Glossary of equestrian terms

• Equine anatomy
• Equine coat color
• Equine conformation
• Horse breeding
• List of horse breeds
• Horse racing:
• *Glossary of Australian and New Zealand punting
• *Glossary of North American horse racing
• Equipment:
• *Bridle
• *Horse tack
• *Horse harness
• *Horse grooming
• *Saddle

  A

1. Agistment, letting out pasture to horse owners.
2. Agister, an official of the New Forest Verderers who controls grazing on the Forest by New Forest Ponies and other livestock.

1. A general term for a range of four beat intermediate speed horse gaits that are approximately the speed of a trot or pace but far smoother to ride. Various terms for lateral ambling gaits, based on style, speed or rhythm of gait and breed of horse, include the slow gait, single foot, running walk, stepping pace, sobreandando, paso corto, paso llano, rack, tölt, and paso largo. The term usually refers to lateral gaits, but may be applied to all four beat intermediate speed gaits, including the diagonal four-beat gait referred to be terms such as fox trot, pasitrote, and trocha''.
2. The stepping pace. A specific intermediate speed horse gait, a slowed down pace. It is a four beat lateral gait, where the legs on one side of the horse move one immediately following the other, then the legs on the other side. It is a very smooth gait, and is natural to some breeds.

B

1. A strap running from a horse's back, over the head, to a bit, to prevent the horse from lowering its head beyond a fixed point. Used with harnessed horses.
2. A riding aid where the rein is applied to the horse's neck on the side towards the turn. Opposite of a neck rein.

1. When a horse suddenly runs away, with or without a rider.
2. When a horse eats its feed too rapidly.

1. "Good" or "poor" bone: technical terminology referencing the size and density of bone of the lower leg, which helps determine the weight carrying ability of a horse.
2. The characteristics of the lower leg as a whole, including the cannon bone as well as associated tendons and ligaments. "Flat" bone describes a positive feature where the tendons of the leg stand well away from the cannon bone, "tied-in" bone describes the negative characteristic of the tendon placed too close to the bone.

1. The pedigree of an animal
2. Horse breeding, or the selective breeding of animals.
3. A type of horse show competition where horses are led, not ridden. See in-hand.

C

1. A horse of poor quality, referencing animals destined for slaughter.
2. Canner price: see meat money.

1. A two-wheeled or four-wheeled vehicle drawn by horses, and used for carrying people.
2. The way a horse carries itself, especially the way it positions the head and neck.

1. A two-wheeled vehicle pulled by one or more horses.
2. A small, light four-wheeled vehicle, usually with bicycle-style tires, used primarily for show ring fine harness competition, and upper levels of pleasure driving.

1. Casting, throwing : forcing a horse to lie down, allowing safe veterinary or other treatment. Usually done by an arrangement of ropes or straps.
2. Cast, the state of an animal laying down that is unable to get up. May be due to illness or injury. Also occurs when a horse in a box stall rolls over against a wall, trapping its legs against the wall.

1. Chestnut : A reddish-brown coat color with matching or lighter-colored mane and tail.
2. Chestnut :A callousity on the inside of each leg, thought to possibly be a vestigial remnant of the pad of a toe Not present on the hind legs of donkeys and zebras. See also ergot.

1. A stocky, rather small horse, or a large pony. Often a general description, but also applied to certain breeds such as the Welsh Cob.
2. A bridle size designed for horses with small or short heads. Usually keeps a long browband and throatlatch to accommodate the wide forehead and jowls of cobs and other horses with somewhat wedge-shaped heads, such as the Arabian or the Morgan.

1. Crop : A stiff, short-handled whip seen most often in English riding.
2. All the foals sired in one year. Often used to refer to one particular stallions' foals born in the year, but can also refer to a particular owner, an entire breed, or a region or worldwide crop.

1. Curb bit: A type of bit that has bit shanks. It applies leverage pressure to a horse's mouth when the reins are tightened. The degree of leverage depends on the length of the shank and the positioning of the bit mouthpiece on the shanks. Is used in conjunction with a curb chain or curb strap so that when the reins are tightened, pressure is also applied to the chin groove and the headstall applies pressure on the poll of the animal. generally characterized by a solid bit mouthpiece of varying designs, but may have a jointed mouthpiece, sometimes mistakenly called a "snaffle".
2. Curb : Several possible types of lameness for which clinical signs include a swelling on the back of the lower leg. Any of a collection of soft tissue injuries of the distal plantar hock region.

   D

1. At a trot, the set of legs that move forward at the same are the "diagonal" pair.
2. When a rider posts while riding at the trot, they can rise either matching when the left or the right foreleg and opposite hind leg hits the ground. If they sit when the left foreleg strikes, they are on the left diagonal, if they sit when the right foreleg strikes, it is the right diagonal. When riding clockwise, the rider is to post the left diagonal, when riding counter-clockwise the rider is to post the right diagonal. In other words, when riding a circle, the rider sits when the outside front and inside hind legs are on the ground.

1. The muscular portion of a horse's tail, where the hair is rooted. Sometimes refers only to the upper portion of this area, where the tail attaches to the hindquarters.
2. Docking: to cut a horse's tail at the dock, seen most often on carriage horses to keep the tails from becoming caught in the harness. Traditionally referred to the practice of cutting the muscle and bone, though in modern use, sometimes refers only to the cutting of tail hair.

1. A classical form of horse training, involving the gradual training of the horse in stages.
2. An Olympic level equine sport based on classical principles of horsemanship, involving taking tests designed to gauge the training level of horses in classical dressage. Lower levels of dressage competition are organized by national equestrian organizations, but the higher levels, including the Olympics, are governed by the Federation Equestre Internationale.

E

1. An individual familiar with horses and horse handling. It can also refer to someone riding a horse. The feminine form is Equestrienne.
2. referring to the management and use of horses.
3. The Equestrian order, an upper-class social rank of Ancient Rome, akin to the later knight.

1. The skill of riding a horse.
2. A term for competitive horse show events judged on the rider's ability instead of that of the horse.

1. A small callosity on the back of the fetlocks of equines, often concealed by feathering. Thought to be a vestigial remnant of the pad of the toe. See also chestnut.
2. A fungus of the genus Claviceps growing parasitically on the seed-heads of grasses, and so sometimes occurring in fodder eaten by horses. Contains large amounts of alkaloids, including ergotamine. These can cause ergotism, a serious condition affecting the nervous and circulatory systems, sometimes leading to permanent injury or death.

F

1. A professional hoof care specialist who does hoof trimming and who also uses blacksmithing skills to do horse shoeing.
2. Someone who treats all aspects of horse health.

1. To rasp down sharp points that may form on horse teeth. Usually performed by a veterinarian or Equine dentistry specialist.
2. A horse trailer.

1. A young horse of either sex under the age of one year. Derives from the Anglo-Saxon word fola. May be qualified by sex: colt foal, filly foal.
2. Foaling: the act of a mare giving birth.

1. In racing, the overall fitness of a horse to race. It includes factors such as how well it is currently working, what its breeding is, and how it has performed in the past.
2. In jumping, the style that a horse uses going over fences.
3. In equine conformation, the overall phenotype of the animal and its suitability for a given function.

1. A stakes race for two-year-olds where the owners nominate the horse before birth and then pay additional fees as the horse grows up to continue the ability to enter the horse in the race.
2. A horse show competition for horses of a specified age, where the owners nominate the horse either before birth or as a young foal and then pay additional fees as the horse grows up to continue the eligibility to enter the horse in the class at the proper time. Futurities exist for many different horse breeds and equestrian disciplines.

   G

1. Horse type: Australian show horses standing over 14 hands and not exceeding 15 hands.
2. The Galloway pony, a now-extinct horse breed.

1. To exercise or work a horse without a rider, controlling it from the ground.
2. In jumping, training a horse without jumping over fences.

   H

1. A mediocre but useful horse.
2. An informal ride, usually for leisure or exercise.
3. Show hack, a type of horse show competition, usually emphasizing obedience and excellent movement.

1. A type of crossbred horse whose sire and dam are from different breeds.
2. A horse whose sire or dam is Thoroughbred, but the other parent is not. Such a horse is not eligible for registration in the General Stud Book, but can be registered in the Half-Bred stud book.

1. The portion of a bridle that consists of the straps that go over the horse's head and under the throat, excluding the noseband, used to hold the bit in place.
2. An alternate name for a head collar.

1. A rider who uses too much rein pressure is said to have "heavy" hands.
2. In racing, a track that is between muddy and good, in other words one that is drying out.
3. A draft horse is sometimes called a "heavy" horse.

1. The object attached to a vehicle to allow a trailer to be attached and pulled.
2. To fasten a harnessed horse to a carriage or other horse-drawn vehicle..
3. To tie or tether a horse to a stationary object such as a post to keep it from wandering.

1. A carriage driving term when one horse of a pair momentarily breaks its trotting stride to realign its gait to trot in synchronisation with the other horse creating a harmonised pair, in a ‘hitch and hop’ movement.

1. Wild Horse: Equus ferus.
2. :a. Tarpan or Eurasian Wild Horse: Equus ferus ferus.
3. :b. Domestic Horse: Equus ferus caballus.
4. :c. Przewalski's Horse: Equus ferus przewalskii.
5. In some circumstances, may refer to members of that species that are taller than 14.2 hands high.
6. A male horse, particularly an uncastrated male horse.

I

1. An in-hand class is a type of horse show competition, where the horse is led, rather than ridden, and judged on its conformation and movement. See also halter, breeding.
2. Leading, as opposed to riding, a horse
3. In racing, a horse that is not running at top speed.

J

1. A small, gaited horse of the Middle Ages, developed originally in Spain, used as a riding animal. Also called a Spanish jennet.
2. A female donkey.

1. Applied to horses, may refer to a horse jumping over an obstacle, or may refer to action where the horse simply leaps into the air, such as bucking, crowhopping, or pronking. Less often, applied to certain airs above the ground.
2. An obstacle, particularly one used in competition.

1. A horse that jumps, particularly in competition.
2. Show jumping or stadium jumping, a competition that goes as high as the Olympic level, where the horse is judged on the number of obstacles it clears on the course in a given round and the speed at which it completes the course. When a course is not timed, or in the event of a tie, the height of obstacles is raised in each successive round, most notably in puissance competition, until there is a winner.

   K

L

1. Lead : the leading legs of the horse at the canter and gallop. The front and hind legs on one side of the horse appear to land in front of the other set of front and hind legs when the horse travels. On a curve, a horse is generally asked to lead with the inside legs, though there are exceptions to the general rule, such as the counter canter. See also lead change.
2. Lead : a lead rope, lead shank or leading rein. A flat line or rope attached to a halter and used to lead the animal when the handler is on the ground.

M

N

O

P

1. A two-beat, lateral gait where the front and hind legs on the same side move forward at the same time. Difficult to ride, but the fastest of the intermediate gaits, particularly seen in harness racing and the "flying pace" of the Icelandic horse.
2. In horse racing, may refer to the speed of the leaders of a given race, i.e. "setting the pace," "off the pace."
3. The speed of a horse or, as a verb, to regulate the speed of a horse, particularly over distance.
4. A group of asses, also known as a passe.

1. A fenced enclosure where horses are kept.
2. In racing, the location where the racehorses are mounted before a race and unsaddled after a race.

1. The known and documented lineage of an animal.
2. The written pedigree chart outlining the lineage of an animal.

1. In horse racing, a placed horse is one that finishes second in a race, or in the first three places, A place bet is a bet that a horse will place. In the place bets may be pay up to fourth place if there are 16 or more runners in a race.
2. In horse shows, any award ranking, particularly one other than first "place", usually second through fifth or sixth place.

1. A single rigid bar extending from the front of a vehicle, being held between a pair of horses. Allows the animals to steer and slow the vehicle. See also shafts.
2. Poling, the practice of deliberately hitting the legs of a show jumper while it is in the air over a fence, said to make it fold up its legs and jump higher.

1. In common use, a member of the species Equus ferus caballus of a horse breed that typically matures shorter than. Individual animals of breeds that typically mature over this height may still be called "horses" even if under the cutoff height. In some parts of the world, the cutoff is at 14 hands instead of 14.2.
2. Biologically, may be used to define small horses that retain a pony phenotype of relatively short height heavy coat, thick mane and tail, proportionally short legs, and heavy build regardless of actual mature height.
3. For competition purposes, depending on organizational rules and local tradition, may also be used for an adult horse of any breed of 14.2, 14.1, or 14 hands or less at the time of competition. The International Federation for Equestrian Sports, which uses metric measurement, defines the official cutoff point at without shoes and with shoes.
4. Leading one horse while riding another.
5. A horse used in the sport of polo.

Q

R

S

1. A device placed on the back of a horse or other equine, where the rider sits, designed to support and stabilize a rider. Comes in two main varieties, a stock saddle, and flatter types, known as English in the United States, which are used for jumping, dressage and racing.
2. A part of a horse harness placed on the back, forming an attachment point for several other harness parts, taking the weight of the shafts or pole.

1. Padding placed under the saddle, shaped fully or partially to complement the outline of the saddle. See numnah
2. Rectangular padding, usually at least an inch thick, placed under a western saddle to provide more protection and support than a saddle blanket.

1. A form of English riding popularized in the United States for riding gaited horses and other breeds where high, flashy, action is encouraged, notably the American Saddlebred, Morgan horse, and Arabian horse.
2. The style of saddle used for this discipline, also known as a park saddle, lane fox, or cutback. Is designed to set the rider farther back on the horse, not intended for jumping.

1. In US horse racing, the horse that comes in third in a given race. Also a bet that a horse will finish third or better.
2. A horse show, a competitive event or series of events where horses are judged in a wide variety of ways depending on breed, discipline and part of the world.

1. A form of riding where a rider sits with both legs to the near side of the horse, rather than with legs astride.
2. A saddle designed for the above style of riding

1. Ossification of the second and fourth metacarpal or metatarsal bones, which often form after trauma to the area. Often an unsoundness when newly injured, may ossify into blemishes with no effect on soundness, depending on location.
2. Splint bones, the second and fourth metacarpal or metatarsal bones, thought to be vestiges of the toes possessed by prehistoric equines.

1. A building in which horses are kept. In UK usage, also the space for one horse within a larger building.
2. A group of horses owned by one individual or group.

1. A horse used to herd and manage livestock on a ranch or station.
2. Generic term encompassing the horse breeds found in the American west that were developed for handling cattle.
3. The Australian Stock Horse, a specific horse breed.
4. Any horse used for various competitions that are based and judged on cattle handling or agility skills such as reining, cutting, campdrafting or similar events.

1. An Australian stock saddle seen more often in the Southern Hemisphere.
2. A western saddle, seen more often in the United States.

1. An establishment where pedigreed horses are bred.
2. At stud, a stallion being kept for breeding.
3. Informal and technically incorrect term for a stallion.

1. a list of horses of a particular breed whose parents are known. An open stud book allows parents of different breeds, as long as the horse conforms to the breed standard or meets other criteria, and is often used when establishing new breeds. A closed stud book requires both parents to be in the book, with lineage traceable to the foundation bloodstock. The thoroughbred breed is an example of a closed stud book. Many warmblood breeds such as the Oldenburger have an open stud book with animals approved for registry via a studbook selection process.
2. A list of stallions of a particular breed "standing at stud", that is, actively being bred.
3. Another term for the General Stud Book, the stud book for Thoroughbreds in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

1. Surcingle, roller. A piece of training equipment which goes around the barrel of the horse. Usually padded at the top, and buckles around the horse. Often has rings placed at various locations for attachment of reins, a crupper and/or an overcheck. Specialized designs also used in equestrian vaulting.
2. A long unpadded strap that passes around the barrel of a horse. One design is placed over a saddle and is fastened with a buckle, used on racing, polo and Australian stock saddles. Other designs are used to hold on certain styles of horse blankets.

   T

1. The area on a horse that runs from the poll to the dock.
2. On a pedigree chart, the paternal side of the ancestry, which is given on the top of the chart.

U

V

W

1. A style of riding characterized by use of a western saddle and a bridle without a noseband. Riders generally have a fairly long stirrup, sit rather than post the trot and, on a finished western horse, reins are usually carried one-handed by the non-dominant hand and, with minimal or no contact with the horse's mouth. The finished animal is usually ridden in a curb bit and turned by use of the neck reining technique. Inexperienced or "green" animals are usually ridden two-handed in either a snaffle bit or a bosal-style hackamore.
2. Western riding : A competition seen as some horse shows where a horse in western equipment is required to perform a pattern that incorporates elements of reining, trail and western pleasure.

X

Y

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