Grid work/Cavaletti style exercises for strength

Matafleur · 2025-12-15T10:49:46+0000

Hi all,

Can you give me your favourite grid/cavaletti exercises to build strength and push behind? I have a new 5 year old that I've bought for dressage but I'd like to keep his schooling interesting and not too intense. He is a very competent jumper but I am not hugely brave, so just looking for a couple of simple exercises to run through once a week to build up his pushing strength for flatwork and let him have a nice time.

I have a 20 x 60 school and enough stands for 8 fences. Simpler the better though please

.

Thanks!

millitiger · 2025-12-15T16:47:12+0000

I tend to fall back on a few favourites!

I like the clock face with poles at 12, 3, 6 and 9. Tend to canter but does work in all paces and work on keeping an even stride pattern, then more strides, then open up, then close back again etc.

I also like 5-7 poles in a corner, so you can go through with hend. You can raise the poles on either end, depending on whether you feel they are falling in or out

Another is raised walk poles, spaced quite tightly. I do 3-5 with younger horses and up to 9 once they understand it.
You can add a box before and after so you trot in and then transition to walk in the box, the trot again in the box at the other end.
Can do canter-walk poles- canter too. I find it really helps the transitions to sit back and take weight behind and then because the walk poles are spaced quite close, it encourages the horse to step up and under rather than long and strung out.

There is a Facebook page with quite a few exercises and has diagrams etc, Paul Cornish I think it is? I have found some new ones on there

Matafleur · 2025-12-15T19:08:51+0000

millitiger said:
I tend to fall back on a few favourites!

I like the click face with poles at 12, 3, 6 and 9. Tend to canter but does work in all paces and work on keeping an even stride pattern, then more strides, then open up, then close back again etc.

I also like 5-7 poles in a corner, so you can go through with hend. You can raise the poles on either end, depending on whether you feel they are falling in or out

Another is raised walk poles, spaced quite tightly. I do 3-5 with younger horses and up to 9 once they understand it.
You can add a box before and after so you trot in and then transition to walk in the box, the trot again in the box at the other end.
Can do canter-walk poles- canter too. I find it really helps the transitions to sit back and take weight behind and then because the walk poles are spaced quite close, it encourages the horse to step up and under rather than long and strung out.

There is a Facebook page with quite a few exercises and has diagrams etc, Paul Cornish I think it is? I have found some new ones on there

Wonderful, thank you! I love the Dressage Accademy page for flat exercises but haven't found one for grids etc yet.

I've been doing raised walk poles in hand before our hack day too so will start doing them ridden and incorporating transitions as we progress. He is very light in the hand currently so working on more push from behind into the rein.

LEC · 2025-12-15T21:46:02+0000

Loads on Instagram that I usually get some inspiration from. I screenshot and then add to my notes on my phone so can always access quickly for ideas.

Matafleur · 2025-12-16T07:51:25+0000

Thanks LEC, appreciate you taking the time to link these. I used to use Equus Accademy, not sure why I stopped following them. I will brave one of these at the weekend and see how we get on

Grid work/Cavaletti style exercises for strength

Matafleur

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millitiger

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Matafleur

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LEC

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Matafleur

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