Galop 6In the saddle
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
The dressage part: riding a Club 2 test
The dressage part brings everything that comes before it together in a Club 2 test. Here are the new movements of Galop 6, how to ride them well, and how to prepare the test itself.
In the exam programme
- Sit correctly in all three gaits, in lateral work and on a bend.Dressage
- Vary the trot stride length in sitting trot.Dressage
- Ride circles and serpentines of 10 m at the walk and 12 m at the trot, looking for the bend.Dressage
- Ride a leg-yield at the trot in both directions.Dressage
- Ride a counter-change of hand at the canter.Dressage
- Link movements at the canter in an even cadence.Dressage
- Link movements on an exact track.Dressage
- Find the right presentation speed in each gait.Dressage
- Ride, in a good position, a Galop® 6 test at Club 2 level or the equivalent Pony class, and a sequence of movements like those of the Club 2 Preliminary dressage test.Dressage
Sitting correctly
Your seat must stay correct in all three gaits, but also in lateral work and on a bend. On a curve, your shoulders follow the horse’s shoulders and your hips its hips, with a little more weight on the inside seat bone, without collapsing at the waist. In leg-yield, stay in the middle of the saddle: if you slide away from the direction of travel or tip your upper body, you get in the horse’s way instead of helping it.
| Movement | How to ride it well |
|---|---|
| Varying the length of stride in sitting trot | From working trot, ask for a few longer strides: a seat that drives, more active legs, hands that let the neck lengthen a little. The same cadence: the horse covers more ground, it does not go faster. Come back with a half-halt, staying seated and supple. |
| 10 m circles and serpentines at the walk, 12 m at the trot | A 10 m circle takes up half the width of a 20 m arena. Aim for precise points on the track, bend the horse, and at each loop of the serpentine straighten the horse for one stride before changing the flexion. |
| Leg-yield at the trot, in both directions | The same definition as in Galop 5, at a more active gait: the horse moves almost parallel to the long side, slightly flexed away from the direction of travel, shoulders slightly ahead of the hips. The leg on the side of the flexion, at the girth or just behind it, pushes sideways; the other leg keeps the forward movement going; the trot stays regular. |
The counter-change of hand at the canter
A counter-change of hand is a change of rein followed at once by a return to the rein you started on. At the canter, for example on the right rein: leave the track at K on a half-diagonal to X, then rejoin the same track at H on a second half-diagonal. The horse stays in right canter throughout; at X, the change of direction puts it in counter-canter for a moment. That is why the exercise is such good preparation for the counter-canter.
- PrepareRide the corner before K in balance, with a really active canter: the exercise uses up impulsion.
- First half-diagonalLook at X as soon as you leave the corner; the horse straight on the line, slightly flexed towards the lead.
- At XChange direction smoothly, turning the shoulders, while keeping firmly to the right-canter aids: right leg at the girth, left leg behind, seat settled. This is where the horse is tempted to change leg or go disunited.
- Second half-diagonalKeep the horse straight and the cadence even as far as H, where the track brings you back onto the right rein, in true canter.
Linking the movements and riding the test
- An accurate track: every movement begins and ends at the marker, when your body is level with the letter. Think a few metres ahead to give the horse time to respond: a turn across the school is prepared three or four metres before the letter.
- An even cadence in the canter: strike-offs, circles, curved lines and transitions follow one another without the cadence changing. If the canter fades, revive it in a corner rather than in the middle of a movement.
- The right presentation speed: the working gait is the one in which your horse keeps its rhythm, balance and activity, neither hurried nor held back. Too fast, it loses its regularity; too slow, its impulsion.
- The Club 2 test: learn it by heart, then practise it in sections rather than all the way through, so as not to bore the horse. On the day, enter at the judge’s signal and salute with the reins in one hand.
The programme also asks for a sequence of movements “like those of the Club 2 Preliminary test”. The FFE withdrew the Preliminary tests from Club competitions in September 2024, but the Galop 6 programme has not changed: be ready to ride the movements of this level on request, from the circle to the rein-back.
Tip
Learn the test on foot, walking its pattern in an empty arena or drawing it on paper. A rider hunting for the next letter has stopped riding the horse.
A word from the instructor
Forgetting your test happens to the best. The judge rings the bell, puts you back on course, you lose one per cent — and you gain a story that gets better every time you tell it in the clubhouse.