Galop 5On foot
Contents
- 01WelcomeOverview
- 02How the horse learnsKnowledge
- 03Pied, spotted, additionsKnowledge
- 04The skeletonKnowledge
- 05The musclesKnowledge
- 06DigestionKnowledge
- 07SIRE, microchip and registersKnowledge
- 08Presenting in handOn foot
- 09Lunging and long-reiningOn foot
- 10Loading and stable bandagesOn foot
- 11The riding basicsIn the saddle
- 12TransitionsKnowledge
- 13The leg-yieldIn the saddle
- 14The dressage partIn the saddle
- 15Snaffle bitsKnowledge
- 16The jumping partIn the saddle
- 17The cross-country partIn the saddle
- 18RevisionRevision
Loading a horse, putting on stable bandages
Two jobs that often go together: you load the horse for the competition, and you look after its legs when you get home. The first calls for calm and method, the second for a steady hand.
In the exam programme
- Load a horse into a lorry or a trailer.Common module A
- Put on stable bandages, take them off and roll them.Common module A
Loading into a trailer or horsebox
- The horse wears a headcollar, a lead rope and its travel boots, seen in Galop 4. You: gloves, closed shoes, preferably a riding hat.
- The trailer is hitched to the car, with the handbrake on, on level ground; the ramp is steady. Never load into an unhitched trailer: it could tip up.
- The inside is ready: breast bar in place, partition secured, haynet filled. A helper stands ready to close up behind the horse.
Approach straight
The handler at the shoulder, the horse in line with the ramp.
Walk on
The horse sniffs the ramp, then walks up; the rope gives at every step.
Close up behind
The helper closes the breeching bar from the side, never in line with the hind legs.
Tie up last
Bar closed, ramp up: the handler ties the horse at the front.
- Line up straightBring the horse up in line with the ramp, at an active walk. Walk at its shoulder, looking into the trailer, not at the horse.
- Walk upLet it lower its head to sniff the ramp, then ask it to walk on. Slacken the rope at every step forward: that is its reward.
- Close up behindOnce the horse is in, the helper closes the breeching bar, standing to one side, never in line with the hind legs, then raises the ramp.
- Tie up lastOnly then tie the horse up, with a quick-release knot, short enough that it cannot turn round, long enough for it to balance with its head. Leave by the front door, without ducking under the breast bar.
- UnloadLower the ramp, untie the horse first, then open the breeching bar and back it out slowly and straight.
Safety
The golden rule: tie up after the breeching bar is closed; untie before it is opened. A tied horse that backs into thin air panics, pulls back hard and can hurt itself badly.
With a horse that refuses, think training: small steps, each one rewarded, never shouting or smacking at the foot of the ramp, and nobody standing in line behind it. A horsebox is loaded the same way, up a ramp that is often steeper; the partition is closed only once the horse is in place.
A word from the instructor
A horse that won’t load always has an excellent reason, known only to itself. Your job isn’t to win the argument. It’s to make the argument pointless.
Stable bandages
Put on a horse resting in its stable, after hard work or a long journey, stable bandages give a light, even pressure that limits filling in the legs and eases the tendons. They go on in pairs — both forelegs or both hind legs — on clean, dry legs, over clean gamgee.
1. The padding
Wrapped flat, from below the knee to the bottom of the fetlock.
2. Work down
In a spiral, each turn covering half the last, until the fetlock is wrapped.
3. Work up and fasten
Fastened on the outside of the cannon; the padding shows a centimetre or two.
The direction, from above
Front to back round the outside: the bandage pulls on the bone, not the tendons.
- The gamgeeWrap it flat, from below the knee (or hock) to the bottom of the fetlock. Its edge finishes on the front or the outside of the cannon, never on the tendon.
- The directionWrap from front to back round the outside of the leg: seen from above, clockwise on the right legs, anticlockwise on the left. That way the bandage pulls against the cannon bone, not the tendons.
- DownStart below the knee, lock the end in with a first turn, then spiral down, each turn covering half the one before, with even tension and no wrinkles. Wrap the fetlock without going down onto the coronet.
- Up and fastenCome back up the same way and fasten on the outside of the leg, neither on the tendon nor on the inside; the fastening is no tighter than the bandage. The gamgee shows a centimetre or two at the top and bottom.
- Take off and roll upUndo the fastening, unwind quickly, passing the bandage from hand to hand, take off the gamgee and run your hand down the leg. To roll up, first fold the fastening inwards, then roll tightly, inside face in: the bandage is ready for next time.
Common mistake
A bandage that is too tight, wrinkled or forgotten does more harm than no bandage at all: it can damage the tendon. You should be able to slide a finger under it. Don’t leave it on for more than about 12 hours; if the horse still needs it, take it off, check the leg and put it back on. When bandaging, crouch beside the leg, never kneel or sit, so you can spring clear.