Get to grips with grids
QWhat are the benefits of gridwork and can you suggest a simple grid to do at home?
Miranda Friar, West Sussex
Sarah says... Gridwork done correctly encourages your horse to engage his core and improve his flexibility. It can also be used to address specific jumping issues for different horses. For the rider, it helps you to focus on your position and balance, as the grid sets you up for a good stride to each fence.
Get set up
In terms of equipment, I prefer ground poles that don’t roll, so I like using half round poles or thin fence slats, which I paint white to improve visibility.
Start by working over trotting poles. A sequence of three or four is ideal — never use only two as your horse might decide it’s a jump. Place them about
4ft 6in (1.4m) apart for a horse, or about 3ft 6in (1.1m) for a pony, adjusting the distance for your horse’s length of stride.
Develop the exercise
Once your horse is comfortable with the trot poles, add a small cross-pole (with the middle of it about 30cm high) around 8-9ft (2.4-2.7m) from the last trot pole (for ponies it will need to be a little closer). Focus on keeping an energetic but not fast trot and looking ahead on a straight line beyond the jump.
Increase the complexity
When this exercise feels easy, add a second set of wings and a pole on the floor 6ft (1.8m) after your first little cross-pole. Then, once you have completed this comfortably, build this second element into a second small cross-pole — depending on your horse’s length of stride and the height of the fence you may need to lengthen the distance to nearer 7ft (2.1m).