Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Hi everybody,
As you can see, we have just finished a grid work session. I really like to incorporate gridwork into our weekly routine on a regular basis. I think it’s great for building muscle, helps develop and improve your horse’s technique and it helps to give both horse and rider confidence.
I’m going to run through how I like to build a basic grid at home. I start off with trot poles which are spaced 1.5m apart from one another. There is 2.7m between the last trot pole and the first cross-pole and between each bounce is 3m. Then between the final part of the bounce and the upright is 6.1m and from the vertical to the oxer is 6.4-6.5m.
It depends on what you want to achieve with your gridwork or how you would like to jump as to the distances in between each part of the grid, but the measurements I’ve stated are roughly where I like things to be.
It’s also really important that you approach the grid on both reins and also land on different canter leads.
While jumping through the grid I’m always thinking about my straightness, balance and rhythm.
I like to build my grids up progressively — we start with just the trot poles, then introduce the cross-pole, then the bounce, then the vertical and finally the oxer.
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
I’m really pleased with how my horse, Waltons Top Flight, has jumped today and we’re really excited because we’ve got so much going on at the moment.
See you guys soon!
Leonora
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
Leonora is a young international showjumper, fashion model and TV presenter. She also has a diploma in musical arts. Originally from Oxfordshire, Leonora is now based in Belgium and competes up to two-star level.
