From the box: "Train your horse and win! Have you ever wanted to train your own horse? Now you can with the game Gallop Home! Travel around the board in this exciting, fun filled, educational game that will take your imagination into the horse world."
Each player chooses one of four horses, each having a corresponding game pad and a plastic, molded horse-head movement token. The game pad lists the training goals of each horse type; for example, the Arabian's most important training is pleasure, then, in sequence, halter, endurance, dressage, reining, driving, racing, trick riding, jumping, and barrels. Other horses emphasize different training schedules.
Players roll and move around the board, attempting to participate in the training most important to their horses. They also gather bonuses for proper care of their horses; for example, a stop at the vet scores points. The winner isn't necessarily the one to get to the end of the game board first, but to have accumulated the most points for training and care.