Galop 6Knowledge
Contents
- 01WelcomeOverview
- 02Foot and shoeingKnowledge
- 03DiseasesKnowledge
- 04Requirements and conditionKnowledge
- 05BreedingKnowledge
- 06Identifying a horseKnowledge
- 07The rein-backKnowledge
- 08Qualities of the gaitsKnowledge
- 09Judging a testKnowledge
- 10On the bit and impulsionKnowledge
- 11Counter-canterKnowledge
- 12Training aidsKnowledge
- 13Work on the flatIn the saddle
- 14DressageIn the saddle
- 15Show jumpingIn the saddle
- 16Cross-countryIn the saddle
- 17Lunge and long reinsOn foot
- 18Turnout and careCaring for the horse
- 19RevisionRevision
Training aids for ridden work
A training aid helps the rider position or contain the horse’s neck. Well chosen and well adjusted, it does a job; misused, it forces the horse and hides the faults of the rider’s hands.
In the exam programme
- Name the main training aids used when riding, and explain why they are used and what they do.Specific part
- Be able to ride with four reins.Dressage
A training aid is a device that acts on the head and neck, to limit how high they go or to invite the horse to lower them and flex. There are fixed aids, adjusted before work and then left alone, and running aids, which slide through the bit rings and whose action the rider regulates.
The standing martingale
From the girth, between the forelegs, through a neck strap, to the back of the noseband.
The running martingale
From the girth, two branches ending in rings the reins run through; rein stops on the reins.
The German martingale
From the girth, through the bit rings, to the rings set along the reins.
The gogue, used with the reins
From the girth up to the poll through a special headpiece, down through the bit rings and back to the hands.
| Training aid | Fitting | Effect and use |
|---|---|---|
| Standing martingale | A strap runs from the girth between the forelegs, through a neck strap, and fastens to the noseband. | Stops the horse raising its head beyond a set height, by pressure on the nose. Fairly severe; useful on a horse that tosses its head. |
| Running martingale | From the girth, the strap divides into two branches ending in rings, through which the reins pass. | When the horse raises its head too high, the rings bring the rein’s action on the bit lower down. Common for jumping and cross-country, not allowed in dressage. |
| German martingale | Two cords run from the girth, through the bit rings, and fasten to rings set along the reins. | The rider holds only one pair of reins; when the rider acts, the cords slide and invite the horse to lower and flex its neck. Tricky: for experienced riders. |
| Gogue, command position | A cord runs from the girth up to the poll through a special headpiece, down through the bit rings and back to the rider’s hands. | A lowering effect on the poll and mouth as soon as the horse raises its head; the rider yields the moment it settles. Fixed version: the cord comes back to fasten to the breastplate. |
| Draw reins | A second pair of reins runs from the girth or the sides of the saddle and slides through the bit rings to the hands. | A powerful lowering and flexing action, working like a pulley: a tool for experienced riders, to be used with great tact. |
Rules for using them well
- A training aid replaces neither the legs nor impulsion: it only helps a horse that is already going forward.
- It is adjusted to act only if the horse leaves the outline you want: when the horse is well placed, it does not feel it.
- Fit it after a few minutes’ walk on a long rein, and undo it for breaks and for the cool-down.
- Too short, it puts the horse behind the bit, hollows its back and provokes evasions, even rearing.
- Over fences, the horse must keep the freedom of its neck to jump and rebalance itself.
Riding with four reins
A training aid worked from the hand, such as draw reins or a Gogue in the command position, adds a second pair of reins: you then hold four reins, two in each hand, separated by a finger, usually the little finger. The snaffle rein remains the main rein, adjusted to the contact; the training aid’s rein, a little longer, acts only when needed and yields at once. There are several ways to hold them: use your instructor’s, and practise at the walk first.
- Adjusting one rein: open the finger that separates it from the other slightly, let the rein slide, close again.
- Lengthening everything for a break: open your fingers and let all four reins slip in one movement.
- Checking: if the training aid stays taut when the horse is well placed, it is too short.
All this prepares you for the double bridle, which you will meet in Galop 7. The training aids for lungeing — side reins, the chambon, triangle side reins — are also on the Galop 7 programme.
Safety
Check the training aid before you get on: fastenings secure, the same length on both sides, no loop a foot could catch in. With a running martingale, fit rein stops so that the rings cannot get caught on the bit.
A word from the instructor
No training aid ever fixed a heavy hand. It just makes it more effective — for better, and mostly for worse.