Fit, remove and maintain tack for exercise
This element covers the essential practical skills of correctly fitting and removing saddlery and bridles for equine exercise, ensuring horse welfare and rider safety. It emphasises the importance of maintaining tack to prevent injury and comply with health and safety regulations, enabling learners to work competently in a professional yard environment.
Assessment criteria
Topic Overview
The BHSQ Level 2 Diploma in BHS Horse Knowledge and Care is a foundational qualification for anyone pursuing a career in the equine industry. This diploma covers essential theory and practical skills needed to care for horses safely and effectively, including stable management, feeding, health monitoring, and basic first aid. It is designed for students who have some experience with horses and wish to progress to higher-level qualifications or employment as a groom or yard assistant.
The course is structured around key areas such as horse behaviour and handling, nutrition, pasture management, and recognising signs of ill health. Students learn to maintain a safe working environment, understand the legal responsibilities of horse ownership, and apply correct procedures for routine care tasks. Mastery of these topics ensures the welfare of the horse and the safety of the handler, which are central to the BHS's ethos of 'horse first'.
This diploma sits within the broader context of BHS qualifications, which are recognised internationally. It provides a solid stepping stone to the BHS Stage 2 or the Level 3 Diploma, and is often a prerequisite for apprenticeships or junior roles in livery yards, riding schools, and competition yards. By completing this qualification, students demonstrate competence in core equine care practices that are vital for any professional working with horses.
Key Concepts
Core ideas you must understand for this topic
- →The 'Five Freedoms' of animal welfare: freedom from hunger and thirst, discomfort, pain/injury/disease, fear/distress, and freedom to express normal behaviour. These underpin all care decisions.
- →Correct identification of common horse breeds, colours, and markings (e.g., star, stripe, snip, sock, stocking) for accurate record-keeping and identification.
- →Principles of feeding: understanding the digestive system, forage-first approach, and the dangers of overfeeding concentrates or sudden diet changes (risk of colic or laminitis).
- →Routine health checks: taking temperature, pulse, and respiration (TPR) and recognising abnormal signs (e.g., elevated heart rate indicating pain or stress).
- →Safe handling techniques: approaching from the shoulder, leading with a lead rope and headcollar, and tying up using a quick-release knot.
Learning Objectives
What you need to know and understand
- Be able to fit and remove tack for exercise, Be able to work safely, Be able to select, use and maintain tack, Know how to fit and remove tack for exercise, Know relevant health and safety legislation
Assessment Criteria
Key criteria assessors look for in your portfolio
- Award credit for demonstrating a systematic approach to checking tack condition before fitting, including identifying wear, damage, or incorrect assembly.
- Expect clear verbalisation of how and why the bit, bridle, and saddle are fitted to the individual horse, referencing anatomical landmarks.
- Assessor should see evidence that the candidate can select appropriate tack for the horse's build, discipline, and stage of training.
- Credit safe practice throughout: handling equipment without endangering self, horse, or others, and applying relevant health and safety legislation.
Assessment Guidance
Guidance for achieving higher grades
- 💡In practical assessments, talk through each step as you perform it to demonstrate your underpinning knowledge and decision-making.
- 💡When discussing maintenance, link cleaning and storage routines directly to preventing common tack faults and extending equipment life.
- 💡Reference the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) to show awareness of legal responsibilities.
- 💡If you make a fitting error during an assessment, explain what you did wrong and how you would correct it—this can still demonstrate competence.
- 💡When answering questions on stable management, always link your answer to safety and welfare. For example, when describing mucking out, mention that removing wet bedding prevents ammonia build-up, which can cause respiratory issues.
- 💡Use correct terminology (e.g., 'offside' and 'nearside', 'forelimb' and 'hindlimb') to show examiner you understand industry language. This can earn you additional marks in practical assessments.
- 💡For health checks, memorise the normal ranges: temperature 37.5–38.5°C, pulse 28–44 bpm (adult at rest), respiration 8–16 breaths per minute. Be prepared to explain why these might vary (e.g., foals have higher pulse).
Common Mistakes
Common errors to avoid in your coursework
- Candidates often forget to check the bit sits centrally and at the correct height, leading to discomfort or evasion.
- Tightening the girth in one abrupt pull rather than gradually, causing the horse to resent saddling.
- Confusing the sequence of tack removal, such as removing the bridle before loosening the girth and removing the saddle, which can cause the saddle to slip.
- Overlooking small tears or stitching failure in leatherwork that could fail during exercise.
- Misconception: Horses can be fed large amounts of grain/concentrates safely. Correction: Horses are trickle feeders designed for high-fibre diets; too much starch can cause digestive upset, colic, or laminitis. Always prioritise forage and introduce concentrates gradually.
- Misconception: A horse lying down is always a sign of illness. Correction: Horses lie down for short periods to rest (REM sleep) and roll to groom themselves. However, prolonged lying down, especially if accompanied by sweating or rolling, may indicate colic and requires veterinary attention.
- Misconception: You should always approach a horse from the front. Correction: Approach from the shoulder (at the side) where the horse can see you clearly without feeling threatened. Approaching head-on can startle the horse and increase the risk of being bitten or struck.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions students ask about this topic
Pass / Merit / Distinction Evidence Checklist
How your portfolio evidence is graded for BHS QUALIFICATIONS Fit, remove and maintain tack for exercise
Every vocational unit is marked against named criteria rather than an exam percentage. Your tutor's brief lists the exact codes for this unit — here is what each band is asking you to do.
Demonstrate baseline knowledge, accurate terminology, and core practical application.
Provide detailed analysis, structured explanations, and clear workplace reasoning.
Deliver thorough evaluation, original problem solving, and fully justified recommendations.
Before You Start
Prior knowledge that will help with this topic
- •Basic understanding of horse behaviour and safe handling (e.g., from riding school experience or BHS Stage 1).
- •Familiarity with common stable equipment (e.g., headcollar, lead rope, grooming kit).
- •Basic knowledge of horse anatomy (e.g., parts of the horse, points of the horse).
Coursework AI Review
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Key Terminology
Essential terms to know
- Be able to fit and remove tack for exercise, Be able to work safely, Be able to select, use and maintain tack, Know how to fit and remove tack for exercise, Know relevant health and safety legislation
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