In Tip 6, five-star eventer and Grand Prix dressage rider Laine Ashker explained how she uses a landing rail to improve her horses’ shape over fences for show jumping. In this lesson, she demonstrates how ground rails teach her up-and-coming eventing horse Lovedance to be quicker with her front end and give the 9-year-old KWPN mare confidence in knowing exactly where she needs to take off.

“Ground lines benefit horses of all levels, but they are especially helpful for green horses and those competing at the lower levels because they help horses assess where their takeoff point for the jump should be,” she said. “My mare ‘Lottie’ is moving up to the four-star level this year, and her biggest issue in the jumping phase is that she can be a little slow with her front end. Using a ground line in front of a simple vertical encourages her to be quicker with her front legs.”

To help green or less-experienced horses learn exactly where they need to take off over fences, five-star eventer Laine Ashker sets the ground line about a foot from the base of a vertical. ©Practical Horseman

Asker uses ground lines as a training tool both at home and as part of her show-jumping warm-up. She starts by rolling the line out about a foot from the vertical to help Lottie better understand where to take off and then gradually brings the pole closer to the base of the jump. To complete the training exercise at home or as her final jump before going into the show ring, Ashker completely removes the ground line to ensure her mare has learned from the experience.

“As you can see in the video, as Lottie and I are cantering up to this vertical, I have a lot of confidence that she’ll know where to take off,” she said. “I focus on the quality of my canter and placing her in a good position, so she sees the line and understands exactly where her takeoff point needs to be. Then, I just hold my upper body and follow her.”

Ashker notes that this exercise not only encourages green or less-experienced horses learn how to be a little quicker and tighter with their knees, but it also helps instill confidence in both horse and rider at reading their distances. “It takes away my responsibility of having tell my horse exactly where to take off and teaches her how to read it on her own,” she noted. “Therefore, both horse and rider gain confidence independently.”

In general, Ashker says she rolls the ground line farther out (about 1 foot) for green horses and those who tend to be slower with their front legs. “But it’s also a great training tool for horses of all levels to sharpen up their skills for show jumping.”

Here you can watch the full video, brought to you by Absorbine, of five-star eventer Laine Ashker explain and demonstrate how to use ground lines to teach your horse to be quicker with his front feet and learn exactly where he should take off.

About Laine Ashker

Five-star eventer and dressage professional Lainey Ashker has competed in numerous FEI competitions at the five-star level, including the Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials CCI4* and the Defender Burghley Horse Trials CCI5*. The horsewoman, who trains out of her Keystone Acres farm in Chesterfield, Virginia, also won the National Eventing Championship (Advanced Level) in 2013 aboard her long-time mount, Anthony Patch. More recently, she won her first CDI in May 2023 aboard her upper-level dressage horse, Zeppelin.

For more with Laine Ashker, click here.

This video is brought to you by Absorbine.