Pole Bending Fundamentals
Bringing you a new, fun and engaging way to ride western in Star Stable Online
Pole Bending Information
Western Progress's Official Perfected Pole Bending Method
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Pole bending features a series of six poles spaced 21 feet apart. Horses and riders weave through the poles at a high rate of speed. Again like barrel racing you want yo AVOID touching/running through the poles and you want to finish at the fastest time.
Also keeping in mind, There are 2 separate pole bending races, each are different.
Races Include:
Pole bending; Bending up and back from the finish/start Line
Stake Race; Gallop up, bend down, bend back, gallop home
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Bending Patterns
Stake Race Pattern
Bending Race
Gallop Up, bend down, bend up, Gallop home
Bend Up, bend Home
You will find this on "Pattern A" At Star Shine Ranch
YouTube Tutroials
We have here tutorials of BOTH races and how they are each ran. Despite the Star Stable world only showing one of these we have used our owners real life discipline "Sporting horse" and created it into 2 different races. We wanted to allow riders to have an experience of both races and how each are different but also the same.
This Video Displays our STAKE RACE.
Gallop up, bend down, bend up, Gallop Home over finish line
This Video Displays our Bending Race
Bend down, bend back, and over the finish line
These Tutorials were filmed by Bella Snowstorm her self. to help provide the community with better ways to run a Barrel Pattern
Starting/Finish Line & Timings
​Time Starts when...
Like Barrel racing your start times begins, the moment your horses head is ACROSS the starting line.
This allows your ring masters to see clearly and gives them plenty
of time for the timer to start between crossing the line and the start of your run.
​Time Finish's when...
The moment your horses RUMP crosses the finishing line. Tail still on the line. We do this for realistic purposes.
This allows your Ring Masters to see a clear Path for finish times.
This gives them that advantage when clipping videos for time finish.
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Lining up and finishing
With wanting to create a life like pole bending races, we wanted to continue to follow through with the realistic fundamentals of our founders vision. Aiming for easy, yet life like scenarios with our starting and finishing points. We have created an arena exit as well as 2 simple ways to start and finish your runs.
Starting your run
When starting your run, we want riders to be standing still in a selected spacing to allow each rider to have the best change and most FAIR runs. Your starting line up should be 1 character spacing AWAY from the starting line for BOTH Stake and bending.
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When starting your run, we want riders to be standing still in a selected spacing to allow each rider to have the best change and most FAIR runs. Your starting line up should be 1 character spacing AWAY from the starting line for BOTH Stake and bending.
When starting your run, we want riders to be standing still in a selected spacing to allow each rider to have the best change and most FAIR runs. Your starting line up should be 1 character spacing AWAY from the starting line for BOTH Stake and bending.
Screen Delay and Pole Dynamics
Similar to our barrel racing we need to keep in mind our screen delay and what you see on YOUR screen and what the ring master sees on THERE screen. When doing our Pole bending fundamentals we discovered riders running how they see on there screen didn't suit what we wanted to achieve for our realistic Western. We have created a way for riders to run the patterns neatly, and properly without it looking like they are running directly though the poles on there run, as this is what we class as a Penalty. RE- Penalty's below.
When Testing our methods are discovered that we needed a spacing between each pole, whilst also allowing riders to maintain speed. We have added a "HALF HORSE" Spacing between each pole on BOTH sides to allow the ring master to see the rider running the pattern clean and not through the poles directly.
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This is the spacing we are looking for riders to see on THERE screen. This allows for the screen delay and helps the rider run the pattern more cleanly. Helping the Ring Master to see a more visual and accurate run of the rider.
We generally Use Canter and SLOW gallop gates only.
A full gallop unless running the straight doesn't allow the rider enough TUNRING capacity to get around the pattern cleanly.
Video Examples
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This Video Displays What the ring master sees IF a rider isn't using half a horse spacing
This Video Displays What the Rider sees IF they are not using half a horse spacing
This Video Displays What the ring master sees IF a rider is using half a horse spacing
This Video Displays What the riders if they are using half a horse spacing
Waiting line and Exiting of arena
As apart of our realistic funder mentals we have created an opening and an exiting section for our pole bending/ Stake racing Area. We have created like our barrel racing a waiting line for competitors to stand at and a SEPERATE exiting section within the arena as these races don't require a hard stop.
Waiting Line
The waiting line is designed to create a barrier between the riders waiting and the rider running there round. Riders are free to trot around behind the line and warm up. You are not required to stand there the whole time. Ensuring your listening for your name for your run.
This line is between the Hay stack and the fencing in the arena. There is a PEBBLED line in place for riders to see better
Exiting on the Arena
The Exiting Arena Line is designed to create a barrier between the riders waiting and the rider running there round Also. This is to ensure the rider running there round has enough space to finish there run and to exit the arena with less crowded area. We ask riders WALK out of the end of the arena as apart of Rider and Arena Etiquette. Riders CAN NOT enter from this end. It is an EXIT ONLY.
This line is between the Hay stack and the fencing of the arena near the purple Pony banner. This is also used as our Barrel racing Waiting line. There is a PEBBLED line in place for riders to see better
Recording & Placements
Apart of our Pole bending/ Stake Racing fundamentals and ensuring riders have the best time outcome and
knowing they are being judged fairly. We have worked hard to capture and get the BEST camera view for your recording. Videoing each run is the easiest and MOST accurate way to get your times. Doing it on your phone doesn't work well. It CAN be done but we found it was to fiddly and was near SUPER accurate.
Below you can see how we have our Ring Master 2 set up on the line and how they see there screen.
Ring Master 2 Camera Angle
This is where the Ring Master is standing
Ring master is lined up STRAIGHT on the starting line.
They are to have CHARACTER HIDE on.
This allows for full vision of the line for when riders are crossing from both directions
We have added a photo for what RIDERS will see. Riders need to ensure they ride IN FRONT of Ring Master 2 to ensure they are SEEN on there screen when recording.
Ring master needs to ensure they are on the RIGHT side of the poles for recording.
Commands Terms
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All commands should be memorized by the Ring Masters. Without them you wont know when to enter, who's entering and what each command means. We have designed particular commands for our Ring Masters to ensure, clear, clean and easy call overs.
Please keep in mind there are 2 different races so ensure you remember which Race is which.
Stake Racing Commands
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Pole Bending Commands
Penalty's and How you gain them
Despite penalty's being hard to navigate and achieve within the game, we have come up with a few ways to give competitors penalty's to keep things as realistic as possible. Our General aim to ensure riders are clean, fast and trustworthy when they run. Ring Masters will keep an eye out for penalty's below.
If a rider knocks down a barrel, Or in our case gets stuck on a barrel, accidently goes the wrong way, OR doesn’t run the pattern correctly, the following penalties will be added to their time.
Penalties Outside of the arena
Penalties In the arena
Sportsmanship & Morals
​✪ Leaving the starting box before go {+5}
✪ Not leaving the box after your 30 seconds is up {+2}
✪ Entering the Box when its not your turn {+10}
​✪ Going THROUGH a pole {+5}
✪ Wanting to restart your run {+5}
✪ Running the wrong pattern {+5}
✪ Not giving support or saying hurtful things {+10}
✪ Entering the Box when its not your turn, Impatience {+5}
✪ Arguing or disagreeing with the Ring Masters { +15 }
All penalties apply to your over all time.