Galop 1Knowledge
Contents
- 01WelcomeOverview
- 02Respecting the horseKnowledge
- 03Club, licence and FFEKnowledge
- 04SafetyKnowledge
- 05Understanding the horseKnowledge
- 06Approaching your ponyCaring for the horse
- 07Headcollar and knotCaring for the horse
- 08Brushing your ponyCaring for the horse
- 09Leading in handOn foot
- 10Parts of the horseKnowledge
- 11Basic coat coloursKnowledge
- 12The three gaitsKnowledge
- 13Mounting and dismountingIn the saddle
- 14The reins and the aidsIn the saddle
- 15Walk, rising trot, canterIn the saddle
- 16Saddle, bridle, tack roomCaring for the horse
- 17VocabularyKnowledge
- 18Revision and examRevision
The three basic coat colours
The coat colour is the colour of the horse: his coat, his mane and tail, and his skin. Three colours are enough to begin with, as long as you know where to look.
In the exam programme
- Recognise and name the three basic coat colours: black, chestnut and bay.Common module B
To name a colour, always look at three things, in this order: the colour of the body, the colour of the mane and tail, and the colour of the points — the lower legs and the rims of the ears. It is often the mane and tail that settle it.
Black
Black hair, mane, tail and legs.
Chestnut
Red-brown hair, mane and tail the same colour.
Bay
Brown hair, black mane, tail and lower legs.
Colour 1
Black
Coat, mane, tail and points all black, and black skin. In the sun, a black can take on reddish tints: people call it “sun-bleached”, but it is still black.
Colour 2
Chestnut
A reddish coat, from golden to deep red-brown, with a mane and tail the same colour as the body, sometimes lighter. Never a black mane or tail, never black points.
Colour 3
Bay
A coat from brown to reddish, light or dark, with a black mane and tail and black points: the legs look as if they were wearing black stockings.
| Colour | Body | Mane and tail | Lower legs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | Black | Black | Black |
| Chestnut | Reddish, light to dark | Like the body, or lighter | Like the body |
| Bay | Brown to reddish | Black | Black |
Remember
A black mane and tail on a brown body: that is a bay. A mane and tail the colour of the body: that is a chestnut.
Common mistake
A very dark chestnut can look brown, almost bay. Look at his tail and his lower legs: if there is not a single black hair, he is a chestnut.
A word from the instructor
There is no such thing as a “ginger” horse — not in the yard, anyway. Say it once in front of an examiner and watch an eyebrow go up.
White markings on the head or legs don’t change the coat colour: a bay with a big white patch on his forehead is still a bay. You will meet other colours — grey, white, piebald… — in Galop 2, and learn to name white markings in Galop 3.