Authors: Linda Snow McLoon
Aids
Used by riders to give horses directives. The natural aids: hands, legs, seat or weight, and voice. The artificial aids: whips and spurs.
Anglo/Arab
A horse with one Thoroughbred parent and one Arabian parent.
Appaloosa
A versatile breed developed by the Nez Perce Native Americans, which is commonly known for its distinct spotted coat.
Baker blanket
A brand of horse clothing with a distinctive plaid pattern.
Bars
The area without teeth in the horse's lower jaw where the bit rests.
Bascule
The natural round arc of a horse's body when it jumps a fence athletically, putting its withers at the highest point.
Bat
A short crop (whip) with a wide head.
Blaze
A white marking on a horse's face that extends from its forehead to its muzzle.
Blemish
A mark left from a former condition or injury that may be unattractive but does not indicate unsoundness.
Bone
The measure of the circumference of the foreleg below the knee, which is considered to reflect a horse's proclivity toward soundness.
Bran mash
A nourishing and easy-to-digest feed for a horse made by mixing bran with warm water, and letting it soak until it expands.
Bridle path
A trail intended for recreational use by horses and riders, or the area behind the horse's ears where the mane is clipped short to accommodate a bridle or halter.
Buck
When the horse attempts to unseat a rider by leaping in the air with its back arched and its head lowered while kicking out with its hind legs.
Canter
The fastest of the horse's three main gaits, which include the walk, trot, and canter. The canter has three beats.
Capped hock
A swelling at the point of the hock, which may or may not contribute to unsoundness in the horse.
Cast
When a horse rolls against a stall wall in such a way that its legs are pinned and it becomes trapped. This can lead to potentially fatal injuries if the horse isn't assisted to its feet.
Cavalletti
Rails placed on or just above the ground in various patterns, which the horse is walked, trotted, and/or cantered over. They are used in the training of the horse in a number of disciplines.
Cavesson
The noseband of a bridle, or the headstall with a sturdy noseband commonly used when longeing the horse.
Chaps
An article of clothing riders wear over pants when riding to prevent chafing of their legs.
Cleveland Bay
A breed of horse originally developed in England for carriage driving.
Cluck
The sound a person makes with the tongue commonly used to encourage a horse to move forward.
Cob
A small, stout horse of strong buildârefers to a body type rather than a specific breed.
Colic
Abdominal pain in the horse, ranging from mild to severe and indicating a digestive disorder, which due to the horse's unique intestinal system, can be fatal.
Combination
Two or more jumps placed in close proximity with a specific number of strides between each jump.
Conformation
A horse's physical form and shape.
Cooler
An item of horse clothing used to prevent a hot, sweaty, or wet horse from being chilled.
Coop
A type of jump modeled after a chicken coop, which was originally placed over wire fencing to make it safe for jumping on foxhunts.
Counter-canter
To canter on the opposite lead from the direction the horse is traveling.
Crest
The upper portion of a horse's neck.
Cribbing
A vice when a horse pulls against a solid object with its teeth, often while swallowing air.
Crop
A small riding whip used by the rider to reinforce the leg aids.
Cross-ties
A method of tying a horse, usually in a barn aisle, using ties attached to opposite walls and to each side of the horse's halter.
Curry comb
A grooming tool with rows of small teeth used to loosen dirt prior to brushing.
Dam
A horse's mother (mare).
Dandy brush
A grooming brush made of a stiff material used to remove dirt from the horse's coat.
Diagonal
(correct) A way of posting (rising) to the trot so the rider rises in unison with the horse's inside hind leg and outside front leg.
Dispersal sale
When an owner puts all his horses up for sale.
Dressage test
When a horse and rider are judged on how they perform a series of specific movements and patterns, which demonstrate the horse's level of training.
Dropped noseband
A type of bridle noseband that encircles the muzzle to prevent a horse from opening its mouth to evade the action of the bit and is often used on horses that require more control.
Dutch Warmblood
A European breed selectively bred as to excel in equestrian sports such as dressage and show jumping.
Eggbutt
A type of snaffle bit with egg-shaped (slightly oval) rings to which the cheek pieces and reins of the bridle are attached.
Equitation
A type of horse show class in which the rider's form and riding ability are judged.
Equus
Scientific term for the species known as horse.
Eventing
A three-phase type of equestrian competition in which horses are tested in dressage, cross-country jumping (natural obstacles across varied terrain), and show jumping.
Farrier
A person who trims the feet of and “shoes” horses.
Flake (of hay)
One measured section from a bale of hay.
Flash noseband
A type of bridle noseband used to help keep the bit steady in the horse's mouth and hold the horse's mouth closed, preventing evasion of the rein aids.
Flea-bitten gray
A horse coat color that features small splotches of brown and black hairs among predominantly white hairs.
Flexion tests
A diagnostic tool often used to test for joint pain (and related unsoundness) by holding the horse's joint (commonly in the legs) in a tightly flexed position for one to two minutes and then having the horse trot off.
Float
To remove sharp edges from a horse's teeth by filing them with a rasp, enabling the horse to chew its food more efficiently.
Fly sheet
An article of horse clothing designed to protect the horse from insects.
Flying change
When a cantering horse changes his lead to the opposite canter lead without slowing to walk or trot.
Forward
A term used to describe energetic movement or impulsion in the ridden horse.
Founder
A term commonly used to describe the equine vascular disease of laminitis, which impacts the sensitive structures of a horse's hooves. In advanced stages of laminitis, a bone within the horse's hoof can actually detach, rotate, and/or sink, hence the term “founder.”
Frame (in a)
When a horse is moving forward with energy in response to the rider's leg and seat aids into a restraining hand, often assuming a desirable “profile” or appearance with a rounded topline and the nose positioned just in front of the vertical.
Frog
The firm, resilient V-shaped “cushion” that sits in the center of sole of the horse's foot and helps absorb the shock of concussion.
Galloping boots
Horse clothing used during exercise to protect a horse's lower legs from injury.
Gelding
A neutered (castrated) male horse.
Girth
The piece of tack that attaches to either side of the saddle and wraps under the horse's belly, holding the saddle in place on the horse's back.
Going large
When a horse is ridden on the outer track of the riding arena around the entire riding space.
Gooseneck trailer
A trailer that attaches to the bed of the hauling vehicle, rather than to the bumper.
Green
Used to describe a horse in the early stages of training, when it is inexperienced and often lacking confidence.
Half chaps
A type of chaps used by riders that begin below the knee and help keep the rider's leg steady as well as offer some protection from chafing.
Half-halt
A sequence of aids that ask a horse to adjust its balance in preparation for the rider's request for a particular movement or transition.
Halter
A headstall generally made of leather, nylon, or rope used to lead or otherwise control a horse.
Hand
The four-inch unit of measure used to determine a horse's height from the ground to its withers.
Hand gallop
A controlled gallop, with a speed between canter and full gallop.
Heartgirth
The distance around a horse's body when measured just behind the withers.
Homebred
A horse whose owner owned its dam at the time it was foaled.
Hot walkers
Racetrack workers who walk horses to cool them out following exercise, or the mechanical machines used to serve the same purpose.
Hunter
A horse used in the sport of foxhunting (field hunter) or one competed in horse shows (show hunter), where the horse is judged on its way of traveling on the flat and its form over fences.
Impulsion
The energy in a horse's forward movement.
In-and-out
Two jumps placed in close proximity and jumped consecutively, with a specific number of strides between them.
Interfere
When a horse hits one leg against another due to a faulty way of moving its legs.
Irons
A common term for the rider's stirrups, which are often made of metal.
Jigging
A term that describes the up-and-down movement of a horse between a walk and trot, usually occuring when a horse is excited or nervous.
Jumper
A horse competed in classes where the horse's ability to jump fences cleanly in the shortest period of time determines the winner, while its form over fences isn't considered.
Kimberwicke bit
A shanked bit with minimal to mild curb action that is more severe (“stronger”) in a horse's mouth than a snaffle bit.
Lead
To walk a horse with the aid of a rope or lead shank, or the word used to describe the leg extending furthest in front when a horse is cantering. The lead leg is the last hoof to make contact with the ground during each canter stride. The rider is said to be on the “correct lead” when the lead leg matches the direction of travel (for example, the right leg when traveling on a circle to the right).
Leg-yielding
When a horse moves laterally, traveling both forward and sideways when cued by the rider's leg, seat, and rein aids.
Liver chestnut
A deep shade of chestnut horse coat color.
Liverpool
A jump with a ditch or tray of water under it.
Long and low
The phrase used to describe the way a horse moves on a long rein with his head and neck stretched out before him; a movement often used to stretch the horse during warm-up.
Long in the tooth
An expression meaning “getting along in years,” since horses' teeth get longer as they age.
Longeing (lungeing)
The exercising and/or training of a horse on a circle using a long lash (longe whip) and a long webbed line (longe line) that is attached to a sturdy headstall (see cavesson).
Martingale, standing
A leather strap running from the bridle's noseband between the horse's front legs to the girth, used to prevent the horse from carrying its head too high and evading the rider's rein aids.
Near side
The horse's left side.
Never started
A phrase often used to describe a horse that was never in a race.
Off
A term used to describe a horse whose way of traveling indicates lameness.
Off side
The horse's right side.
On the bit
When a horse moves forward energetically from the rider's leg into a supporting rein with a rounded topline and the nose positioned just in front of the vertical.
On the flat
A phrase describing a horse's ridden performance when it is not jumping.
OTTB
An off-the-track Thoroughbred.
Oxer
A spread jump featuring the challenge of both height and width.
Paddock boots
A low, heeled boot worn by horseback riders.
Palomino
A horse coat color that comes in varying shades of gold with a white mane and tail.
Pastern
The portion of the horse's lower leg that connects the ankle joint and the hoof.
Pinto
A horse coat color featuring mainly white hairs with black or brown patches.
Polo wraps
A type of bandage used to protect a horse's legs during exercise.
Pony
The term to describe a horse under 14.2 hands high, or a way of exercising a horse by leading it while riding astride a second horse.
Prince of Wales spurs
A mild type of spur with a short neck (shank).