Equestrian Dictionary

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When a horse raises his mouth above the rider's hands to avoid the pressure of the bit.

The manner in which a horse moves at various gaits.

Horse over 9 years old.

A decorative knot in the same family as the pretzel knot. The knot was worn around the neck of the horse signifying that the horse had become a finished bridle horse. A mane hair mecate was generally used for this purpose.

Condition that affects the muscles of horses, ranging from stiffness and mild cramps to the horse becoming unable to stand with discolored urine. Also referred to as Equine Rhabdomyelosis or tying up.

A horse that lives on its owner land and not in a proper horse barn or stable.

A large blaze. This will often extend horezontally past the eyes, above the forehead and will often cover the nose and muzzle.

A measurement of hay equal to 10 flakes. Approximately 70-90 lbs.

A horse that does not like to leave the barn or stable.

Dark red to deep brown with black points.

When a horse places his head down to evade contact with the bit.

A mare that wears a bell around the neck to help lead pack trains or to help locate where horses are grazing at night.

There are two types of black, fading black and jet black.

Coat is a very dark brown that appears black, except around the muzzle and maybe the belly, sometimes called seal brown.

A broad white marking to at least the edge of the nasal bones, which may begin above the eyes and extend down as far as the upper lip.

A horse that is calm, alert, experienced and does not spook when encountering foreign objects or loud noises.

A fee paid to a breeder in order to reserve a place in a stallion’s book for breeding to a mare. The fee is generally nonrefundable and counts towards the stud fee.

A person who breeds animals professionally.

A mare or stallion that meets eligibility requirements to be registered as a distinct breed and used for breeding horses with similar characteristics.

The headgear with which a horse is governed and which carries a bit and reins

Tawny or grayish with streaks of a darker color.

British Horseracing Board

The British Horseracing Board is the governing authority for horseracing in the United Kingdom. It was created in 1993, and took on responsibilities previously held by the Jockey Club.

A bucking horse that is used in rodeos and ridden with a saddle.

A mare used for breeding.

A class of range horses that are not considered to be worth very much.

A wild or untrained Australian horse.

A horse that leaps upward arching its back.

Buckskin horse that has a tan or gold colored coat with black points (mane, tail, and lower legs).

The part of the hoof that connects the hoof to the pastern.

A pace of a horse between a trot and a gallop, with not less than one foot on the ground at any time.

Yellowish coat with hazel eyes.

A medieval war horse

Coat color is a dark red, similar to cherry wood.

A reddish/yellowish brown with no black points.

Any horse of a short-legged, stout variety, with short legs, and a compact body, neck and back

A male horse under the age of 4.

Conditioned response

A predictable trained response to stimuli.

The overall symmetrical arrangement of the horse. Ideal conformation will be determined by the discipline for which the horse will be used.

Coat is a very red, almost copper color.

White ring just above the hoof.

The part of the hoof that connects the hoof to the pastern.

Smooth four-beat gait performed by Paso Finos. Similar natural four-beat gaits are found in breeds such as the Peruvian Paso. The corto occurs naturally, and is similar to the trot in speed. The largo is extended and high-speed, and the fino is very collected. This is the gait emphasized in high-level competition.

Hair whorls that can occur on any part of the animal, but are mainly seen on the forehead and neck.

Cremello is a color of horse consisting of a cream-colored body with a cream mane and tail.

The point on the neck where the mane grows out of.

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

The female parent of a horse.

A horse with a mottled or spotted skin or coat.

A heavy, strong medieval war horse.

The point where the tail connects to the rear of the horse.

Yellowish brown with a dorsal stripe along the back and occasionally zebra stripings on the legs.

A horse that easily maintains his weight.

Equine Rhabdomyelosis

Condition that affects the muscles of horses, ranging from stiffness and mild cramps to the horse becoming unable to stand with discolored urine. Also referred to as Azoturia or tying up.

A genus of the family Equidae that comprises the horses, asses, zebras and their close relatives.

A person who shoes horses.

Resembles the ankle of the horse.

A female horse under the age of four.

One tenth of a bale of hay.

Where the hind legs and the stomach of the horse meet.

A term commonly used in the United Kingdom to denote a form of horse racing which is run over a predetermined distance and in which the horses are not required to jump over obstacles such as hurdles or fences as in National Hunt racing.

The young offspring of a horse under the age of one.

660 feet or 220 yards. It originally referred to the length of the furrow in one acre of a ploughed open field (a medieval communal field which was divided into strips).

The fastest gait of a horse. A two-beat stride during which all four legs are off the ground simultaneously.

Also known as the "second thigh," the large muscle on the hind leg, just above the hock, below the stifle.

A castrated male horse.

How the Apaches referred to horses.

Gray is a coat color of horses, consisting of black skin, a white to dark gray coat, and a mane the same color or darker than the body coat.

An inexperienced horse.

Any training that is done from the ground.

Grulla is an intense color. The body color is described as mouse, blue dove, or slate colored with dark sepia to black points. Grullas have no white hairs mixed in the body hairs.

A competition where riders and horses display a range of skills and aptitudes.

(noun) a horse for hire, or adapted to general work, used for driving or riding. Although the word sometimes means an old, worn out horse, it is also used to signify an extremely elegant horse used for riding on social occasions ("park hack", "hunter hack" etc.) (verb)- to ride a horse for pleasure, not as training

A measure equal to a hand's breadth. 1 hand equals four inches. Chiefly used in measuring the height of horses.

A horse whose weight is hard to maintain.

A British term for halter.

Hindlimb equivalent to the heel, the main joint on the hind leg.

Horses which are led “in hand” during competition rather than ridden.

When a mare is in heat.

Another name for stirrups.

The Jockey Club is responsible for the day-to-day regulation of United Kingdom horse-racing. In conjunction with the British Horseracing Board and the Horserace Betting Levy Board, it is one of the three bodies which provide management for horse racing in the United Kingdom.

A Western term for a slow trot. Also European style of riding to describe a slow, shortened trot in which the rider usually sits rather than posts.

The cheek bone under the horse's ear on both sides.

A traditional drink of the people of Central Asia. It is made from fermenting mare's milk in a horse-hide container, called a "saba".

A horse's easy gait, consisting of long running strides or leaps. A lope resembles a canter.

Long and relatively coarse hair growing from the dorsal ridge of the neck, lying on either the left or right side of the neck, and the continuation of that hair on the top of the head, where it generally hangs forward.

A female horse usually over 4 years old.

A piece of harness used on a horse to keep it from raising its head above a desired point

A combination of bicarbonate of soda mixed with a liquid that is believed to reduce fatigue and therefore enhance performance in horses.

Sterile hybrid offspring of a male donkey and a female horse.

The chin, mouth, and nostrils make up the muzzle on the horse's face.

National Hunt racing

Name given to the sport of horse racing in the United Kingdom where the Horses are required to jump over obstacles called Hurdles or Fences.

market town in the English county of Suffolk, approximately 65 miles north of London, which has grown and become famous because of its connection with race horses and racing.

White markings appear at belly and spring upward.

A fenced-in area of grassland in which a horse is turned out. Usually refers to a small area.

Palomino is a coat color in horses, consiting of a gold coat and white or flaxen mane and tail.

1. White hair extending from the hoof to the top of the pastern.
2. The connection between the coronet and the fetlock.

Exactly like a cremello but a bay horse with two dilute genes.

A pinto is a multi colored horse with large patches of brown white and/or black and white.

The mane, tail, and lower legs of a horse.

The portion of the horse's neck right behind the ears.

Any of several small breeds of horse under 14.2 hands.

A horse the belongs to an established lineage bred for specific traits over many years.

The horizontal bars of a horse jump.

Also known as Calico Paint.

A piece of equipment (tack) placed on a horse’s back that helps a rider sit in the correct position when riding. Normally made of leather and wood. There are a variety of saddles including: western, English, endurance, Australian, etc.

Stand to hold your saddle when not in use.

School Horse or Pony

A horse owned by a riding academy.

Any mark found below the top of the nostrils or down to and including the lower lip.

White hair extending from the hoof to half way up the cannon.

Horse color ranging from reddish gold to deep burgundy.

A non-castrated male horse over 4 years.

Any white marking of any size above or between the eyes.

A steeplechase was originally a form of horse racing (primarily conducted in the United Kingdom, United States, and Ireland) that derived its name from early races in which orientation of the course was by reference to a church steeple, jumping fences and ditches and generally traversing the many intervening obstacles in the countryside. A modern day definition would be a distance horse race with diverse fence and ditch obstacles; the most famous of these is the English Grand National run at Aintree race course.

Corresponds to the elbow of a horse, except on the hind limb.

White hair extending from the hoof to the hock or knee.

Any white marking down the face that stays within the confines of the nasal bone, below the eyes and above the nose.

List of breeding horses maintained by a registering organization.

Wool, shaped felt, foam rubber, or some similar material used in saddles.

Part of the harnessing for a draft animal or riding animal. Includes bit, bridle, reins and any other rigging used on the horse.

Western term for martingale. A piece of harness used on a horse to keep it from raising its head above a desired point.

A white pattern where white crosses over the spine.

Combination of the overos and tobianos characteristics. They do not clearly belong to either the tobiano or overo pattern.

The core of the saddle which is then covered with leather. Provides support and help distribute the weight along the horse's back.

A two-beat gait between the walk and the lope.

To release a horse into a field, paddock or arena.

Horse with health problems or lameness.

Veterinary Medical Doctor

The point when foal starts to masticate and supplement their milk diet with solid foods like grass or hay.

All white, may be the result of overlapping pinto, appaloosa, or sabino markings. Rarely there are true white horses born and are documented to have a dominant white gene. These horses have normal eye colour, and they stay white for life.

The highest point of the shoulder seen best with horse standing square and head slightly lowered. The tops of the two shoulder blades and the space between them define the withers.

A horse between 1 and 2 years.