Olympian Vittoria Panizzon shares her “baseline” gridwork exercise, which can benefit horses at any level, in this exclusive article for H&H subscribers

This gridwork exercise for improving technique is a favourite of Vittoria Panizzon. It uses wide parallels to develop jumping technique and is particularly useful for training horses for eventing. It can help horses regain their jumping bascule after a cross-country session where they are likely to jump with a flatter technique.

It’s also a great gridwork exercise for improving the rider’s balance, as it requires a light seat and giving hands so that the horse has total freedom to use his back and neck fully.

How to ride this gridwork exercise to develop technique

The aim: to develop the horse’s shape over a fence and build strength, as well as rider balance.

The setup: the final grid will be a cross-pole, with a placing pole, followed by at least two parallels with ground lines, three for experienced horses. But you should build up gradually, fence by fence.

You’ll need a helper on the ground to put up poles and move wings forward.

• Jump the cross-pole a few times until the horse is jumping calmly.
• Add in the subsequent elements of the grid one at a time, with ground lines at each fence. Initially, the distances between each element should be about 7m.
• Each time the horse jumps through well, pull the wings 5–10cm forward. You can raise the fence a hole as the horse understands the exercise. This makes the distances between fences shorter, as the fences get higher and wider. The parallels shouldn’t be too high (90cm–1m is ample for most horses) but well over 1m wide for experienced horses.
• As the fences get wider, you can add a diagonal pole on top of the parallel. This encourages the horse to make a good shape but also prevents the horse misreading the fence as a bounce.
• Jump through each altered grid once or twice. Don’t hang around between each approach as you don’t want the horse to switch off.
• The number of times you do this exercise, and the height to which you raise the parallels, will depend on the horse’s experience, level and fitness.

How this gridwork exercise helps you and your horse

Vittoria explains that this is her baseline exercise, which she was taught by Sarah Bullen.

“As the parallels become bigger and wider, it helps develop the bascule and strength of the horse, as well as the rider’s balance,” she explains. “It encourages the horse to use themselves really well, getting stronger with their push from behind and making a big, round shape.

“I tend to have the groundline a little in front of the fence because I like to help them learn to make the best shape by spelling it out for them. There are times to let a horse make a mistake to sharpen up and learn, and there are times to set them up to succeed, and as this exercise gets harder I want to be encouraging them.

Vittoria emphasises that this exercise relies entirely on the rider dropping their hands so the horse has full use of his neck.

“This style is the way I was brought up to ride in Italy, with a military instructor who had us riding through grids with no hands, and would make us jump off drops cross-country with no reins,” she says.

“So I did it a lot as a child, and similarly Sarah would also make me release a lot, to give the horse plenty of freedom. Horses gain so much trust in the rider if they know they will always get the freedom they need to jump.

Vittoria offers another challenge to teach horses to look after themselves, to sort out their own technique.

“While the grid is still small, I like riders to go through with no hands, and then putting their hands over their eyes. It’s not a gimmick; it helps the rider, which helps the horse. It’s the best way to get the rider in the right place – the horses jump beautifully when the rider has their hands over their eyes!”

Learning to be well balanced to make the horse’s job easier is a major factor.

“The rider must always stay in jumping balance, in a light seat between the fences,” Vittoria explains. “This is because as the striding gets shorter and the parallels wider, the horse needs to stay round in his back, which they cannot do if you are sitting into the saddle.

“I like to come into the grid in trot, because that means you can’t just hang on to the reins and be pulled over the fence. The rider has to get the timing right to fold, and the horse has to push over the fence, so it fine-tunes both rider balance and the horse’s reactions.

“You don’t need speed to jump big, but the right technique and balance.”

Variations

The grid above can have multiple variations and tweaks to improve certain horses’ weaknesses, such as:

• An upright rather than a parallel as the final element. I build this higher than I would the parallel. This encourages the horse to really lift his shoulders because they have to combine first the stretching and pushing for the parallels, and then lift high for the upright.
• Start the grid with a bounce to make them sharper.
• Use wing poles to keep the horse straight on whichever side they drift.

About Vittoria Panizzon

Event rider Vittoria has been a stalwart of senior Italian teams since 2005. She has contested three Olympic Games, finishing 11th at London 2012 with Borough Pennyz. Having competed at numerous championships on a range of horses, including at the 2025 Europeans on DHI Jackpot, she is also currently campaigning two of Pennyz’ offspring, Borough Tuppence and Borough Threpence. Based in Redmarley D’Abitot, Gloucestershire, Vittoria is a former junior European champion who has lived in England since she was 17.

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If you think softness is only important for flatwork, think again. Top eventer Alex Bragg demonstrates how jumping on a curve is a game-changer for a horse’s engagement and balance, building all-round muscle strength in the final article of this three-part training series exclusively for H&H subscribers

Staying soft yet secure over fences is something we often attribute to the rider, but what does the same phrase mean for a horse? Alex Bragg offers this training exercise on a fan to encourage engagement and softness on a curve.

“A horse can’t engage the hindleg and deliver a powerful jump if he’s tense or crooked,” says the five-star event rider. “We look for softness in flatwork, and in dressage training you’ll often want that ‘spiralling out’ feeling where the horse yields to the inside aids and seeks the outside rein, stepping under and through with the inside hind. If we apply that same feeling over fences, we keep the engagement of that hindleg for better balance, softness and power.”

Cultivating that softness takes conditioning: “You imagine the core strength a horse needs to lift his whole body – bearing in mind he is around 600kg – and keep it all carried. They need to be strong.”

To achieve this as well as banish tension, the muscles need to be strong in all directions.

“You want to stretch and flex the muscles,” explains Alex. “The further you can stretch and flex, the more range you’ll have and the more athletic your horse can be.

“The young horse I am riding to demonstrate this training exercise has a short neck,” Alex Bragg continues. “I want him to develop self-carriage, but first, he needs to use what neck he does have to the maximum.

“It’s important I get his topline as long as possible before I start to collect him, or that’s when you’ll develop tension and blocking at the base of the neck, which will hinder his back end.”

Alex Bragg training exercise: keep the curve

Working on: the horse’s softness, strength and balance, keeping him true to the path through the fanned fences

You’ll need three upright fences set out on a curving line, with about seven human paces between each at the middle. Alex uses a solid groundline for each fence and leaves poles on the floor at the inside edge of the curve in case they’re needed.

Aims

“We’re trying to get the horse to jump, but stay engaged with the hindleg,” says Alex. “We’re turning slightly, so we need to make sure the horse doesn’t fall out or knife in. We almost want it to feel as if they are cantering on the line and the jumps are just in the way.

“My focus is maintaining balance on the line, and the horse just has to soften.”

Warm-up

After loosening up in all three gaits, Alex comes onto a circle in canter.

“Here, I’m pushing with my inside leg and using more angle – like a shoulder-fore position,” he says. “This is asking him to engage the inside hind for better balance.”

Alex has a tell-tale sign to detect self-carriage: “When he’s carrying himself, he doesn’t lean to the outside and I don’t have to keep trying to guide his shoulders with the inside rein. I can actually soften the inside rein, which allows him to seek the outside rein.”

The angle of the horse’s shoulders is mirrored by Alex’s, turning slightly inwardly on the circle.

“My outside leg is around him just so he can feel it, and support as much as required,” he explains.

Shoulder-fore positioning helps encourage this six-year-old to carry his quarters in line with his shoulders.

“You need to make sure your horse doesn’t get into the habit of carrying his quarters on an inside track, because he’ll just remain crooked and always fall out.”

On the right rein, Albert falls out a little – perhaps counterintuitively, Alex applies a firmer inside leg aid “to get the right hindleg underneath the body and help him to carry himself”.

“By applying a little pressure this way, he starts to yield to the inside which then softens into the outside contact,” he continues. “That is riding leg to hand. Then, I’m using that shoulder-fore turning feeling to stop him falling out.”

The resulting picture is one of balance and harmony. Then, it’s time to ask for a little more forwardness – encouraging some stretch in the muscles.

“The contact is feeling spongy,” remarks Alex. “Every time he wants to go forward and dive out of balance – which is easier than carrying himself – I just keep my upper body tall. I’m rebalancing him with little corrections all the time, because he’s a young horse.”

Stage one: canter poles

The first time through the fan, elements one and three are lowered to canter poles, and moved towards the middle element by one human stride to make them appropriate canter distances.

“On the approach, I’m thinking about the shoulder-fore hindleg positioning we had in the warm-up,” explains Alex, as the young gelding bounds through confidently.

“He really lowered his neck there, which we like, but his shoulders wanted to go down as well. This is what we’ll try and improve.

“I’m keeping that shoulder-fore feeling,” says Alex as he approaches the exercise again. “The inside of my body is tall, my shoulder opening to the inside, and my inside leg keeping pressure into the outside rein.”

Stage two: low fences

Once the pair have had a spin through the fan on both reins, Alex’s wife Simmone builds three small fences as the next step. The fences are lower on the inside, which Alex explains is to help guide the horse on the turn.

This time, the horse throws a bigger jump over the middle element.

“I didn’t quite have him forward enough there, so he leaped and jumped himself out of balance a bit,” says Alex. “I want him to be forward, not flat, to give him the best chance for success.

“He’s a scopey horse, and might get lazy,” Alex adds. “He needs to interpret this as a jumping exercise, not a canter exercise.”

That’s the cue to raise the fences.

Stage three: up the height

As the challenge increases, the rider must stick to their guns.

“It’s important to keep the inside heel down,” says Alex. “A lot of riders clamp up and the turn pushes them to the outside, so you just have to stay tall.”

This horse is lifting his shoulder well over the fences now, never deviating from the line through them.

“I can’t afford to be as passive as I’d like just yet – he’s still learning to keep his shoulders up and support himself,” Alex says. “I’ll hopefully be using less and less outside rein as he learns to balance.”

Throughout Alex’s training session, his horse has worn a focused yet calm expression as he has carefully solved the puzzles in front of him.

“You need to get the horse to the point where he is challenged, because making mistakes is how they learn,” says Alex. “But, you want them to be confident and calm enough to come up with a solution. They need time to soak up what’s happened and work out their response. If it’s all rushed, they won’t remember how they did it.”

Trouble-shooting

“This training exercise is good for horses who rush,” says Alex Bragg. “If they rush, they’ll run out, and the turning line helps keep all that energy contained.”

Another common problem riders have on the curve is horses knifing in to the narrow part of the fan. This is where the poles on the ground come in.

“You place them on the inside third of the fence and angle them out. If a horse wants to cut the line and dive in, isn’t yielding to the inside leg or holding the ark, this will help keep him off the inside shoulder a bit.”

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Guesswork doesn’t figure in a top athlete’s jump training regime, and it’s no different for five-star event rider Alex Bragg. With a yardful to ride every day, you don’t dilly-dally and, as he tells me, efficiency is the name of the game.

“Every time I go in the school to ride through an exercise, I want to optimise the session,” he says. “When you’re competing, you’re supporting the horse to deliver the best possible performance on the day. At home, you have to allow the horse to work out the answer to the questions you’re asking – it’s the biggest difference between training and competition.”

Repetition is key to a horse learning from its mistakes and finding confidence in the correct answer. Even so, it’s not about blithely running through an exercise over and over.

“You’re never riding through and hoping it gets better; it’s about analysing and working out what you have to do to deliver a better ride,” Alex continues. “Real-time feedback from the horse informs the adjustments you make.”

Alex Bragg jump training exercise: power and wait

Working on: rider’s lower leg and balance, the horse’s ability to hold the rhythm and smoothness as a combination

Alex sets up a line of five upright fences with a stride between each. The fences are built with two parallel poles a couple of holes apart.

“When I jump uprights, I have the two rails close together at the top,” explains Alex. “It’s to help the horse focus. If you want to test him, you can spread the poles apart and make the fence look bigger. But we aren’t trying to trick the horse, we’re trying to help him.”

While five elements are best to get the message across, riders may be limited by the size of their arena.

“It’s not a speed exercise and you don’t need a huge approach,” remarks Alex. “So you could do five elements in a 60m arena or adapt to a smaller arena by having a very small fence, like a canter rail coming in, and trot round the corner.”

Aims

This exercise is gymnastically demanding and teaches the horse to maintain power and consistency over all five elements. Alex is riding a novice mare to demonstrate, but it can be done with horses jumping at any level, with the height of the fences adjusted as appropriate.

“The horse has to remain forward to produce a good jump, but if she rushes, she will run herself into the base of the jump,” says Alex. “Using lots of jumps teaches the horse to be straight, forward and powerful; we use uprights to tell them to power, wait, power, wait.”

Riders should be mindful that they don’t try to over-help.

“The responsibility of the rider is the presentation to the fence and the balance on exit. We don’t try to jump the fence for them, as doing that can throw the horse out of balance on landing.

“We have to have control over our lower leg and must not collapse in our body because we’ve thrown it over the jump. It’s a common mistake.”

Warm-up

Before jumping, Alex recommends taking the poles away to canter down the line, through the wings.

“Remember, the jumps aren’t canter poles,” he explains, “so with the poles left in, your canter would be so big that you’d rush them.”

Instead, build up the elements from one to five.

“You can progress quite rapidly keeping them small, but make sure the horse learns he can comfortably go down a line of five elements before you challenge him in another way.

“Try not to ask too many questions in one go, especially if they are new ones. Break it down, ask one question, then marry up the two. In this case, it’s low to start with, build the line, then go bigger.”

Ride it

Make sure your horse is switched on and fine-tuned to start this Alex Bragg jump training exercise. He meets the line in a forward yet punchy canter.

“I’m looking at the middle of the final element and trying to feel the horse underneath me,” comments Alex as he turns to approach. “I stay passive and let her operate, but don’t collapse, offer no restrictions from the body, just use my legs to keep her straight. I support with my left or right leg on, depending what’s happening with her body.”

It’s easy to see how mentally locked in the mare is as she powers down the line, really articulating her shoulder on take-off. Alex never touches the rein through the elements – it’s a clear marker of the elite rider’s security and balance, and demonstrates that this is exactly the exercise to cultivate this kind of rider strength.

The grid takes a lot out of the horse and it’s up to the rider to read how their horse is performing and offer appropriate support. When Alex comes down the line again, she’s a little tired.

“I need a bit more leg now to replace the energy she’s losing,” he says.

This time, she over-responds to Alex’s leg to knock the third rail – this serves to produce a very careful jump over the fifth element.

“See how she recovered and learnt from that?” Alex says. “Now, if I just deliver her straight and give her some energy back in the middle, we’ll see what happens.”

They finish the session on a smooth and accurate run down the five fences. Alex’s wife, Simmone, who’s been adjusting fences and dog sitting, says: “That was good. I think we’ll keep you riding a bit longer yet.”

Guide rails on the ground

Beneath each upright is a configuration of three dressage boards – one parallel to the base of the fence to act as a groundline, two angled out to the sides.

“I’m not a fan of V-poles,” says Alex. “You don’t get them in competition, and they really affect how the horse jumps at the take-off spot.

“Young horses tend to drift one way or the other, so using ground poles this way gives them a really obvious channel. It focuses them in the middle of the jump without interfering with the way they jump it.”

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Want a horse who can tackle any question? In the first of this three-part training series exclusively for H&H subscribers, Alex Bragg shows how to harness the power of straightness to enhance your horse’s jumping

“For me straightness when jumping is the key to everything,” says Alex Bragg, outlining his plan for this training session. “Without straightness, the horse will deviate over the jumps. This builds, and causes no end of problems, so you’re aiming to ride a course as a succession of straight lines.”

Teaching riders to be straight isn’t about fixating on the minutiae – giving them a broader objective is far more effective.

“Telling a rider they need a bit more inside leg here or outside rein there – it’s just too much to focus on,” he says. “When straightness is the most important thing, all you’ve got to think is about riding straight and your body reacts. If the horse doesn’t want to be on a straight line, you learn to apply the aids required to keep them there.”

Alex is riding a novice mare, Arva, for this training session. Initially, he works her in around a gridwork exercise – a bounce and two strides to an oxer – with two parallel uprights flanking the approach.

Exercise to improve straightness when jumping

Working on: developing rider intuition and teaching the horse to follow guidance, and hone and expand jumping technique.

Level: Alex uses this training set-up for horses at every level: “More experienced horses might be able to go straight in, but with a younger horse we need to build up to it step-by-step.”

Warm-up

For Alex, the warm-up holds two objectives: get the horse aware of your aids and warm up the muscles.

“You’re always setting up for what you want to achieve in the session,” he adds.

Alex begins by performing square turns in canter, setting them up with leg-yield.

“The leg-yield helps with suppleness, but it also switches Arva on to the aids,” he says. “I can use this to make minor adjustments with my leg, always with the understanding that she’s moving away from the leg, not falling away.

“The goal is always to return to a place of straightness,” he continues. “I must finish every movement straight, or she won’t understand there’s been a correction and that running left or right is not accepted.”

Next, Alex moves Arva on and back through canter gears “to get the back and hocks operating”. Again, straightness underpins his success.

“If she goes crooked, she won’t be able to use her back – you lose the gear through being crooked.”

Level one: just the turn

Looking at the exercise – which asks the horse and rider to navigate a 90º turn to one of the parallel uprights, change direction in the air and meet the grid (see diagram) – the twin tests of straightness and producing fence-appropriate technique are apparent. Watching Alex Bragg training through it reveals the vast web of benefits this five-fence formation can bring about.

The first is a lesson in concentration. Alex begins on the right rein to turn from the track to one of the two isolated uprights – but Arva doesn’t lock on to the fence.

“You can see how she’s struggling to be straight because she’s focusing elsewhere,” says Alex, gesturing to the arena’s other occupants – more fences, a photographer and two waggy yet well-behaved Labradors. “This is important for me in a competition context: I need to fix this before I go bigger.”

On the second approach, the mare jumps cleanly and makes a neat left turn on landing.

“What I really like is that she’s not sliding over the jump,” comments Alex. “She’s pushing through her shoulders and her whole body is landing in great balance on the other side.”

Level two: the grid

The first bounce element is switched out for a pole and the fences are kept small while the horse gets her bearings. Alex performs a square turn and rides between the parallel uprights to the bounce.

“The tighter the turn, the taller your body. That way, you stay off the shoulder, in good balance and the canter remains uphill.”

Watching Alex approach and ride through the grid, his hand is noticeably soft and his seat has a neutral quality, although he remains in perfect balance throughout.

“I want to allow Arva to learn,” he explains. “My hands are soft and my body is passive because I want her to find the answer herself. I could use my position to make things clearer, but if she can do it without me, even better.”

Level three: all together

Alex turns right to the opening upright – but Arva comes in boldly and overshoots the line to the bounce.

“She’s a baby horse who’s just done cross-country, so she’s keen and wants to take on the contact,” says Alex. “But she doesn’t know where she’s going so next time, she’ll hopefully yield to the contact.”

This time, when Alex opens his right hand and applies his left leg over the fence, Arva turns squarely and smoothly to the grid on an easy four. Alex’s soft hand invites her to focus on her feet through the bounce and use her shoulder over the oxer.

Next, it’s time to put the fences up. With a bigger upright to contend with, Arva opens her stride and lands a little out of balance – Alex adjusts for five strides on the turn instead of four.

“The bigger the fence the more momentum you carry, and the trickier the turn. They have to be able to hold their balance after a big jump to turn for the bounce and exit with enough power to jump the big fence after that. This is really developing the half-halt and adjustability without losing power and forwardness.”

Riders need to be careful not to take too much of a check.

“It’s really important to be forward to the bounce, because the horse needs to push, and needs that energy to deliver another push in the middle of the bounce. This will also build core strength to create a nice shape.”

Stepping up

While the bounce remains small, the elements in and out of the exercise can be as big as you like.

“Just remember that the bigger they are, the more energy in the jump, the harder the turn,” says Alex.

The fences can be made into skinnies for a tougher test of straightness.

“Now, this is like doing a difficult combination at a five-star,” he remarks. “Same questions, just smaller fences.”

“In training, you’re giving the horse versatility, a toolbox to choose from and make adjustments.”

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‘Aim to do this straightforward exercise to score 10 out of 10’: how Harry Meade uses polework to improve suppleness

Gridwork is often known as gymnastic jumping, because it helps teach the horse to be more elastic and enables both horse and rider to hone certain techniques without worrying about the perfect stride. Grids are typically set up on slightly short distances – seven yards to one horse’s non-jumping stride rather than the eight you’ll see used in competition – to encourage the horse to be sharp with his front legs and not flatten. However, in this session, Gemma Stevens chooses a gridwork format set out on “true competition striding”.

“This grid is inspired by my friend [CCI5* winner] Laura Collett, who uses it sometimes when she’s schooling racehorses,” says Gemma Stevens, an international showjumper and event rider who won eventing team gold at the 2018 World Equestrian Games. “It’s amazingly useful for getting horses to be more careful when jumping out of their normal stride.”

“Heavy canter poles that don’t roll are a must for the placing poles,” she adds. “I am teaching the horse to be careful by being aware of where they are putting their feet. And it’s safer because if they roll under the horse’s foot they can turn an ankle. I’m just using big heavy poles, but you can also raise them on a small block.

“Each fence has a placing pole 3yd in front, which makes the horse do a little jump on the final step before taking off over the fence, which encourages them to pick their front legs up.

“The distances for this grid are true, because I don’t want the horse backing off. It is designed to make them sit back, jump the pole and then snap up.”

Gridwork with Gemma Stevens

Gemma warms up her first horse, an advanced eventer, for 10-15 minutes in walk, trot and canter. She incorporates transitions, flying changes and makes sure the mare is listening to her aids.

After cantering down the line with the poles on the ground, just to familiarise the horse with the task in hand, Gemma shows the mare the first fence prior to asking her to jump it.

“She can be a monkey at the first, so I always show her it before we start jumping,” Gemma explains. “It’s her quirk but I don’t let it bother me. She’s an amazing showjumper and has real fight about her; it’s what makes her so good. But she can be really spooky, even in the school.”

Gemma builds up the grid fence by fence, starting with a 2ft 9in vertical. Gemma points out that it’s important to have a helper on the ground to adjust the fences so that she can keep coming – off both reins – with a fence added each time she completes the line. The grid builds up rapidly into a vertical to two oxers with a final vertical to finish. Although Gemma has a large arena, she says it would be doable in a short arena with just three fences rather than four.

The fences have V-poles resting on the top bar, which together with the placing pole gives the horse a lot to take in visually, and assess what to do with their feet. However, Gemma doesn’t use extra poles as ground lines underneath the top bar to teach horses that they need to focus on the height of the top rail. The mare performs exactly as required, cantering in strongly and basculing beautifully.

“I’m moving up quickly with her because she’s a five-star horse and she knows the exercise; this will just sharpen her up,” says Gemma. “The first time you do this, you should start small because it takes horses a bit of getting used to.”

The true distances between fences combined with the placing poles the horse needs to negotiate are the essence of this grid.

“It’s a mix of encouraging the horse to be careful, and staying on a natural forward stride,” Gemma explains. “You have to be brave and keep coming at the fences, but let the grid do the work. It really helps them snap up out of an onward stride. If you’ve got one that’s dangly or doesn’t lift the shoulder, this is a great exercise.”

They are now jumping 4ft as the final fence, and the mare gives the V a slight tap.

“The grid drew that mistake out of her; she was blasé and she’ll learn from that,” Gemma says.

Before the next attempt, the V is widened slightly and the horse jumps perfectly.

“You have to read your horse and react each time to what they need and whether to adjust the Vs,” Gemma explains. “If you do have a horse who is worried about them, position them wider initially and gradually bring them in.

“I knew this horse would be sharp enough second time, so I widened the V to encourage her and she was super careful – so I’ll leave it at that. It’s important not to overdo it and finish the session with them feeling happy.”

Modify the grid for younger or less experienced horses

Gemma’s second ride of the day is a totally different prospect – a gangly five-year-old gelding just starting out his eventing career. Gemma laughs as she works him in, having swapped from a highly tuned advanced ride to a baby just finding his feet.

“He’s hilarious, legs everywhere,” she says. “He’s very green. He’s by Chilli Morning, and they tend to be late developers and babyish so you don’t push them early. They only become ‘wow horses’ when they are older.”

The five-year-old’s inexperience doesn’t hold him back from schooling through the same grid as his senior stablemate, however. Gemma simply builds up much more gradually, and keeps the jumps relatively low.

“With a young one, I come in trot initially so they learn not to jump the fence and the placing pole in one go – I’ve had a few do that!” she says, trotting quietly through the line a few times with the poles on the ground.

Next she adds in the first vertical and again repeats, rather than moving straight into adding extra fences.

“He jumps in slow motion,” she grins, as the horse carefully works his way through the grid. “He has to learn to have quicker reactions but already he’s seeing where he is long and he really tries.”

Gemma plays about a bit with the V-poles, first pulling them together to teach him to be more careful and then widening them to give him the confidence to jump through. After three goes of the full sequence, Gemma senses he’s done enough for one session.

“Always end on a good note, and he’s made a good effort today,” she says. “This is a hard exercise and really makes them work.”

Gemma has some advice for green horses if they are struggling.

“If they keep knocking fences, sometimes it’s right to stop and come back the next day and try again,” she says. “It’s amazing how horses seem to absorb what they’ve been taught overnight.”

You may also like to read…

Improve your horse’s footwork while jumping and have fun with Gemma Stevens’ gridwork exercise

‘Small fences help produce expressive, accurate flying changes’: how Harry Meade mixes dressage with cavaletti

Improve your horse’s rideability and straightness with Harry Meade’s three-fence jumping exercise

‘Aim to do this straightforward exercise to score 10 out of 10’: how Harry Meade uses polework to improve suppleness

The history of hyperflexion in dressage training – and how the sport can move away from it

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Horse and rider training

Welcome to Horse & Hound’s training hub. Whether you are looking for techniques to improve your riding skills, insight from top trainers and riders on how to prepare your horse for a specific sport, or tips to help solve specific problems, you will find useful advice from experts to help.

Horse & Hound’s training exercise of the week

Choose a topic:

• Dressage
• Eventing
• Showjumping
• Showing
• Cross-country
• Hacking
• Polework
• Gridwork
• Lateral work
• Groundwork
• How horses learn
• Young horses
• Riding techniques
• Rider fitness
• Rider mindset
• Problem solving
• Learning to ride

Daily training inspiration

Execute smarter square halts with just four poles

• Improve horse’s straightness
• Help with accurate placement of the halt
• Create a square halt

Try today’s exercise or find more daily inspiration.

In the first of a two-part focus on gridwork, exclusively available to H&H subscribers, Gemma Stevens explains how she builds a horse’s confidence and concentration using a grid of six fences

“Gridwork is fun,” says Gemma Stevens, who competes internationally in both showjumping and eventing. “We do it twice a month in the winter – the horses tend to enjoy it.”

For this gridwork exercise, Gemma sets up wings down the centre of her arena with hexagonal poles on the ground. The final set-up will follow the diagram (below), so you want to have everything you need ready before you get on the horse – and you will need a helper on foot to adjust the fences as necessary.

Gemma warms up briskly in walk, trot and canter for about 10-15 minutes.

“I’m making sure I’ve got all my controls, that the horse is listening to me, and that she is limbered up and elastic,” Gemma explains asking the horse for a few flying changes.

The grid is set up to ride away from the stables, so horses aren’t encouraged to rush down the line. Gemma canters over the poles, which are all still on the ground, to familiarise her horse with the task in hand.

Gemma Stevens’ gridwork exercise with an experienced horse

The first horse Gemma rides is rising eight and competing in 1.30/1.35m classes. Gemma begins with a raised placing pole to a 2ft 6in upright, building up to bouncing over two more uprights at the same height.

“Now I’m going to build up the fences gradually according to the horse’s ability,” Gemma says. “This horse is experienced so I can build this up quite quickly.”

Each time the horse goes through the line nicely, another jump is added. Gemma has someone on the ground to raise the fences – “you always need a helper for gridwork” – and they add in one fence at a time. Gemma keeps moving, approaching the grid off both reins, with the fences being put up as she canters back round to the start, taking short breaks in line with the horse’s fitness.

After the double bounce, there’s a stride to an oxer, followed by another stride to another oxer, then two strides to an upright to finish – equalling six fences in total. Gemma has put guide poles in V-shapes on the ground in front of the three final fences, to encourage straightness.

“Grids help encourage the horse’s elasticity and footwork, but I find them really great for building confidence,” explains Gemma. “I never make it really difficult or overly demanding for them.”

Gemma incorporates oxers in the middle of this line to teach the horse to open up their jump, before closing it down again for the final vertical. The first time she tackles the oxers they are slightly ascending (the front rail slightly lower than the back one), but they are squared up (level front and back) next time round.

“This format makes the horses really elastic,” she says. “And I keep the striding in this grid on the short side because I want to encourage the horse to be bouncy – I’m working on the shape of their jump rather than pushing them for the distance.”

After they have jumped all six fences once, Gemma starts raising the height, one fence at a time. The oxers are now at about 3ft 6in and the final vertical at 3ft 9. Gemma is happy with the horse’s first attempt at this height so calls it a day there.

“The horse was super tidy and I’ve achieved what I wanted to,” she says. “I like to push them a bit the last time down the line, but I won’t jump more than two holes higher than they are jumping in competition. Then they finish the session feeling good about themselves.”

Adjustments for less experienced horses

The second horse Gemma Stevens rides for the same gridwork exercise is rising six, and has been competing in young horse showjumping classes up to 1.20m.

Gemma starts the jumping phase as with the more experienced horse, cantering through the grid with the poles on the ground and then building up over the 2ft 6in bounces. She repeats them a couple of times because the younger horse is keen, but green, before moving on to the oxer at about 3ft.

Gemma explains that this horse has a tendency to rush. While the older horse has V-poles as guides on the ground, this horse has them on the fences.

“It’s not to make her more careful, because she already is, but to help slow her down and encourage her to back off a bit,” says Gemma. “She used to go down a jumping line flat out, so I keep the distances short and I use the Vs to make her back off. I let the grid do its work to slow her down.

“If you have an onward bound horse, you can also add a canter pole or a plank on the ground between each fence, to give them something else to focus on,” she advises.

Troubleshooting

“The whole point of doing the gridwork is building confidence,” says Gemma Stevens. “If the horse does feel green, I’d pat them and come again or I’d take a fence out. Don’t hesitate to bring the height right down if they aren’t happy. If you haven’t got their trust, you’re always going to struggle.

“To take a horse back a step feels like a negative move at the time, but a few weeks later it will be worth it and you’ll be in a much better place.”

Pole choice for gridwork

Gemma uses hexagonal poles for grids, both on the ground and on the fences.

“I don’t like using a round pole on the ground because you don’t want anything that will roll,” she explains. “You can use ‘soft training pole’ on the ground or these hexagonal ones. The important thing is that it cannot roll or the horse can turn their fetlock or get the pole caught between their feet.”

Gemma doesn’t insist on ground lines.

“I don’t use ground lines on the bounce fences as I want them to learn to be careful in judging the fence without them,” she says. “I don’t necessarily use them on the oxers in grids either.”

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‘Small fences help produce expressive, accurate flying changes’: how Harry Meade mixes dressage with cavaletti

‘Aim to do this straightforward exercise to score 10 out of 10’: how Harry Meade uses polework to improve suppleness

‘I start them at five, they all hack and we jump more in the winter’: Tom McEwen’s training ethos for young horses

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For this jumping training exercise, Harry Meade has set up three fences on a two-stride distance of 12 yards (see diagram below). The first and third fences will only be jumped in the second part of the exercise so these start at a taller height, whereas the top rail of the middle fence starts at 70cm. The middle fence has ground poles on either side, which are adjusted during the exercise. The height of the fences can be decided according to what you and your horse are comfortable jumping. In this case, Harry demonstrates jumping up to 1.30m.

The exercise targets engagement and straightness, as well as relaxation after the fence because it shows up any problems with rideability.

Starting Harry Meade’s jumping training exercise

Once warmed up in walk, trot and canter, Harry starts by jumping the middle fence at about 70cm on the diagonal. On landing, he rides one-and-a-half small circles of approximately 10m diameter around the first fence and comes back over the middle fence on the other diagonal, repeating the circle around the third fence on the other rein. He repeats this routine over the fence at the same height several more times on each rein, before giving the horse a break.

“The aim is to pop the fence like a small cavaletti – don’t get drawn into lengthening towards the fence or getting forward in your position,” he says. “Treat it as a pole on the ground and stay tall in your position, as this maintains the power created by the hindleg on the small circle, right the way to the fence, without it diminishing on the straight approach.

“It also requires a horse to land after a fence and soften so that within a few strides, the horse has concertinaed into a balanced canter on a small circle, as opposed to lengthening away from a fence, making it difficult to obtain the required size of canter and execute the desired line so soon on landing.”

Harry Meade has advice for those riding over-exuberant horses in jumping training.

“I’d ride with a bridged rein to stop the horse accelerating away from the fence and falling out through the shoulder in the circle, thereby making the circle too big,” he says. “I also have one finger in the neck-strap to discourage the horse from coming above the bridle on landing and run through the rein,” explains Harry, who uses bespoke thin neck straps that he can use “like an extra rein on the horse’s chest. This allows me to have control without riding on his mouth and shortening his neck.”

He keeps jumping the middle fence, until the horse settles and starts to operate in an increasingly relaxed canter.

The exercise

After a short break in walk, the warm-up routine is repeated with Harry again jumping continuously, but every second time the fence is jumped, the top rail is put up, then every other time it is jumped, the ground lines are widened. These changes are done efficiently so the horse is able to continue performing the exercise uninterrupted, while the fence gets progressively bigger with more generous ground lines.

“This exercise is good for working the canter on a small circle around the fence, then controlling the shoulder out of the circle so you have true straightness over the fence and into the next circle. Even when the fence is at its biggest, I want him popping over the fence as if it’s a cavaletti, landing in balance and self-carriage with relaxation.”

The next level

Harry then switches to jumping the straight line of all three fences a handful of times in both directions.

“The repetition of the figure of eights contains the canter, but the grid on the straight line rides comparatively open and long, so without adding in speed, the horse has to open up his jump, stretching through his body and ribcage without quickening,” he explains. “The two parts of the exercise test both ends of the spectrum, jumping from both a short and an open ground cover.”

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Tina Fletcher, who has produced numerous horses up through the showjumping grades to international level, shares the first part of her tried and tested system for how to teach a horse to jump.

Here is the process Tina follows with her young horses while they are learning their jumping basics.

How to teach a horse to jump

1. Start with coloured poles on the floor, building up from one to a row of five approx 1m apart to suit the horse’s natural stride.

2. If the horse lacks straightness use tramlines (a pair of parallel poles) as a guide on the approach and after the poles.

3. Tina’s young horses do their early training in a snaffle bridle with a running martingale.

4. The rider must keep the contact soft and should slip a couple of fingers in the neckstrap rather than catch the horse in the mouth.

5. Once the horse is negotiating the trotting poles confidently, introduce a cross pole with a take off and landing rail so the horse learns where to put his feet.

6. Cross poles help channel the horse and encourage him to lift through his shoulder.

7. While early jumping should be done from a trot, the horse also needs to learn to canter to a fence.

8. Tina likes to introduce fillers once the horse is jumping coloured poles confidently, but always starts with an upright and pulls them out to the side initially so there is a gap to jump through.

9. If the horse is spooky keep fences small so he can still jump them easily even if he backs off and loses impulsion.

10. Repetition is key but don’t over do it. Tina jumps her youngsters on consecutive days but keeps sessions short and focused.

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Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits. 

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

A line of equidistant obstacles improve suppleness, softness and balance, as well as rider and horse rapport, explains top event rider Piggy March (neé French)

If you would like to learn from one of the best event riders in the world, here are some Piggy March training exercises for you to practice this winter.

Aim

Former eventing performance manager Yogi Breisner showed me this exercise. It ticks all the boxes as it works on both flatwork and jumping performance, with the ultimate aim of improving “togetherness” — the partnership between horse and rider.

Young horses often find it taxing at first. They may feel stiff while circling and performing serpentines around the obstacles, and they will probably put in uncomfortable jumps in trot.

However, over time, they will learn to accept bending and turning. By this point, they will have increased their suppleness, softness and balance, as well as their reaction times and trust. The rider should also be in better balance and have a stronger position.

The exercise

1. Build five verticals in a straight line with a one- stride (eight-yard) distance between each. The poles should initially be approximately 80- 90cm high for the trot exercise, but can be raised to as high as 1.25-1.30m for a canter exercise for experienced horses. Don’t use any lower poles or ground rails.

2. Once the horse has been lightly warmed up, trot through the poles in a figure of eight, a circle or a serpentine. There is no jumping at this stage. When the horse is supple and understanding the question in trot, you can then progress to canter for more experienced horses. When you reach the centre line of the grid, put in a simple change and, eventually, a flying change, constantly changing the canter lead.

3. When the horse is ready to jump through the grid, enter in trot and angle one of the fences. Then tackle two at an angle, say the second and fifth, followed by three, such as the first, third and fifth, in a zigzag pattern. Then complete the same exercise in canter. The next step is to jump down the five verticals. When the horse has jumped comfortably at the starting height, one or two can be raised — for example the second and fourth, then the first, third and fifth — so the question is always subtly different, keeping the horse’s mind engaged.

Tips and pitfalls

• The rider should keep himself straight, ensure his aids are clear and keep the horse underneath him.
• Work youngsters in trot. The canter exercise is tricky, so reserve it for experienced horses.
• Don’t progress to the next level until the horse is feeling comfortable.
• To avoid the exercise becoming too intense, exit the grid on occasions and ride a couple of circles.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

The five-star event rider explains how this bounce grid exercise can improve a horse’s jumping technique

Bounce grid exercise

Aim

I use this simple row of four fences on bounce distances with all my horses. It helps to improve their footwork and jumping technique, while allowing the rider to focus on their position. It can add variety to your jump training and is a good exercise where the horse does most of the work, encouraging him to really use himself and work out where to put his feet. It is also a great exercise for creating independence in the horse when he is jumping — he has to work everything out for himself and get himself out of trouble, which ultimately makes him more agile.

The fences don’t have to be high, and you can come in trot to keep it simple. All the rider has to focus on is maintaining the correct position and balance, and then leave the horse alone to do the rest.

Because it is quite a gymnastic exercise, it is also beneficial for improving strength, fitness and suppleness, which is one of the reasons why I use it with my older horses through the winter to keep them ticking over, without making them jump too high.

The bounce grid exercise

1. Depending on the age and experience of the horse, start with poles on the floor where the bounces would be. The poles should be placed at 3.6m (12ft) intervals. If your poles are normal competition length, they’re 12ft long, making them the same length as the distance, so it’s really easy to measure. The first pole should be 3ft closer to the second, as this will act as a place pole for the first fence. If the horse is young, I suggest trotting over the poles on the floor a few times first to get them used to where everything will be.

2. Raise the second pole — about 60-80cm, depending on experience — and approach in trot, as it gives the horse time to assess the jump and prevents him from using speed to create power.

3. Raise each fence, one at a time, until all fences are up and there are three bounces, allowing the horse to jump through the grid each time.

4. If the horse is jumping down the grid with ease and confidence, add an oxer one stride after the final bounce. Continuing to approach in trot means the horse has to create his own power without rushing, usually resulting in a better technique.

Tips and pitfalls

• Once the horse understands what is being asked, leave him as much as you can safely, with just a gentle contact on the rein and a light lower-leg aid. This will allow him to use himself, ensuring he’s not relying on the rider.
• Make sure to approach at the correct speed, which should be a forward-thinking trot. Too slow and the horse won’t have enough energy, too fast and he won’t have time to place his feet correctly.
• Be wary of getting in front of the horse when jumping bounces. He will need room to lift up his shoulders, so a light seat position is preferable to leaning forward.

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Riding a grid of fences teaches a horse to land on the right leg and makes the rider aware of their line, explains five-star event rider Ben Way (pictured), who tells us his tips for improving horse rideability.

Aim

This is an exercise I picked up during an Equine Pathway training day with the aim of improving horse rideability. The aim is to improve a horse’s focus, straightness and rideability between fences. It is also good for making the rider conscious of their line and teaching a horse to land on the right leg.

I use the layout of a very standard grid and am looking for the horse to lock onto the fence — even though you may be jumping it at an acute angle — and stay on the line you have chosen. They should stay straight, think for themselves and shorten their stride independently.

It should also make the horse more aware of the front leg on the inside of the angle on the figure of eight, as this will need to act more quickly as it has less room than the one on the outside of

the angle.

Improving horse rideability

1. The height and layout of the fences can vary depending on the experience and ability of the horse. I build the grid down the centre of the school and start off with a cross-pole, with one stride to an upright and then two strides to a parallel oxer. All fences need to be built so that they can be jumped from both directions.

2. Begin by riding a figure of eight over each fence individually, starting with the cross-pole, before moving on to the next fence in the grid (see diagram one).

3. For more experienced horses, you can then add the second element of the exercise by riding a curving line over the first and third parts of the grid in a figure of eight (see diagram two).

4. The fences simulate a combination on the cross-country so you want the horse to be listening so they know where they are going, on which leg and to which fence.

Tips and pitfalls

• For younger horses I tend to make sure that there are ground lines on all fences. For the older and more experienced horses I take these away.
• If horses aren’t used to jumping on an angle, I always jump the cross-pole first out of trot to give them time.
• It is vital to make sure you are very clear with your aids, so your horse knows which fence to jump, and avoids locking on to the wrong fence.
• The further apart the fences are built, the less acute the angles will be on the figure of eight. If you have a problem, open the distance up to three strides between the second and third element.

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Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

International showjumper Holly Smith (pictured) uses this showjumping gridwork exercise with both her younger and more experienced horses to help them jump a flowing round.

Holly explains her “showjumping gym” gridwork exercise…

The three main things I consider when riding a showjumping course are time, attention and care. This exercise enables you to practise pushing horses on between lines and bringing them back, getting them to focus. Mistakes are made when horses run on and you no longer have their full concentration, so this helps prevent that.

I call it a “gym layout”, which combines a variety of trotting poles, cavaletti, cross-pole oxers and narrow fillers with guide poles arranged into grids.

It’s a workout I find especially useful with my top horses when I feel they need to leave the floor, but I don’t want to jump them over big fences and put unnecessary strain on their tendons and ligaments.

It’s also something I introduce early on with the youngsters — I make it really easy and just start with poles on the ground. It’s a big help with the canter, particularly as some horses don’t initially have the confidence to canter over fences.

The showjumping gridwork exercise

It is based around grids, incorporating placing poles, cavaletti and fences on both bounces and longer distances. You can mix and match to suit each horse and I usually introduce a new challenge to a line at least once during the session.

1. To start, set up three or four lines of different fence combinations, one of which might just be trotting poles raised at alternate ends.

2. I start out gently to make sure the horse is understanding the question. Cavaletti and poles should be falling in the centre of the arc of the horse’s stride or jump. Once the horse is jumping each line correctly, I start to come up with some “gym circuits”.

3. Some of the trickier elements — such as a skinny filler with guide poles — I might introduce individually, and then add into a grid later on. I like to “skinny train” my showjumpers, as course builders can throw in some surprises.

4. I usually put a cross-pole oxer at the end of a line or in the middle of a grid, as this help with straightness. V-poles, guide rails and poles as “tunnels” on the floor all help to stop any drifting.

5. I will introduce a bigger fence into a line — at a max of 1.10m — to help keep their concentration.

6. Between lines you can also introduce some exercises on the flat. I like to do a canter to walk transition and then ask the horses to move their hindquarters around 180°, while keeping their shoulders still (turn on the forehand), before going back into canter. It teaches them balance and gets them stepping under. As you move out of the exercise, it emphasises turning from the outside rein.

Continued below…

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Tips and pitfalls

• Make sure to give plenty of rests as injuries are most likely to occur when a horse is tired.
• There will often be lots of long lines and tight turns in an arena set-up, so it’s important to keep control of the horse’s outside shoulder.
• If a horse isn’t paying attention, introduce V-poles on the sides of the fences to help.

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

The event rider’s simple test improves coordination, collection and sharpness in horses of all types and ages

Aim

I learned this versatile and useful exercise from [former eventing performance manager] Yogi Breisner.

I find it a great exercise to use between events for the older horses as it allows them to use all their muscles without overdoing the jumping.

It is important that the three elements of your obstacle line are built down the long centre of the school. This gives the horse and rider time to get straight and to assess the test.

Create your line by placing a trot pole to mark the start then, approximately 2.5m away, build a cross-pole, followed, roughly on a 6.5m distance, by an oxer. The size of the fences depends on the horse’s experience.

As this exercise asks the horse a variety of questions in a restricted space, it is excellent for reinforcing eye/foot coordination, agility, collection and then sharpness and dexterity as the horse opens up over the final oxer.

Exercise

• Use the whole school and ride the turn to the fence line in a controlled, rhythmic trot, which is the tempo you need to maintain as you ride down to the first part of the exercise.
• The rider should sit up straight and soften their hand as the horse negotiates the pole and obstacles so that he can use his head, neck and body without restriction. Less is more from the rider — let the exercise work the horse.
• Ensure that you keep the horse straight on the approach and when he lands. Precision is the key.
• Each time I tackle this exercise I do so off alternate reins in a figure of eight. Provided the horse stays correct throughout, one approach on each rein is sufficient before the test is altered slightly, maybe by making the oxer larger or wider, or the cross pole a little higher.

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Tips and pitfalls

• Some horses drift sideways. You can add V poles and tramlines (parallel poles) on the ground to encourage the horse to stay straight.
• It’s important to maintain a collected trot over the trotting pole to the cross-pole.
• For horses that gain too much distance over a fence, put a landing pole after the cross-pole or oxer to encourage a more accurate landing.

After completing this exercise confidently, jump the oxer on an angle in canter without removing the cross-pole. Ride past the cross-pole close to the upright/wing to get to the oxer. Do this on both reins in a figure of eight. This exercise ensures the horse is coming up through his shoulder and is useful for cross-country riding.

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Olympian Gemma Tattersall puts two event horses at different levels through a grid designed to teach them to jump both boldly and carefully

Gemma Tattersall shares with us a gridwork jumping exercise using V poles that was inspired by her friend and fellow event rider Laura Collett…

Gridwork is often known as gymnastic jumping, because it helps teach the horse to be more elastic and enables both horse and rider to hone certain techniques without fussing about the perfect stride. Grids are typically set up on slightly short strides – seven yards to a horse’s stride rather than eight – to encourage the horse to be sharp with his front legs and not flatten, instead making a rounded bascule over the fence with the forelegs tucked up. There are myriad grid formats you can set up, but in this session with two of Gemma’s event horses, she chooses one set out on “true striding”.

“This grid is inspired by my friend [CCI5* winner] Laura Collett, who uses it sometimes when she’s schooling racehorses,” Gemma says. “It’s useful for getting horses to be more careful when jumping out of their normal stride.

“Heavy canter poles are a must for this,” she adds. “I am teaching the horse to be careful by being aware of where they are putting their feet – if they can’t feel the pole, they won’t learn. And it’s safer because there are quite a few poles on the ground in this exercise and if they roll under the horse’s foot, they can turn an ankle. I’m just using big, heavy poles, but you can also raise them on a brick.

“Each fence has a placing pole three yards in front, which tends to make the horse do a small jump over the pole on the final stride before taking off over the fence, which encourages them to pick their front legs up.

“The distances for this grid are true, because I don’t want the horse backing off too much. It is designed to make them sit back, jump the pole and snap up in front.”

Gemma first brings out one of her top eventers, Santiago Bay (Kizzy), and warms her up for 10 to 15 minutes in walk, trot and canter. She incorporates transitions, flying changes and ensures the mare is listening to her aids.

After cantering down the line with the poles on the ground, to familiarise Kizzy with the task in hand, Gemma shows her the first fence.

“She can be a monkey at the first, so I always show her it before we start jumping,” Gemma explains. “It’s her quirk, but I don’t let it bother me. She’s an amazing showjumper and has real fight about her; it’s what makes her so good. But she can be spooky, even in the school.”

Gemma builds up the grid fence by fence, starting with a 2ft 9in vertical. She has a helper – her head groom Charlotte Overton – on the ground to adjust the fences so that she can keep coming off both reins, with a fence added each time she completes the line. The grid builds up rapidly into a vertical to two oxers and finally a vertical. Although Gemma has a 20x60m arena, she says it would be doable in a short arena with just three fences rather than four.

Each fence has V-poles resting on the fence which, together with the placing pole, give the horse a lot to take in visually and assess what to do with their feet. However, Gemma doesn’t use extra poles underneath the top bar, to teach horses that’s the height to worry about. Kizzy performs exactly as required, cantering in strongly and basculing beautifully.

“I’m moving up quickly with her because she’s a five-star horse and she knows the exercise; this will just sharpen her up,” says Gemma. “The first time you do this, you should start small because it takes horses a bit of getting used to.”

The true distances between fences, combined with the placing poles the horse needs to negotiate, are the essence of this grid.

“It’s a mix of teaching the horse to be careful and staying on a natural forward stride,” says Gemma. “You have to be brave and keep coming at the fences, but let the grid do the work. It helps the horse snap out of an onward stride. If you’ve got one that dangles its legs or doesn’t lift the shoulder, this is a great exercise.”

Kizzy is now jumping 4ft as the final fence, and gives one of the V-poles a slight tap.

“The grid drew that mistake out of her; she was blasé and she’ll learn from that,” Gemma says, asking Charlotte to widen the gap between the V-poles slightly for the next attempt – which she jumps perfectly. “You have to read your horse and react each time to what they need and whether to adjust the Vs. If you have a horse who is worried about them, position them wider initially and gradually bring them in.

“I knew Kizzy would be sharp enough second time, so I widened the Vs to encourage her and she was super-careful – so I’ll leave it at that. It’s important not to overdo it and finish the session with them feeling happy.”

Using the exercise for a less experienced horse

Gemma’s second ride of the day is a totally different prospect – Chilli Rocks, a gangly rising six-year-old gelding. Gemma laughs as she works him in, having swapped from a highly tuned advanced ride to a baby just finding his feet.

“He’s hilarious, legs everywhere,” she says. “He’s very green. Chilli Morning’s foals tend to be late developers and babyish so you don’t push them early. They only become ‘wow horses’ when they are older.”

Rocky’s inexperience doesn’t hold him back from schooling through the same grid as his senior stablemate, however. Gemma simply builds up much more gradually than with Kizzy, and keeps the jumps relatively low.

“With a young one, I come in trot initially so they learn not to jump the fence and the placing pole in one go – I’ve had a few do that!” she says, trotting quietly through the line a few times with the poles on the ground.

Next she adds in the first vertical and again repeats, rather than moving straight into adding extra fences.

“He jumps in slow motion,” she grins, as Rocky carefully works his way through the grid. “He has to learn to have quicker reactions, but he’s seeing where he is long and he really tries.”

Gemma plays about a bit with the V-poles, first pulling them together to teach him to be more careful and then widening them to give him the confidence to jump through. After three goes of the full sequence, Gemma senses he’s done enough for one session.

“Always end on a good note – and he’s made a good effort today,” she says. “This is a hard exercise and really makes them work.”

While Rocky hasn’t put a foot wrong, Gemma has some advice for green horses if they are struggling.

“If they keep knocking fences, sometimes it’s right to stop and come back the next day and try again,” she says. “It’s amazing how horses seem to absorb what they’ve been taught overnight.”

The trainer

Gemma Tattersall is an Olympic event rider who competed at Rio in 2016 on Quicklook V and won team gold at the World Equestrian Games in 2018 with the popular Arctic Soul. She has been Event Rider Masters champion, British open champion and finished third at both Badminton and Burghley. Gemma also competes in international showjumping and jumped on the Portuguese Sunshine Tour in the autumn.

The horses doing gridwork with V poles

Santiago Bay (pictured), a 16.1hh mare by Ars Vivendi out of Zantus (Aldatus Z), is rising 13. She won two CCI4*-Ss last season and was seventh at Burghley CCI5* in 2019. “Kizzy” is owned by Caroline Teltsch and will be aimed for top level events again this year.

Chilli Rocks, a 16.3hh gelding by Chilli Morning out of Gemma’s Olympic ride Quicklook V (Urkel), is rising six. “Rocky” is owned by Chris and Lisa Stone and has been competing in young horse showjumping classes, but is destined to be an eventer.

Ref: 21 January 2021

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The eventer provides an exercise she uses to help 
her horses make a better shape over a fence

#SundaySchool: Imogen Murray on the bounce grid exercise

Event rider Vittoria has been a stalwart of senior Italian teams since 2005. She has contested two Olympic Games, finishing 11th at London 2012 with Borough Pennyz. Based in Redmarley D’Abitot, Glos, she is a former junior European champion who has lived in England since she was 17.

Training the stars

Merlots Magic benefited from this exercise as he needed to strengthen behind and develop more “push”. Chequers Play The Game was encouraged to make a better shape over a fence and I always used diagonal poles placed on top of the fence to encourage him to be rounder.

I use this exercise regularly with most of my horses, but I’ve always been cautious with Borough Pennyz (pictured). She was born with an amazing jump and if she overjumped doing an exercise like this, she would get into trouble.

This exercise — consisting ultimately of a cross-pole to three wide parallels jumped in trot — is multi-faceted. The brainchild of Sarah Bullen, it helps a horse who isn’t making a good shape over a fence to make their bascule rounder. It improves their “push” from behind, encourages the horse to sit back, “punch” and pick up. It will make those who rush back off, and teaches them how to look after themselves. The grid can also help to enhance a rider’s balance.

Tackling the issue

1. Set up a small cross-pole with a trot-pole preceding it at a 2.5m distance. Approach in trot and repeat until the horse is jumping through calmly.

2. Add in the other elements of the grid one at a time, always with a groundline 
in front. Next is an upright — 
the front part of the first parallel — placed about 7m from the cross-pole. Then the back rail, 
and so on, until there is three parallels to jump, initially with about 7m between each fence.

3. You don’t want the parallels too high (90cm-1m is ample), but they should be widened by 5-10cm each time, up to almost 2m for experienced horses. Consequently, the striding between them will shorten — to closer to 6m than the original 7m. Add in diagonal poles as the parallels widen to encourage the horse to make a rounder shape.

4. Jump through each altered grid once or twice. Don’t hang around between each approach as you don’t want the horse to switch off. To get the horse really lifting his shoulders, I sometimes change the final parallel into an upright.

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Consider this…

• Inexperienced riders tend to hang on to the horse’s mouth, but avoid doing this as the horse must be free to use their neck.
• The rider should lower his hands to move with the horse’s mouth, and stay folded and in balance, with their leg in the correct position. Don’t sit back on the saddle.
• Jumping the initial grids before widening with a light contact is the best way to check ideal rider balance.
• Ensure the horse jumps sharply over the cross-pole or you will struggle to make it through the rest.
• If the horse is finding it too easy, shorten the overall striding.

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The event rider provides his exercise for keeping your horse on a dead-straight line on the cross-country course

Event rider Alex Bragg was long-listed for the 2017 Europeans and 2018 World Equestrian Games with Zagreb, with whom he won the Event Riders Masters at Jardy, France, last season (pictured). He runs a string of 20 horses from his base in Bridgwater, Somerset.

Alex explains: “This exercise teaches a horse not to deviate from a line. Your job is to present your horse in the right rhythm and balance — he does the rest. Horses pick it up quickly, plus, as it’s in the school with multiple options, a glance-off here doesn’t stick in their mind as a run-out on a cross-country course.”

Training the stars

“Shannondale Percy had been known to run out, so when I took him on in 2018 I tried this exercise. It has not only stopped him rushing, but it has taught him to stay on a straight line and place his front feet exactly where I want them in front of a jump.

“I started using this exercise on the eight-year-old Bonmahon Blue Mist when he was four. As a youngster he was hot, sharp and not naturally gifted, but he now has an incredible cross-country record, which I believe is the result of this exercise.”

Tackling the issue

1. Build three upright fences with seven yards between each, and with the middle one offset by four to five feet. Approach in a jumping canter and ride a square, balanced turn, lining your horse up so that you both can see to the end of the grid. Horses are flight animals and always look for a way out, so the fact that you are looking to the end of the grid and beyond will keep him on the correct line.

2. Negotiate element one and three, bypassing element two (route one). Attempt it a few times. If your horse is inexperienced, use poles on the ground instead, raising them to cavaletti height and finally jump height — to a maximum of 1.20m — when he is ready to move on.

3. Jump from element three to two or two to one (route two) on a diagonal line.

4. Provided your horse is looking ahead and picking up, tackle the most difficult line, jumping all three elements (route three). Element two can be moved inwards to make it wider for youngsters. Make the fence narrower as your horse gains confidence.

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Consider this…

• Ensure your horse is established in this exercise at least two months before taking him cross-country schooling.
• If you have a horse who is struggling or trying to run out, try guide rails temporarily on routes one and three.
• Soften your hands forward and sit as still as possible, but be ready to react if your horse backs off. Avoid throwing your body forward up his neck.

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Sharpen up your showjumping basics with this curved grid exercise

Aim

One of the most important steps in producing a showjumping horse is to develop rhythm.

This grid will encourage you to use the correct leg and hand aids to maintain consistent rhythm. It will give a useful indication of your horse’s jumping pace — too slow and five strides will be difficult to achieve, but too fast and you won’t fit them in. The exercise will also train your eye to focus on a new destination, riding over one pole and looking ahead to plan for the next.

The exercise

1. Lay out the poles to allow five strides (just over 18m) on each corner, from mid-pole to mid-pole. Leave plenty of room on the long, straight sides at first, as you don’t want to overwhelm the horse at the outset with challenges that come too thick and fast.

2. Start at walk, so the horse understands what is being asked of him. Once he is happy with this, progress to trot. Don’t worry about the number of strides — aim for the centre of each pole, keep a nice inside bend on the corners and use the parallel poles as a guide for straightness on the long sides. Work evenly on both reins.

3. With this established, move into canter and aim for five strides on each corner. React to what the horse is doing by using more inside leg if he falls in on the corners, or more outside rein and leg if he falls out through the shoulder. He should soon learn to stay on the correct canter lead, but be prepared to come back to trot for a stride or two if necessary to put this right.

4. Once you’re both confident at canter, on both reins, replace the poles with small cavaletti.

5. Make things more challenging by placing water trays under the cavaletti, or swapping one for some spooky fillers or a small plank. Aim to keep even, relaxed canter strides.

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Tips and pitfalls

• If the horse becomes too hot and sharp, go back a level. Try the exercise again in trot, or even walk, building it back up once he relaxes.
• Shorten the distances slightly if he struggles to cover the ground. The measurements suggested are standard — much will depend on his age, experience, fitness, schooling level and length of stride.
• Mastering this exercise may take months, especially with a young horse. Be patient and remember that a lot of good work is done in walk.

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The Olympic eventer takes us through a step-by-step guide to one of her favourite exercises — a bounce to a parallel to a bounce — which aims to stop your horse rushing, and think about where he's placing his feet instead

The aim

This exercise tests straightness, rhythm, agility and balance. I will quite often have this grid set up in my school along with single fences and come back to it in between working on other things. It is really good for horses that rush as it keeps them focused and thinking about their footwork.

The exercise

• Set up a grid with a bounce (on a three-yard distance) followed by a stride (seven yards) to a small parallel. Build a mirror image of this on the landing side, so the grid can be jumped in both directions. The bounce fences don’t need to be big — 40-50cm is fine.
• I like to start with a low, wide oxer in the middle as it encourages the horse to stretch out over the fence and use his back. It also produces a slower, more deliberate jump.
• Work the horse on the flat until you are happy with the rhythm and balance. Do not approach the grid if your horse is rushing or pulling; keep working him until he settles.
• When you come to the grid, make sure your lower leg is strong and your upper body tall. If you fold too quickly over the fences it will make the horse quicken. Wait for the horse’s neck to come up to you.
• You must make sure you stay completely straight after the fence through the rest of the bounces.
• Jump through the grid in both directions, but when you change direction always make sure the horse is balanced by controlling the outside shoulder with your outside hand and leg.
• You can gradually build the oxer higher and wider, or you can use an upright in place of it. For a horse that tends to drift left or right I will often use V-poles on the middle element to encourage him to stay straight. V-poles can also help with a horse that rushes as they encourage him to assess the fence and make a better shape.

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Watch out for

• The most common mistake is the rider trying to place the horse at the first bounce fence. This disrupts the rhythm that you are working so hard to establish. Think about keeping the rhythm even all the time.
• There is a tendency to jump the fence in the middle and then relax over the second set of bounce rails and let the horse do his own thing: look up and keep riding straight all the way down the grid.

Don’t miss our training feature with Gemma Tattersall in this week’s issue of Horse & Hound magazine (10 November 2016), where she looks at how to tackle skinnies

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now