Galop 3In the saddle
Contents
- 01WelcomeOverview
- 02Life in natureKnowledge
- 03Bedding and waterCaring for the horse
- 04The points of the horseKnowledge
- 05The hoof and shoeingKnowledge
- 06A full groomingCaring for the horse
- 07Tack and bridleCaring for the horse
- 08The walk and the trotKnowledge
- 09The diagonal at trotIn the saddle
- 10Markings and whorlsKnowledge
- 11Coat colour variantsKnowledge
- 12BreedsKnowledge
- 13The aids to turnKnowledge
- 14The canter strike-offIn the saddle
- 15Position and balanceIn the saddle
- 16Controlling the gaitIn the saddle
- 17Curves and half-voltesIn the saddle
- 18Approach and jumpIn the saddle
- 19GroundworkOn foot
- 20The disciplinesKnowledge
- 21Revision and examRevision
Steering with precision: tight curves, the half-volte and the reverse half-volte
At trot, you must follow an exact track with tight curves; at canter, a set track. Two school figures join those of Galop 2: the half-volte and the reverse half-volte, which you must be able to draw and name.
In the exam programme
- Steer at trot on an exact track with tight curves, and at canter on a set track.Specific part
- Draw on paper and name the half-volte and the reverse half-volte.Specific part
A reminder from Galop 2: the circle, usually 10 to 20 m across; the volte, a small circle of 6 to 10 m; the diagonal and the turns across the school. A tight curve has a small radius — a volte, a corner ridden deep: the horse must turn without slowing down and without letting its shoulders or its quarters slide out.
The half-volte
The half-volte — in a British arena, the “half-circle and return to the track” — is a figure for changing the rein, made of a half-circle followed by an oblique line. The rider leaves the track on a half-circle towards the inside, then rejoins the track on an oblique line: they are now going the other way.
The reverse half-volte
The reverse half-volte does the opposite: it is an oblique line followed by a half-circle. The rider leaves the track on an oblique, then comes back to it on a half-circle, and sets off the other way. Both figures change the rein.
The half-volte
Half a volte, then an oblique back to the track: the rein changes.
The reverse half-volte
An oblique off the track, then half a volte back to it.
Remember
Half-volte: half-circle then oblique. Reverse half-volte: oblique then half-circle. The reverse one simply reverses the order.
- Draw the arenaDraw a rectangle, then the track running just inside its edges.
- Mark the startChoose a point on a long side and add an arrow showing the direction of travel.
- Draw the figureFor the half-volte, a half-circle towards the inside, then an oblique that comes back to meet the track. For the reverse half-volte, an oblique towards the inside, then a half-circle that comes back to the track.
- Show the change of reinFinish with an arrow pointing the new way and write the name of the figure.
Riding tight curves well
- Look well ahead into the curve, towards its way out or the point where you will rejoin the track.
- Set the speed before the curve, not during it; then keep up the impulsion with your inside leg.
- Frame the horse in the rein corridor: the opening rein shows the way, the neck rein holds the outside shoulder, the outside leg holds the quarters.
- At rising trot, change your diagonal on the oblique, since you are changing the rein.
- At canter, follow a set track — circles, straight lines, wide curves — keeping the same canter from start to finish.
Common mistake
A half-volte shaped like a teardrop: the half-circle is squashed and the oblique starts too soon. Really finish the half-circle, then ride a clear oblique all the way to the track.