Galop 5In the saddle
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
The dressage arena and the dressage part
The dressage part is all about precision: every transition at its letter, every circle the right size. So it all starts with knowing where the letters are.
In the exam programme
- Give the position of the letters of the dressage arena.Specific part
- Sit in a good position in all three gaits and through upward and downward transitions.Dressage
- Strike off into canter from walk and trot at an exact point, and ride 20 m circles.Dressage
- Steer accurately on serpentines and 12-metre circles at the walk.Dressage
- Ride serpentines and 15-metre circles at the trot.Dressage
- Vary the stride length at the walk.Dressage
- Ride, in a good position, a Galop® 5 test at Club 3 level or the equivalent Pony class, and a sequence of movements like those of the Club 3 Preliminary dressage test.Dressage
The arena letters
The small dressage arena measures 20 × 40 m, the large one 20 × 60 m. You enter at A, in the middle of one short side; the judge sits behind C, in the middle of the other. The letters are what the figures of every test are drawn from.
20 × 40 m arena
The basic letters, with X at the centre.
20 × 60 m arena
Four more letters on the long sides: V, S, R, P.
- A and C: in the middle of the short sides.
- E and B: in the middle of the long sides, facing each other.
- K, F, H, M: on the long sides, 6 m from the corners — K and F at the A end, H and M at the C end.
- X in the centre; D and G on the centre line, level with K–F and H–M.
- In a 20 × 60 m, add V, P, S, R on the long sides, which then have a letter every 12 m, and L, I on the centre line.
A word from the instructor
To remember A, K, E, H, C, M, B, F — the order you meet them in going round from A on the right rein — every yard has its sentence. The classic: “All King Edward’s Horses Can Make Big Fences.” Nobody has ever checked whether they could. Nobody has ever forgotten it either.
What you show
- A correct sitting position in all three gaits and in upward and downward transitions.
- Canter strike-offs from walk and trot at an exact point, and 20 m circles at the canter.
- Serpentines and circles of 12 m at the walk, and of 15 m at the trot.
- A change of stride length at the walk, and the leg-yield at the walk, in both directions.
- A Galop 5 test at Club 3 level, or an equivalent Pony class, and a sequence of movements like the Club 3 Preliminary dressage test.
Riding accurate figures
In a 20 × 40, a 20 m circle at C touches C, meets both long sides 10 m from the short side — 4 m past H and M — and passes through X. A serpentine links loops of the same size, alternately on the right and the left rein: each time you cross the centre line, the horse straightens for a stride, then changes bend. In a 20 × 60, a four-loop serpentine from A to C gives loops of 15 m; a five-loop one, loops of 12 m.
Circles at C and at A
20 m at C: it touches C and both long sides and passes through X. 15 m at A.
Four loops of 15 m
A to C, over 60 m; straight for a stride on the centre line.
Five loops of 12 m
Tighter: the horse changes bend more often.
Striking off into canter at an exact point, from walk or trot: prepare a few strides before — horse straight, balanced, attentive — then give the diagonal aids from Galop 3 as your body comes level with the letter. From walk, the horse must neither jog beforehand nor fall back into trot afterwards.
Varying the stride length at the walk: let the horse stretch its neck without losing the contact and push it on to lengthen its steps; its hind feet land well beyond the prints of its forefeet — it overtracks. The rhythm does not change. To come back to medium walk, gather the neck up little by little, without letting it jog.
The test
- Learn the testLearn the test by heart, walking the figures in the arena or on a plan: even when it may be called, a test rides better when you know it.
- Enter and saluteYou enter at A on the centre line, halt facing the judge — usually at X — and salute: reins in one hand, the other arm hanging by your side, a slight nod of the head.
- Ride it throughEach movement is marked out of 10. Think of the next figure as you finish this one: you prepare in the corners and on the curves.
- LeaveAfter the final salute, leave the arena at the walk, on a long rein.
Did you know?
How the judge marks each movement is on the Galop 6 programme. In Galop 5, aim for accurate figures and regular gaits: that is already the heart of it.