Ground poles and gaited horses

I recently competed in an ACTHA ride and we were asked to "trot" ground poles that were 3'6'' apart on the ground. I told the judge that my horse was a Rocky and she was gaited. We hit two poles while gaiting through. My question is there a certain distance to space the poles that would be easier for the gaited horse to gait cleanly over or should my horse be able to cleanly gait through the 3'6'' poles....Thanks

Good question. I'm interested in that too. What were the poles made of?

The poles were round wood.

Following is the measurements used for versatility classes, TWHBEA rulebook.
I use usually step it off for my horses at he barn we work over ground poles a lot to encourage stride behind and lifting up front.
The ole timers used corn rows this is a little more conducive to the indoor area lol.
A more square going horse can use a shorter measure ment I go heel toe five or six of my feet. A pacey horse eight or so. Have a friend ride over them to see where they are placing their feet. If the back feet are getting tangled up stretching over them lengthen or vice versa if it is too much stretch for them.
Hope this helps!

The space between the logs is to be measured
and the path the horse is to take should be the
measuring point. The space shall be 15-24 inches;
walk-overs, 3’ to 3’6”; lope-overs 6’ to 7’.
Elevated walk-overs should be a minimum of 22
inches apart. Lope-overs cannot be elevated.