The headcollar and the quick-release knot

The headcollar is for holding, leading and tying up a horse on foot; it has no bit. Putting it on correctly, then tying your pony up with a knot that comes undone in a single pull: two basic skills of Galop 1.

In the exam programme

Put on a headcollar.Common module A
Name the parts of the headcollar.Common module B
Copy a quick-release knot.Common module A

Cheekpiece
Headpiece
Buckle
Throatlatch
Lead rope and clip
Tie ring
Noseband

Fig. 1.5The parts of the headcollar

The headpiece: Also called the crownpiece. It passes behind the ears, over the poll, and fastens with a buckle on the left side.
The cheekpieces: They run down each side of the head and join the headpiece to the noseband.
The noseband: It goes round the nose.
The throatlatch: It passes under the throat, from one side of the head to the other.
The connecting strap: It joins the throatlatch to the noseband, under the jaw.
The back ring: The ring under the chin, where the lead rope is attached by its trigger clip.

Get readyUndo the headpiece buckle. Stand on the left of the head, facing the same way as the pony, holding the headcollar open in your hands.
Hold himFirst pass the lead rope round his neck and hold it: if he takes a step, you can stop him.
Slip on the nosebandOffer the noseband under the end of his nose and slide it gently up into place.
Pass the headpiece overPass the end of the headpiece over the poll, from right to left, just behind the ears, without folding them; catch it with your left hand.
Buckle up and checkBuckle the headpiece on the left side, then check the fit.

Remember

A well-fitted headcollar

The noseband sits roughly halfway between the eye and the nostril, about two fingers below the prominent cheekbone, and you can slide two fingers between it and the nose. Too loose, the headcollar slips and the pony may catch a foot in it while scratching; too tight, it hurts him.

Tying up your pony

Always tie up by the headcollar, with a lead rope — never by the reins or the bit.
Choose a solid, fixed point, the tie ring put there for the purpose — never something he could pull loose and drag behind him, such as a gate or a plank: he would panic. Many yards put a loop of baler twine between the ring and the lead rope, which snaps if the pony panics.
Tie up high enough: at least at the height of his withers.
Between the ring and the headcollar, leave about a neck’s length of rope: enough for him to move his head, not enough for him to get a leg over the rope.

1. Make a loop

The free end crosses over the pony’s end.

2. Fold a small loop

In the free end, without pulling the end through.

3. Thread it through

Behind the pony’s end, then through the first loop.

4. Pull it tight

The knot snug against the ring, the free end hanging: one pull undoes it.

Fig. 1.6The quick-release knot, step by step

Through the ringPass the lead rope through the ring. Let’s call the part that goes to the headcollar the pony end, and the other end the free end.
Make a loopCross the free end over the pony end: you have made a loop under the ring.
Fold a small loopFold the free end in two to make a small loop, without pulling the end through.
Thread itPass this small loop behind the pony end, then through the first loop.
Pull it tightPull on the small loop to tighten it, then slide the knot up against the ring by pulling on the pony end.

Safety

One pull on the free end undoes the whole knot in a single movement: that is what lets you free a pony in an emergency. So to untie him, that is the end you pull — never the pony end, which tightens the knot.

A word from the instructor

Some ponies learn to untie a quick-release knot with their teeth faster than their riders learn to tie one. For these escape artists, tuck the free end through the small loop — and remember to take it out again before you pull.

Ekidemy

The Galops^®, from the first step to Galop 7