Until 1995 training at Ditcheat was concentrated solely to hill work and the odd sprint across some dairy grassland.  Ambitious as ever, Paul badgered his Landlord (Paul Barber) for a flat area on which to construct a gallop.  The result of the tenant's persistence was a five furlong stretch running from the rear of the Maryland Cheese Plant in Ditcheat.  Dead flat, the gallop is railed from end-to-end and bends left and right along its path.  It was originally a deep sand gallop but was upgraded to a surface similar to the Hill Gallop over time.  As part of the ongoing improvements here at Ditcheat, during summer 2011 The Flat Gallop underwent a full surface change and now consists of the market leading Geltrack from Martin Collins.  We also reshaped and re-drained each end to make the gallops 100% weatherproof. Given the quality of the surface and the brilliant lie of the gallop we can machine rotavate the surface to suit our needs.  If we want a softer footing we simply power harrow the gallop to a deeper level thus making the horses work harder without needing to gallop distance.  The flat gallop helps horses retain speed and develop their breathing by going quicker than they would up the hill. As a horse's fitness builds up from using the hill gallop we introduce the flat gallop gradually and at full fitness horses would normally use it, on average, two times per week. Home Shop Horses News Stables Gallery Contact Winners Sitemap Links