Fit, remove and maintain tack for exercise — City & Guilds Limited Occupational Qualification Animal Care & Veterinary Revision

    This element focuses on the practical skills and underpinning knowledge required to correctly fit, remove, and maintain equine tack for exercise, ensuring

    Topic Synopsis

    This element focuses on the practical skills and underpinning knowledge required to correctly fit, remove, and maintain equine tack for exercise, ensuring the welfare and safety of the horse and handler. Learners must demonstrate competence in selecting appropriate tack, checking its condition, and fitting it to individual horses to prevent discomfort or injury, while complying with relevant health and safety legislation and workplace policies. The ability to identify wear and tear, perform routine maintenance, and understand the implications of ill-fitting tack is essential for any equine professional.

    Key Concepts & Core Principles

    Exam Tips & Revision Strategies

    Common Misconceptions & Mistakes to Avoid

    Examiner Marking Points

    Fit, remove and maintain tack for exercise

    CITY & GUILDS LIMITED
    vocational

    This element focuses on the practical skills and underpinning knowledge required to correctly fit, remove, and maintain equine tack for exercise, ensuring the welfare and safety of the horse and handler. Learners must demonstrate competence in selecting appropriate tack, checking its condition, and fitting it to individual horses to prevent discomfort or injury, while complying with relevant health and safety legislation and workplace policies. The ability to identify wear and tear, perform routine maintenance, and understand the implications of ill-fitting tack is essential for any equine professional.

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    Learning Outcomes
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    Assessment Guidance
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    Key Skills
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    Key Terms
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    Assessment Criteria

    Assessment criteria

    City & Guilds Level 2 Diploma in Work-based Horse Care

    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 skills such as feeding, grooming, stable management, and basic health monitoring. This diploma is ideal for those aiming to become stable hands, groomers, or assistant yard managers, providing a solid foundation for further study or employment.

    This qualification is structured around practical, work-based learning, meaning you will spend most of your time in a real yard environment. You will learn how to handle horses safely, maintain a clean and safe stable, and recognise signs of ill health. The diploma also includes units on horse behaviour, nutrition, and the legal responsibilities of horse owners, ensuring you are well-prepared for the demands of the industry.

    Mastering horse care is not just about routine tasks; it is about understanding the horse as an individual. This course teaches you to observe subtle changes in behaviour or condition that could indicate health problems. By the end of the diploma, you will be confident in your ability to provide high-quality care, which is essential for the welfare of the horses and the success of any equine business.

    Key Concepts

    Core ideas you must understand for this topic

    • →Five Freedoms: The foundation of animal welfare – freedom from hunger and thirst, discomfort, pain/injury/disease, fear/distress, and freedom to express normal behaviour.
    • →Routine Stable Management: Daily tasks include mucking out, skipping out, bedding management, and maintaining clean water and feed buckets. Correct technique prevents respiratory issues and injuries.
    • →Equine Nutrition: Understanding forage-to-concentrate ratios, feeding according to workload, and recognising signs of poor condition or obesity. Haylage and hay differ in moisture content and storage needs.
    • →Health Monitoring: Taking TPR (temperature, pulse, respiration) and recognising abnormal values. Normal ranges: temp 37.5–38.5°C, pulse 28–40 bpm, respiration 8–16 breaths per minute at rest.
    • →Safe Handling and Restraint: Using a headcollar and lead rope correctly, approaching horses safely (from the shoulder), and tying up with a quick-release knot to prevent injury.

    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 safety check of the horse, handler, and environment before tacking up, including reference to risk assessment
    • Look for evidence that the learner correctly fits a bridle and saddle (or other specified tack) with appropriate adjustment, checking for comfort and security
    • Expect the learner to identify and explain the function of key parts of the tack and how poor fit can compromise horse welfare
    • Credit should be given for thorough cleaning and inspection of tack after use, noting any faults and reporting them according to yard procedures
    • Assess the learner’s ability to work calmly around the horse, maintaining control and awareness of health and safety legislation such as the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER)

    Assessment Guidance

    Guidance for achieving higher grades

    • 💡When being assessed on tacking up, talk through each step, explicitly mentioning the safety checks and the reasons for your actions—this demonstrates underpinning knowledge
    • 💡For the knowledge elements, be prepared to state the key points of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and how they apply in a stable yard, including the importance of risk assessments for routine tasks
    • 💡In a practical assessment, always check the fit of the tack on the horse even if you think it is already correctly fitted; assessors are looking for a methodical approach
    • 💡If you spot a fault with tack during the exam, clearly explain what is wrong, why it is a problem, and how you would report it—this shows competence in maintenance and safety
    • 💡When answering questions on stable management, always link your answer to horse welfare. For example, explain that mucking out prevents ammonia buildup, which can cause respiratory problems. This shows deeper understanding.
    • 💡In practical assessments, talk through your actions. For instance, when grooming, say 'I am checking for heat or swelling as I brush.' This demonstrates your thought process and attention to detail.
    • 💡For health checks, memorise the normal TPR ranges and be able to explain what abnormal readings might indicate (e.g., elevated temperature could signal infection). Use specific examples from your work experience.

    Common Mistakes

    Common errors to avoid in your coursework

    • Forgetting to check the bit for rough edges or temperature before putting it in the horse's mouth
    • Tightening the girth too quickly in one go, rather than gradually, causing the horse to become resentful
    • Failing to run stirrups up on the saddle when moving the horse or securing the surcingle incorrectly
    • Not checking that the bridle is hanging symmetrically and that the throatlatch is correctly tensioned (should allow four fingers’ width)
    • Cleaning tack without disassembling it properly, missing dirt in crevices that can cause abrasion
    • Misconception: 'All horses need hard feed (concentrates) every day.' Correction: Many horses in light work or at rest can thrive on good-quality forage alone. Overfeeding concentrates can lead to laminitis or obesity.
    • Misconception: 'A horse lying down is always a sign of illness.' Correction: Horses lie down for short periods to rest or sleep (REM sleep). However, prolonged recumbency or reluctance to rise is a red flag.
    • Misconception: 'You should always approach a horse from the front.' Correction: Approach from the shoulder, where the horse can see you clearly. Approaching head-on can startle them, and from behind risks being kicked.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Common questions students ask about this topic

    Before You Start

    Prior knowledge that will help with this topic

    • •Basic understanding of horse behaviour and handling (e.g., from volunteering or personal experience).
    • •Familiarity with common horse breeds and their basic needs.
    • •Completion of a Level 1 qualification in animal care or equivalent experience is helpful but not essential.

    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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