier to identify what needs improvement.

PLUS, Liara Gonzalez, DVM, PhD, DACVS, explains that good choices in feed and management are key to protecting horses’ gut health.

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