4-Pole Circle Exercise

At OHLALA, we love sharing exercises that are practical, effective and tried and tested by our OHLALA Riders. Today, we're bringing you a favourite from Camille Condé Ferreira, professional rider and coach: a canter exercise on a circle with four poles on the ground, perfect for developing rhythm, balance and harmony with your horse.

It's a simple exercise to set up, rich in feel, and perfect for progressing technically while deepening your partnership.

🎯 Why do this exercise?

Camille uses this exercise regularly, both with her own horses and with her students. It's particularly valued because it allows you to work on:

Stride regularity
Balance management
Horse and rider harmony
The rider's ability to listen and feel
Control of stride length and stride contracts

A precise, progressive exercise suitable for all levels — from young horses to experienced ones 😉

🏗️ How to set up the exercise?

The setup is very straightforward:

Place 4 poles (or 4 cavalettis) on a circle.
Space them 12 metres apart, tip to tip.
The centre of the circle should be 6 metres from each pole.

👉 This gives you a perfectly even circle, essential for working on precision and stride consistency.

🐎 How the exercise works

Put your horse into canter.
Enter the circle over whichever pole you choose.
Then ride through all four poles in succession.
The goal: complete at least two full circles with a steady rhythm.

Depending on your horse's stride length, you will work with 4 or 5 strides between each pole.

👉 The real benefit once this first stage is mastered is being able to deliberately adjust the stride count — for example, going from 5 to 4 strides (more ground cover) or back from 4 to 5 (more collected canter).

🎯 What this exercise develops

Here are the key points to focus on in this exercise:

✔️ Consistent strides: Your horse must maintain a steady rhythm, without lengthening or shortening.

✔️ Better balance: Working on the circle strengthens lateral balance and canter consistency.

✔️ Accurate lines: Your eye looks ahead, your curves stay controlled, and your track becomes cleaner.

✔️ Better feel: You learn to sense whether your horse is in the right rhythm and covering enough ground.

✔️ Controlling stride length: The ultimate goal is to vary your strides effortlessly, simply by adjusting your balance, rhythm and aids.

🌟 Expected results

By working on this exercise regularly, you will gain:

A horse rhythmical, balanced and responsive
A more harmonious partnership, with a horse more responsive to their rider's aids
An enhanced ability to vary stride length while maintaining control
A more precise rider, lighter and more connected to their horse

This helps the partnership progress together, both technically and in connection 🥰