Slow dance

Let's say you're a first time performance shower, and this is your first performance entry: a jogging Western Pleasure horse decked out in silver tack.

You spent a lot of money on this, so of course you want to show it in something other than just Western Pleasure. 

How about Western Trail? After all, that's exactly the same tack and doll. Just slide a couple poles under there and... Hmmm. 

It doesn't really look like he's actually going to make it through.

In fact, this happens in the real world, but it's not exactly desirable.

There's a real temptation to slide an extra pole in there. It looks so right, but it's also so very wrong.

Here's why: One of the main purposes of trot poles is to create a more active trot. They  encourage the horse to use their hindquarters and "track up".  The hind feet should step into the prints left by the forefeet.

Basically, it's the opposite of a Western Pleasure jog.

As an experienced performance shower, I know this. Instead of forcing a round peg into a square hole, I pivot. As a rule, I don't show my slow jogging Western Pleasure horse over poles.

Literally, anything but poles.

If I was going to show him over poles, however, it would be a single pole set up like this.

Or this.

Here's a diagram that might be helpful.

This is a perfect example of one of the essential skills of performance showing: learning how to work with the horse you have.