Assist with pre and post trek procedures
This subtopic covers the essential routines for preparing horses and riders for trekking activities, including tack fitting, horse health assessment, and post-trek care. It ensures learners can contribute to safe, efficient, and welfare-compliant operations, reflecting industry standards for commercial trekking centres.
Assessment criteria
Quick Revision Summary (Key Takeaway)
The City & Guilds Level 2 Diploma in Work-based Horse Care covers essential practical skills and knowledge for working with horses, including stable management, feeding, health care, and handling. This qualification prepares students for roles such as groom or stable hand, focusing on safe, ethical horse care in a real-world setting.
Topic Overview
The City & Guilds Level 2 Diploma in Work-based Horse Care is a vocational qualification designed for individuals working or volunteering in the horse care industry. It covers essential practical skills such as stable management, feeding, grooming, and health monitoring, as well as theoretical knowledge of horse behaviour and anatomy. This qualification is typically completed in a real-world setting, allowing students to apply learning directly to their daily work with horses.
Understanding horse care is crucial for ensuring the welfare and performance of horses in various settings, from livery yards to competition stables. The diploma emphasizes safe handling practices, disease prevention, and nutrition management, which are foundational for any career in the equine industry. Mastery of these topics not only prepares students for employment but also promotes ethical and responsible horse ownership.
This topic fits within the broader subject of Animal Care & Veterinary by focusing on the practical application of animal husbandry principles. Students learn to recognize signs of illness, implement biosecurity measures, and maintain a safe environment for both horses and handlers. These skills are transferable to other animal care contexts and provide a solid basis for further study or specialization.
Key Concepts
Core ideas you must understand for this topic
- →Stable management: daily routines, mucking out, bedding types, and ventilation.
- →Feeding: forage-based diets, concentrate rations, and recognising signs of poor nutrition.
- →Health care: vaccination schedules, worming programmes, and vital signs monitoring.
- →Safe handling: approaching, leading, tying up, and using headcollars correctly.
- →Hoof care: daily picking out, recognising signs of lameness, and farriery intervals.
Learning Objectives
What you need to know and understand
- Be able to assist with pre and post trek procedures., Be able to work safely, Be able to select, use and maintain relevant equipment, Know how to assist with pre and post trek procedures, Know relevant health and safety legislation and environmental good practice
Assessment Criteria
Key criteria assessors look for in your portfolio
- Award credit for demonstrating correct fitting and adjustment of trekking tack (saddle, bridle, martingale if used) with clear safety checks (girth tightness, stirrup bar safety, bit fit).
- Award credit for conducting a thorough pre-trek horse assessment, including checking for lameness, wounds, temperament issues, and ensuring the horse is fit for the intended activity.
- Award credit for selecting and using appropriate equipment such as numnahs, boots, and reflective gear according to trek conditions and horse needs.
- Award credit for implementing systematic post-trek procedures: untacking, cooling down, checking for girth galls or rub injuries, and reporting any concerns to the supervisor.
- Award credit for adhering to health and safety legislation, including following risk assessments, maintaining safe working practices around horses, and using personal protective equipment.
- Award credit for demonstrating environmental good practice, such as appropriate muck disposal and maintaining cleanliness in the yard and tack room.
Assessment Guidance
Guidance for achieving higher grades
- 💡Always follow a verbal or mental checklist for pre- and post-trek procedures to ensure no steps are missed and to demonstrate methodical working.
- 💡Verbalize your actions during practical assessments, explaining why you are doing each check (e.g., 'I am checking the girth in two stages to avoid pinching and to ensure security').
- 💡Be prepared to explain the health and safety regulations that apply, such as PUWER for equipment and COSHH for any cleaning chemicals, and how they impact your daily tasks.
- 💡When demonstrating post-trek care, emphasize welfare: look for signs of fatigue, dehydration, or injury, and explain your actions to the assessor as part of good practice.
- 💡Always use correct terminology (e.g., 'off fore' not 'front left leg') to show precision.
- 💡In health questions, link signs to underlying causes to demonstrate understanding.
- 💡For practical tasks, describe the sequence of steps in order and include safety checks.
Common Mistakes
Common errors to avoid in your coursework
- Failing to check the rider's ability and comfort before assigning a horse, leading to potential safety issues during the trek.
- Overlooking the condition of tack (e.g., worn stitching, cracked leather) which could compromise safety.
- Rushing the pre-trek health check and missing subtle signs of lameness or discomfort.
- Incorrectly fitting a bridle (e.g., too tight around the nose, bit sitting too high) causing pain or evasion.
- Not securely tying the horse during preparation, risking escape or injury.
- Forgetting to check and clean hooves, allowing stones or debris to cause bruising.
- Myth: Horses can be fed once a day. Fact: Horses are trickle feeders and need forage available for most of the day to prevent gastric ulcers.
- Myth: A clean stable means no health risks. Fact: Even clean stables can harbour dust and spores; good ventilation is essential for respiratory health.
- Myth: All horses need hard feed. Fact: Many horses at maintenance require only good-quality forage; concentrates should be fed based on workload and condition.
Revision Plan
How to revise this topic in 1–2 weeks
- 1Week 1: Focus on stable management and daily routines. Practice mucking out and identifying different bedding types.
- 2Week 2: Study feeding principles and nutrition. Create sample rations for different workloads.
- 3Week 3: Learn health care procedures, including taking temperature, pulse, and respiration. Review vaccination and worming schedules.
- 4Week 4: Consolidate with past exam questions and practical assessments. Focus on safe handling and emergency procedures.
Exam Question Types
How this topic typically appears in the exam
- 📋Multiple-choice questions testing knowledge of feeding percentages, disease symptoms, and safety protocols.
- 📋Short-answer questions requiring definitions of terms like 'colic' or 'laminitis'.
- 📋Scenario-based questions where you must describe the correct response to a health or safety issue (e.g., a horse showing signs of colic).
- 📋Practical observation tasks assessed in the workplace, such as demonstrating correct grooming or leading techniques.
Command Word Expectations (CITY & GUILDS LIMITED)
What examiners look for when using specific command words in this specification
Provide a detailed account of a process or appearance, including key features and steps. For example, 'Describe the signs of a healthy horse' requires listing bright eyes, clean coat, normal appetite, etc.
Give reasons or causes for a phenomenon. For example, 'Explain why horses need constant access to forage' should discuss digestive physiology and ulcer prevention.
Name or list specific items, signs, or equipment. For example, 'Identify three types of bedding' expects answers like straw, shavings, rubber mats.
How Students Lose Marks (Examiner Pitfalls)
Common mark loss traps and how to write 100% full-mark answers
Step-by-Step Worked Solutions
Detailed solution breakdown for typical exam problems
Question: Calculate the daily feed ration for a 500kg horse at maintenance, given it requires 1.5% of its body weight in forage and 0.5% in concentrate feed.
- 1.Step 1: Identify body weight = 500 kg.
- 2.Step 2: Forage = 1.5% of 500 kg = 0.015 × 500 = 7.5 kg.
- 3.Step 3: Concentrate = 0.5% of 500 kg = 0.005 × 500 = 2.5 kg.
- 4.Step 4: Total daily feed = 7.5 kg + 2.5 kg = 10 kg.
Question: A horse's water intake is 40 litres per day. If it drinks 25 litres from a bucket and the rest from a trough, what percentage comes from the trough?
- 1.Step 1: Water from trough = 40 L - 25 L = 15 L.
- 2.Step 2: Percentage = (15 / 40) × 100 = 37.5%.
Active Recall Memory Test
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Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions students ask about this topic
Pass / Merit / Distinction Evidence Checklist
How your portfolio evidence is graded for CITY & GUILDS LIMITED Assist with pre and post trek procedures
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 body language.
- •Familiarity with common horse breeds and their characteristics.
- •Experience handling horses under supervision (e.g., work experience or volunteering).
Coursework AI Review
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Key Terminology
Essential terms to know
- Be able to assist with pre and post trek procedures., Be able to work safely, Be able to select, use and maintain relevant equipment, Know how to assist with pre and post trek procedures, Know relevant health and safety legislation and environmental good practice
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