Pole Work for Posture, Performance and Partnership
Understand Horses presents a webinar with equine behaviourist and horse trainer Trudi Dempsey and animal physio Rebeccah Baylis on pole work training for horses.
This is a free live webinar.
An on-demand recording will be available for sale afterwards. (There will be no free recording available if you miss it live.)
TUESDAY 05 MAY 2026 | 7PM GMT
FREE | 1.5 HOURS
PresenterS
Rebeccah Baylis & Trudi Dempsey
HOST
Justine Harrison
Pole Work for Posture, Performance and Partnership
In this webinar, Rebeccah and Trudi bring together veterinary physiotherapy insights, gymnastic training techniques, and behavioural understanding to explore pole work - both in-hand and under saddle. They will share five of their favourite exercises that promote thoracic sling support, core engagement, joint articulation, symmetry, and more.
You’ll see how thoughtful placement of poles can influence balance, posture, rhythm, and focus, while supporting rehabilitation, strength development, and long-term soundness. Beyond physical benefits, these exercises also foster a closer, more responsive relationship with your horse.
Rebeccah and Trudi will look at:
How pole placement influences posture, balance, rhythm, and coordination
Five carefully selected exercises for in-hand and ridden work
How to introduce and develop each exercise in a behaviourally informed way
Avoiding overfacing your horse and recognising early signs of tension
Building exercises gradually to support confidence, strength, and understanding
Adapting pole work for rehabilitation
After the presentation, Rebeccah and Trudi will answer questions from the audience.
This webinar is aimed at horse owners, trainers, therapists, and equine professionals.
MEET THE PrESENTERS
REBECCAH BAYLIS
Becky is an animal physiotherapist, with extensive experience supporting performance, recovery and overall wellbeing with horses and dogs. Alongside her freelance clinical practice at Little Green Stables, she teaches equine and canine massage courses and fascia diploma programmes, helping to train the next generation of therapists. Becky also develops professional training courses, including rehabilitation modules, for the IAAT Learning Hub. Her additional qualifications include acupressure, myofascial release (MFR), craniosacral therapy (CST) and equine and canine neurophysiology, allowing her to take an integrated, whole-body approach to therapy and education.
TRUDI DEMPSEY
Trudi is a Certified Equine Behaviour Consultant with the IAABC and a member of their Application Review Committee. She is also an Accredited Animal Behaviourist with the ABTC offering in-person and online consultations. Trudi has been offering her own unique blend of classical dressage and positive reinforcement since the ’90s. She specialises in developing behaviour change by creating low stress learning environments. Trudi presents clinics, talks, and workshops in person throughout the UK and webinars and courses online around the world. She contributes to Your Horse magazine and the peer reviewed IAABC Journal. She hosts the behaviour and training podcast ‘Lead a Horse to Water’.
On-Demand Courses:
AN INTRODUCTION TO TRAINING HORSES WITH FOOD
HOW TO CREATE A SUCCESSFUL TRAINING PLAN
UNDERSTAND CLICKER TRAINING FOR HORSES
Accredited Course:
PROFESSIONAL HORSE TRAINER CERTIFICATE
Archived Webinars:
BETTER BEGINNINGS - BUILDING RESILIENCE IN YOUNG HORSES
(with Gabriel Lencioni)
BUILDING TRUST: CO-OPERATIVE CARE FOR HORSES
(with Gabriel Lencioni)
MEET THE HOST
JUSTINE HARRISON
Justine is the founder of Understand Horses and has been practicing as a horse behaviour consultant since 2007. She is a Certified Equine Behaviour Consultant with the IAABC, the organisation’s UK Co-Chair and a member of the Application Review Committee. She is also a registered Accredited Animal Behaviourist with the Animal Behaviour & Training Council. Justine is a visiting lecturer on the BSc (Hons) Equine Behavioural Science degree at ARU Writtle (formerly Writtle University College) and also acts as an expert consultant in court cases involving equine behaviour. She holds lectures and workshops around the UK and regularly contributes to a wide variety of international publications – either writing articles, commenting or answering specific questions about horse behaviour and training.
On-Demand Courses:
UNDERSTAND EQUINE BODY LANGUAGE
Instructor-Led Course:
HORSE BEHAVIOUR CONSULTING MENTORSHIP
Webinars:
LIVE WEBINAR
This a free live webinar. There will not be a free recording available if you miss it live.
ON-DEMAND RECORDING
A recording of the webinar will be available for for sale afterwards. On-demand webinars are available to access at any time and view for up to 60 days