How Cross Country Translates to Upper-Level Dressage

Five-star eventer Laine Ashker demonstrates how achieving the necessary balance required to navigate cross-country courses directly translates to upper-level Grand Prix dressage movements.

Home » Featured Articles » How Cross Country Translates to Upper-Level Dressage

Eventers of all levels are well versed in riding over varying terrain due to their experience on cross country where they’re often required to ride down banks and navigate drop-downs into water and jumps with drops behind them. “This helps us learn how to put our position in the backseat when we need to,” five-star eventer and Grand Prix dressage rider Laine Ashker said. “Riding cross country teaches you how to naturally balance your horse, which carries over to dressage.”

Five-star eventer and Grand Prix dressage rider Laine Ashker says her experience riding cross country helps improve her upper-level dressage movements because both are all about finding balance in your horse.

Here, Ashker explains how her experience as a five-star eventer helps with her upper-level Grand Prix dressage movements and vice versa. You can also watch a video of her demonstrating this concept below.

From Drop Jumps to Pirouettes and Piaffe

“In eventing, especially when coming down to the head of a lake or dropping into water, you have to create balance in your horse. You can see in the video as I prepare for my left half pirouette turn, I stay behind my horse so he can more easily lift his shoulders for the turn. And then I ride him out. We repeat it one more time. I take my time and am very patient as I continue to stay behind him to keep his shoulders lifted.

“In piaffe, it’s the same idea. You want your horse’s shoulders to lift, not his head. There’s a big difference. And in order for the horse’s shoulders to lift, his back and rear need to drop. You horse can’t do this if you’re ahead of him all the time.

“Here, I’m going to demonstrate my position. You should always be able to draw a straight line from your shoulder to your hip and down to your heel. It’s very similar to our takeoffs over some cross-country jumps because it requires us to naturally balance our horses. The jumps actually help us do this. In dressage, we obviously don’t have jumps, so we have to use our position and posture to achieve that balance.

“In the piaffe, it’s a very light aid with the hand. Then, my legs alternate to ask my horse to lift his front legs. There’s a very fine line here between throwing him out of balance with my position. I continue to stay behind his motion to allow his shoulders to lift, and I might allow him to travel just a bit to keep the steps the same.

“In summary, if you do both eventing and upper-level dressage, be proud of being an eventer. Improving your position on cross country will only make your position that much better in your dressage work, no matter your level, and it will be more supportive for your horse.”

Click to watch the full video of Laine Ashker demonstrating how her experience on cross country as an eventer carries over to her upper-level Grand Prix dressage movements.

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 CC14* and the Defender Burghley Horse Trials CC15*. 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.