11/27/2025
Grid patterns. With many unable to travel or take lessons for a little while (EHV concerns) here is an exercise you can work with your horse and yourself. Riding grids, especially in a freshly drug arena can help you check straightness in your horse and your riding. I walk, trot and loped these this morning along with practicing perfect circles and lead changes.
For the horse, this is about going straight on a line for a defined length. It helps with tracking and anticipation. The horse has to.listen.to your feet and reins through subtle cues. This is really good for horses that anticipate changes when any leg or rein pressure is applied.
For the rider, this is about about sitting down, eyes up, hands down (as much as possible for the hands). Look where you are going and get there with as little interference with the horse as possible. Lines won't be perfect at first. Look at mine. This was the first time doing this exercise with the horse I used today. I took multiple passes in different gaits down each grid line correcting wherever lines were imperfect.
For horse and rider, have fun and practice something new. Mix it up and make sure you practice all 3 gaits. To add a little bit of difficulty, place poles (singular or no less than 6' apart since you are traveling at different speeds) at various locations in your arena.
