Lainey Grid!

 Klein over the 3'6" vertical on the end of the line.

Lainey Ashker is one of my favorite eventers for many reasons both to do with her riding, her training, her dedication, and her general outlook about things.  She can do it all.  She can dominate the biggest 4* track in the world (Burghley) yet step into the sandbox in Wellington and look like she belongs in there with all the other DQs, not to mention win best dressed on the dressage trot up.

 #goAlgo

#internationalAl

Beating the DQs at their own game in Welly world.

She posts dressage and jumping exercises on her Instagram.  They are often featured on EN.  I really think she needs to write a book.

Klein and I have done a lot of her grids lately and every single one has it's own teaching points and value.  The one we did this week is (as Lainey describes it) "helps with getting the horses to wait on the take off therefore creating a rounder bascule and helps to maintain an even canter step to the second element of the grid without the horse increasing the length of his stride."  Here is Lainey demonstrating on Instagram:

#GOTD alert! Trot into a 7 ft placement pole to a vertical with a 9 ft landing pole, four strides (I make mine short around 45-46 feet) followed by a placement pole, 9 ft to another vertical (V poles are optional here) with a 10 ft landing rail! This grid helps with getting the horses to wait on the take off therefore creating a rounder bascule and helps to maintain an even canter step to the second element of the grid without the horse increasing the length of his stride. (If your horse has a tendency to "rush" the jumps then add V poles which should help hold them off the ground) Enjoy guys! Oh and shout out to Comet for always being a dude! 😍😎👊🏼

A video posted by Lainey Ashker (@laineyea) on Mar 20, 2016 at 8:17am PDT

It made Klein think and make decisions.  It was great!  It also made me work because I'm not so great at trotting in to fences, Jennie Brannigan exposed that immediately in our clinic.  So, I chose this to work on a weakness.  I surprised myself actually.  I had no issues trotting into it.

I started with the first vertical at 2'9" and the second vertical at 3'3" then I raised the first vertical to 3' and the second vertical to 3'6".  

 Here is a video of Klein, I was alone so tripod video had to do.  Next grid I'll have The Other Half take better video.  The first time through is at 2'9" and 3'3" and the last two times through are at 3' and 3'6".  You can SEE Klein make a decision on the last stride in this video.  The v-poles were optional for this grid and since I didn't feel like going to dig out two more poles I didn't add them.

Nice job Klein baby.  We ride with Lainey soon and I am REALLY looking forward to that!  She actually commented on our video of this grid on Instagram and said "Perfect!  What a horse!"  It says something about her that she actually takes time out of her ridiculously busy schedule to even watch anything on Instagram that she is tagged in, let alone comments on it.  Thanks Lainey!  See you soon!