Galop 4In the saddle
Contents
- 01WelcomeOverview
- 02Domestic lifeKnowledge
- 03Identifying a horseKnowledge
- 04The passportKnowledge
- 05Routine careCaring for the horse
- 06Vital signs and illnessCaring for the horse
- 07Needs and feedsKnowledge
- 08Feeds to avoidKnowledge
- 09How the canter worksKnowledge
- 10The aids, flexion and bendKnowledge
- 11Boots and legsCaring for the horse
- 12Snaffle bitsKnowledge
- 13The contactIn the saddle
- 14The jumping positionIn the saddle
- 15Position and strideIn the saddle
- 16Canter from walk, quarter turnsIn the saddle
- 17GroundworkOn foot
- 18Safety and hackingKnowledge
- 19Tests and revisionRevision
Sitting or rising: position, stride length and speed
A Galop 4 rider keeps their position when everything changes: direction, gait, length of stride. That is what lets them regulate the horse’s speed without upsetting him.
In the exam programme
- Rise to the trot in a good position through changes of direction or of stride length.Specific part
- Trot, canter and link simple movements sitting in a good position.Specific part
- Vary the speed (the stride length) at the rising trot and the canter.Specific part
- Keep an even speed through a sequence of curves and straight lines at the canter.Specific part
Rising trot through the changes
In rising trot, your balance stays over your feet. On a curve, do not lean in: turn your shoulders with the horse, keep your weight in both stirrups and keep the rhythm of your rising. On a change of rein, change diagonal as in Galop 3, without losing the rhythm. When the stride length changes, your rising goes with it: bigger as the horse lengthens, smaller as he shortens, never thumping back down into the saddle.
Sitting trot and canter
Sitting, you follow the movement with your pelvis and lower back, not with your shoulders. Your upper body stays upright, as if growing taller; your legs lengthen down, your hands stay still. In sitting trot the pelvis absorbs every stride; in canter it follows the movement from back to front, in rhythm. In Galop 4 you must link simple movements in sitting trot and canter — circles, changes of rein, transitions — without losing that position.
Common mistake
Gripping with the knees to stop bouncing. A pinching knee pushes the seat up instead of letting it sink into the saddle. Relax your thighs, let your heels drop and keep spells of sitting trot short until your back is supple.
Varying the speed through stride length
- Stride length
- the length of a stride, that is, the distance covered between two footfalls of the same foot.
- Rhythm
- the regular beat of the strides, like the time in music.
Within one gait, the horse can go faster or slower by taking longer or shorter strides. In Galop 4 you vary the speed through stride length, keeping the same rhythm: longer strides, not quicker ones.
- Same rhythm: three strides in the same time
- Short strides: the hoofprints come closer together
- Long strides: the hoofprints spread further apart
| Gait | To lengthen | To shorten |
|---|---|---|
| Rising trot | The legs act as you sit, the rising gets bigger, the hands let the neck lengthen | Smaller rising, upper body a little more upright, fingers closing and opening in rhythm |
| Canter | The legs push, the hands go forward a little to let the neck stretch | The upper body comes up, the fingers close in small repeated actions, the legs stay in contact |
Tip
Count your strides down the same long side of the arena, then try to take one fewer by lengthening, and one more by shortening. If the horse quickens his rhythm instead of lengthening, or changes gait, you asked too abruptly.
Keeping an even speed in canter
Over a sequence of curves and straight lines, the horse tends to slow down on the curves and speed up on the straights. Plan ahead: a little more leg as you go into the curve, a hand that holds the speed as you come out onto the line. This even canter is the foundation of every jumping course.