Horse riding revision page In this revision page you will learn about how to succeed in GCSE pe horse riding. This guide will show you the way on how to get 10 out of 10 in your exam! Read carefully though, there's a quiz at the end! Shall we begin…

Content Types of horses The basics Jumping paces

Types of horses Cold blood: this type of horse is generally lazy and sleepy. These horses are best for grazing, towing and hacking (only walking and trotting). These horse have very calm temperments and would be great for a beginner or a not confident rider. Warm blood: these types of horses can be quite lively and they are very sensitive for contact, these horses are great for jumping and cantering as well as having fun 0n them. Horse breeds include palomino, appaloosa and exmoor ponies. Hot blood: these horses can be high spirited, fast and has a high temperament. These horses are fairly difficult to ride as they're unpredictable. Their strides are bigger which makes them great for racing and eventing.

The basics Mounting: normally when you learn to ride a mounting block Is needed. Lead the pony or horse to the mounting block and ALWAYS get on the left side of the horse. Gather the reins and in one hand, put your left foot in the stirrup, then jump up and put your right leg over the horse. Put your feet it the stirrups then gather the reins. Make sure your reins aren't too long; this is called contact. Contact: contact is when you have more control of the horse so then they respect you and listen to your commands. You can have feet contact and hand contact. Hand contact is then the reins aren't hanging down from the bridle they are tight. Foot contact is when the stirrups are the right length so you can reach in front, behind and on the girth (the long piece underneath the horses belly). This is very important so then you don’t loose balance on the following slide topic

Paces Walking: walking is the slowest pace of all the 3 paces. This is when the horse can move approximately 5- 7 miles an hour depending on the horse. To achieve this from a halt firstly check your position. Your shoulders should be balanced and you should be sat up tall in the saddle not leaning to one side. With your legs keep your lower leg where they are now and take your kneed off the saddle by about 45’ so you then feel more contact on your lower leg. This helps to keep the contact and improves balance. Now, squeeze with your heel until the horse moves, if this isn't achieved then kick the horse or even whip the horse on its shoulder or back side. Make sure the horse is awake and working or the next pace wont work. Trotting: now that the walk has been achieved you can squeeze even more (or kick) so then the horse moves in a more bouncy pace around 12-14mph. It may feel uncomfortable at first which is why you need to know riding trot. Keeping your whole leg in the same place, use your hips to rise from the saddle keeping straight. To improve balance rise for two trot beats then sit for two trot beats. Trotting diagonals are when you sit in the saddle the outside leg comes the closest into you. If you were on the right rein (Turing right in corners) the left leg should be closest to you when you sit. Its like science with opposites attract!

Paces continued Cantering: once you have achieve a good trot on the correct diagonal then we can move onto canter. Make the reins a little bit longer so then the horse can stretch, keep you legs in the trotting position. Normally its best to start of canter on a corner so then the horse can start on the right leg. If you were on the left rein put your leg behind the outside girth and squeeze so then the horse gets off on the correct canter leg. Let the horse move and do not try to ride, just sit to the canter and let the horse keep moving. Let your arms go with the horses head like a rocking horse. If you feel the horse getting slower, carry on squeezing (this is called impulsions). Gallop: this is the fastest of the paces as the horse can go up to 40 mph. only move onto this when your balance and control of the horse has improved. To achieve a gallop you need to ask the horse for canter. It is important that your stirrups are a hole shorter so then you can stand up in the seat without getting de seated. Loosen your reins so the horse can stretch but remain contact. Squeeze and stand up in the seat. If the horse doesn’t react, either use your voice or use the whip to get them lively. As soon as this is achieved stand up in the saddle with your bum above the saddle, no further forward or backward. Arch your back a bit just like the photo on the bottom of this text. Release your legs a bit more so then you can feel the horse moving below you. When slowing down, if the horse is to lively and wont listen to your command by pulling on the rein, squeeze with your knees and pull sharply on the reins around 5 times in 10 seconds. Never gallop if the ground is uneasy, the land is too small and if you aren't confident

Jumping Top tips If you feel the horse going to slow, go in a circle and kick to make the horse wake up during this. Wear a hat and a body protector Don’t canter towards a jump if you don’t feel confident in the horse. Don’t let your legs go back to much when taking off and landing IN BRITAIN, TWO POINT IS A JUMPING POSISTION

Cross country Cross country consists of cantering, galloping, jumping, lakes steps and different types of jumps. To be able to do this, you need to be confident and also know how to jump, canter and gallop on different terrains. Wearing a body protector is very important for this. When approaching a jump you need contact but you also need to let the reins looser so then the horse can stretch over the jump. Do exactly the same as you would jumping normally. Sometimes the horse can get too excited when doing cross country so if their ears prick and their canter becomes more jumpy then make them do a 20m circle to calm them down. When going through water, let the horse feel it first by letting them walk or trot through the water so they don’t spook whilst cantering thus resulting in you cold and wet! You will get wet in the water as it will splash so stand up in your seat (gallop position) and be wary for any dangers like holes and hazards that could damage you or the horse. When approaching a step make sure the horse is trotting if you don’t think there’s 3 canter strides before the jump as the horse could become out of rhythm and fall over. When you feel the horse moving down, stand up and lean back so then the horse doesn’t have weight on its front legs when landing.

Quiz 1. Tick the following rules that are true: Never gallop on uneasy ground Canter a circle if the horse isn't being fast enough Go faster if the horse is excited. Always wear a hat when riding Never ride a cold blooded horse, they're rubbish Impulsions are used when cantering Next question

2. Why do you loosen your reins whilst keeping contact when jumping and galloping? Answer….. So the horse can stretch over the jump and keep a natural rhythm in gallop! Next question

3. What does two point mean? Answer…. In England, two point means jumping position. Don’t get confused if you see this! Next question

4. You feel the horse not being confident towards a jump, what do you do? Answer…… Do a 20m circle and use impulsions to get them into more of a working canter. Next question

5. How many canter strides are there before a jump? Answer…… 3 canter strides, if it’s a jump of 1m 10, have two strides of canter then 2-3 of gallop to ensure you have the momentum to get over the jump

6. You decide to gallop through water without letting the horse feel the water first, what could happen (more than one apply) The horse could gallop through the water fine. The horse could spook resulting in you getting wet The horse could refuse and injure it self You could get deseated due to the horse jumping about in the water Answer….. Trick question, horses are unpredictable, they could do anything! As I've already said, it is better to let them feel the water but just do what ever you feel is right and safe. Next question

Match the speeds to the paces: Up to 40mph12-14 mph5-7mph walk trot gallop Next question

Time for an easy one after your brain has been fried: What shape is “paces” on the content page heart star Answer… Next question

Hot blooded horses can be high spirited, fast and has a high…..? stridejumptemperament metabolism Answer…. Next question…

Congratulations! You have completed the revision guide. Return home if you would like to do this again. Return home Carry on for a special surprise What is a girth? Answer… the long piece underneath the horses belly

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Good luck on your GCSE!! This link is to a stables that can help you on your GCSE Photos-homepage