Poling or rapping is the practice of hitting a horse on the legs as it goes over a jump, to make it think it hit the fence hard (due to the pain), so the animal will pick his legs up higher the next time. It is usually performed using a long bamboo stick, which is smacked on the

cannon bone Good conformation in the limbs leads to improved movement and decreased likelihood of injuries. Large differences in bone structure and size can be found in horses used for different activities, but correct conformation remains relatively simil ...

s of the horse. Poling is illegal under FEI rules, as well as under many national rules including the USEA and mnay other organizations."CA PENAL § 597g", 1951,

, 09/13/10 Show jumping, Show jumpers and

hunt seat Hunt seat is a style of forward seat riding commonly found in North American horse shows. Along with dressage, it is one of the two classic forms of English riding. The hunt seat is based on the tradition of fox hunting. Hunt seat competition i ...

competitors were the most common users of this technique, as a rail down is often a deciding factor in winning a class. However, the practice is seen today as too painful for the horse.

In popular culture

Poling can be seen in a scene of the movie ''

National Velvet ''National Velvet'' is a novel by Enid Bagnold (1889–1981), first published in 1935. It was illustrated by Laurian Jones, Bagnold's daughter, who was born in 1921. Plot summary ''National Velvet'' is the story of a 14-year-old girl named ...

'', when Mi Taylor hits the Pie on the legs as Velvet rides him over an obstacle in a training session. It can also be seen being used by Harry DeLeyer while working with his son's horse in the documentary Harry and

Snowman A snowman is an anthropomorphic snow sculpture of a man often built in regions with sufficient snowfall and is a common winter tradition. In many places, typical snowmen consist of three large snowballs of different sizes with some additional ...

References

;Footnotes {{DEFAULTSORT:Poling (Horse) Horse training Show jumping Hunt seat Animal welfare