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The Galops®, from the first step to Galop 7

Galop 2Revision

Contents
  1. 01WelcomeOverview
  2. 02The five sensesKnowledge
  3. 03Life in the herdKnowledge
  4. 04The mouth and mealsKnowledge
  5. 05Feed, water, mealsCaring for the horse
  6. 06Housing, catching, turning outKnowledge
  7. 07More coats and patchesKnowledge
  8. 08The legsKnowledge
  9. 09Three breedsKnowledge
  10. 10GroomingCaring for the horse
  11. 11Quick-release knot and bridleCaring for the horse
  12. 12Saddling, saddle careCaring for the horse
  13. 13Work on footOn foot
  14. 14Mounting, girth, reinsIn the saddle
  15. 15Going forward, changing gaitIn the saddle
  16. 16Sitting or light seatIn the saddle
  17. 17Figures and arena rulesKnowledge
  18. 18The first fenceIn the saddle
  19. 19Equestrian activitiesKnowledge
  20. 20RevisionRevision

Revision: Galop 2

The last step: find out how the assessment works, read over the essentials, test what you know and tick off what you can do.

In the exam programme

  • Ride a Galop® 2 test course.Specific part

On assessment day

Whether your instructor holds an exam session or assesses you as the lessons go by, they watch for the same things: how you get your horse ready, your work on foot, your ridden course and your knowledge. They may ask you to point to parts of the horse or the tack, to draw figures, or to recognise feeds or brushes.

  • Clothing: a riding hat to equestrian safety standards, compulsory in the saddle; riding boots, jodhpur boots or shoes with a small heel; gloves recommended.
  • Preparation: arrive early. Catching, grooming, saddling and bridling your horse are all part of the assessment.
  • Attitude: calm, safety and respect for the horse count as much as technique.

The Galop 2 test course

The FFE sets out a test course, which your instructor may adapt. It runs straight through, without a break:

  1. The mounting block, in the centre: mount, adjust the stirrups, tighten the girth
  2. Walk on the left rein
  3. Rising trot
  4. Turn across the school, change of rein
  5. 20 m circle
  6. Second turn across, change of rein
  7. 15 m volte
  8. Diagonal
  9. Transition zone: walk, halt, walk, trot
  10. Sitting trot, short side to short side
  11. Canter strike-off in the corner
  12. Sitting canter for at least 10 m, then in balance
  13. Poles on the ground, trotting in balance
  14. Small cross-pole on the track, at trot
Fig. 2.21The Galop 2 test course, seen from above
  1. MountPosition your horse at the mounting block and mount unaided, the horse standing still; adjust your stirrups; tighten the girth at the halt, then check it at walk.
  2. Walk and rising trotWalk on the left rein, then go into rising trot.
  3. Figures at rising trotA turn across the width with a change of rein, a 20 m circle, a second turn across with a change of rein, a 15 m volte, a diagonal.
  4. ReinsLet the reins out to the buckle, then take them up again to the right length, still at rising trot.
  5. TransitionsCome back to walk, halt, then move off again into walk and trot, within a zone of about thirty metres.
  6. Sitting trot and canterSit to a very slow trot from one short side to the other; strike off into canter, sit to it for at least 10 metres, then go into a light seat.
  7. Poles and fenceCome back to trot, trot over ground poles in a light seat, then jump a small fence on the track at trot.
  8. FinishCome back to trot, then walk, and walk on a long rein.

Tip

Draw the course on paper and recite it before you ride, as a series of steps. On the day, you will be thinking about your horse rather than the route.

Crib sheet

TopicRemember
SightOver 300°; binocular vision of 60 to 70° in front; two blind spots, behind and under the nose.
MouthIncisors, tushes (mainly in males), the bars where the bit rests, molars; 40 teeth in a male, 36 in a mare.
FeedingIn the wild, 15 to 16 hours a day spent eating; grass, hay, straw, cereals, pellets.
Water20 to 40 litres a day on average, 15 to 60 depending on heat, work and diet; clean and always available.
HousingField, paddock, open barn (in a group), loose box (alone, free to move), stall (tied up).
Other coloursWhite and cream: pink skin. Grey: black skin, whitens with age. Chocolate: chocolate-brown coat, washed-out mane and tail.
PatchesSmall: spotted. Large patches: pie — black pie, chestnut pie, bay pie.
LegsKnee (front) or hock (back), cannon, fetlock, pastern, coronet, hoof.
GroomingCurry comb in circles, dandy brush, body brush; hoof pick from heel to toe.
Aids to go forwardLegs, seat, voice, allowing hands, then the whip; release as soon as the horse answers.
FiguresCircle (10 to 20 m) and volte (smaller; 15 m in the test course): no change of rein. Diagonal: a change of rein. Turn across the school: with or without, as instructed.
Arena rulesThe faster gait has right of way; at the same gait, the left rein; one horse’s length between two horses.
FenceSmall, on the track; red flag on the right, white on the left.
Galop 2 in a nutshell

Quiz

Test yourself

0 of 15 answered

  1. Question 1 of 15Where are the horse’s blind spots?
  2. Question 2 of 15Which part of the mouth does the bit rest on?
  3. Question 3 of 15How many teeth does an adult male horse have?
  4. Question 4 of 15In the wild, how long does a horse spend eating each day?
  5. Question 5 of 15What is straw?
  6. Question 6 of 15How much does a horse drink a day, on average?
  7. Question 7 of 15In which kind of housing is the horse tied up, unable to turn round?
  8. Question 8 of 15An all-white horse has black skin around its eyes and nostrils. What colour is it?
  9. Question 9 of 15A horse has large white patches and large red-brown patches. What is its coat?
  10. Question 10 of 15Which part of the leg lies between the fetlock and the coronet?
  11. Question 11 of 15In what order do you use the grooming tools?
  12. Question 12 of 15Your horse does not answer a light squeeze of your legs. What do you do first?
  13. Question 13 of 15Two riders at trot are about to pass each other, one on the left rein, the other on the right rein. Who keeps the track?
  14. Question 14 of 15Which figure always changes the rein?
  15. Question 15 of 15On a fence, which side is the red flag on?

Before the exam, I can…

Before the exam, I can…

Ekidemy is independent teaching material that follows the official programme of the French Equestrian Federation’s Galops®.Galop® is a registered trademark of the FFE.

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