What is "a gallops"? [closed]

I've found this phrase here on a recent BBC report:

"...the mare in the video died after suffering a cardiac arrest on a gallops in April 2016."

The same article has:

"A video on social media shows James mount the animal at a gallops while some present can be heard laughing."

(emphasis mine)

It's a bit of a sad story, but I want to know what "a gallops" is.

Google Ngrams has some indication that it might be a phrase rather than just a typo, and also that it might be rising in popularity.

TheFreeDictionary redirects me to gallop. I know what "a gallop" is. It's the plural noun ("a gallops") that I have never heard used before. It feels like some kind of horse racing meet.

Any formal (or informal) definition that fits this word? Is it short for something?

Solution 1:

A gallops (or sometimes gallop) is a track or ground specially designed for training or exercising horses - see definition 1.3 here. They usually have a special surface, and might consist of a straight or circular track, often with a fence or rails.

Note that this is a British English phrase, equivalent to the American English phrase "training track".

Solution 2:

This appears to be a specialized meaning, uncommon outside of the equestrian world. The OED gives a sense as

1c. A track designed or suited for the galloping or exercising of horses.

1848 A. Trollope Kellys & O'Kellys II. ii. 45: They've proper gallops there, which we haven't.