Glossary of Equine Terms
" Bay: Coat color - deep reddish brown with black mane and tail.
" Bit: Mouthpiece, of made of metal but may be made of rubber or other man made material and held in place by the bridle, by which the rider conveys instructions to the horse.
" Breaking, or Breaking-In: The early education of the young horse, where it is taught the skills it will need for it's future life as a riding or driving horse.
" Breed: An equine group bred selectively for consistent characteristics over a long period of time.
" Bridle: Item of equipment worn on the horse's head, enabling the rider to communicate his wishes through use of the bit and the reins.
" Brood Mare: A mare used for breeding purposes.
" Broken-In/Broke to Ride: Horse that has been accustomed to the tack and the rider and has begun initial training
" Buckskin: Coat color - body can range from crème to dark bronze, mane, tail, legs and tips of ears are black or dark brown. Horses showing similar coloration, but with a dorsal stripe, are called dun.
" Canter: Three beated gait of the horse in which one hind leg strides first (the leading leg), followed by the opposite diagonal pair and finally the opposite foreleg. Called the lope in Western riding.
" Chestnut: (i) The small rubbery protrusion on the inside of all four legs. (ii) Reddish-brown coat color.
" Chip/Chip-In: When a horse puts in a short, additional stride in front of a fence.
" Cinch: Means by which a Western saddle is secured to the horse, which attaches to the saddle on one side, running under the barrel just behind the legs to the other side. Called a girth in English Riding.
" Collection: Where the rider, by means of carefully balanced driving and restraining aids, causes the horse's frame to become compacted and the horse light and supple in the hand. The baseline is shortened, the croup is lowered, the shoulder is raised and the head is held on the vertical.
" Colt: Uncastrated male horse up to four years of age. Male foals are called "colt foals".
" Combined Training: Equestrian competition held over one or three days and including the disciplines of dressage, cross country and show jumping. Also known as Eventing
" Conformation: The overall way in which a horse is put together and also the relationship of specific parts of the horse in regards to its proportions
" Counter Canter: School movement in which the horse canter in a circle with the outside leg leading, instead of the more usual inside leg.
" Cues: Another name for aids. Signals by which the rider communicates his wishes to the horse.
" Dam: A horse's female parent.
" Disunited: Canter in which the horse's legs are out of sequence.
" Dressage: (i) The art of training the horse so that he is totally obedient and responvie to the rider, as well as supple and agile in his performance. (ii)Competetive sport which, by a series of set tests, seeks to judge the horse's natural movement and level of training against an ideal.
" Entire: Uncastrated male horse. (Also called Stallion)
" Equitation: The art of horse riding.
" Eventing: Equestrian competition held over one or three days and including the disciplines of dressage, cross country and show jumping. Also known as Combined Training
" Extension: The extension of the paces is the lengthening of the frame and stride. The opposite of collection.
" Filly: Female horse under four years old. A female foal is called a "filly foal".
" Flying Change: Change of canter lead performed by the horse to rebalance during turns and changes of direction.
" Foal: Colt, filly or gelding up to one year of age
" Futurity: Incentive breeding program to promote a particular breed or type of horse.
" Gait: The paces at which horses move, usually the walk, trot, canter and gallop.
" Gallop: Four-beated gait of the horse, in which each foot touches the ground separately, as opposed to the canter, which is a three-beat gait.
" Gelding: Castrated male horse.
" Ground Manners: Term used to describe the behavior of a horse while being handled on the ground, being groomed, saddled, in the stable etc.
" Gymkhana: Mounted games, including bending poles, sack race, musical sacks and a variety of other games and races.
" Gymnastic: Combination of fences placed at relative distances to each other, used in the training of the jumping
" Hand: Unit of measure used to describe a horse. One hand equals 4 inches, partial measurements being described as 14.1, 14.2, 14.3.
" Irons: The metal pieces attached to the saddle by means of leather straps in which the rider places his feet.
" Jumper: Type of horse suited to jumping and which competes in jumping classes.
" Lead: Term used to indicate the horse's leading leg in canter i.e. "right lead canter" or "left lead canter".
" Mare: Female horse aged four and over.
" Morgan Horse: Gentle and elegant breed of horse developed in the 1780's. The founding stallion was a bay colt named Figure, owned by Justin Morgan, from whom the breed gets its name.
" Oldenburg: Breed of horse originally used as a carriage horse in Europe. Since the early twentieth century, the breed has been refined with infusions of Thoroughbred blood. Oldenburgs now excel in the dressage and jumping arenas.
" Overreaching: Where the toe of the hind foot catches and injures the back of the pastern or heel of the front foot. Occurs when the horse is galloping or jumping
" Oxer: Spread fence. Can be an ascending oxer - with the front rail lower than the back rail, or a square oxer (also known as a parallel), with front and back rail of the same height.
" Paddock: Small enclosure in which horses are turned out for grazing.
" Palomino: Coat color in which the body can be varying shades of gold, with a silver or white mane and tail
" Purebred: A horse with both parents being of the same breed.
" Quarter Horse: Breed of horse, originating in the United States and popular for ranch work, racing and riding in all equestrian disciplines.
" Sire: A horse's male parent.
" Stable Management: The art of looking after one or more stabled horses, including all aspects of their care and welfare
" Stallion: Uncastrated male horse.
" Stud: Breeding establishment - stud farm. The term is also used in the US to describe a stallion or a colt.
" Tack: Refers to the equipment of a riding horse - saddle, bridle
" Trot: Moderate-speed gait in which the horse moves from one diagonal pair of legs to the other, with a period of suspension in between.
" Turnout: (i) The practice of turning horses loose in a field or pasture for all or part of the day. (ii) the standard of dress and appearance of horse and rider, or horse and carriage
" Vertical: (i) Upright fence with no spread. Can be rails, planks, gate or wall. (ii) Also used to describe the horse's head set, as in on the vertical.
" Warmblood: In general terms, a half-bred, or part-bred horse, the result of an Arabian or Thoroughbred cross with other breeds. Also one of a number of specific breeds of horse which were developed by crossing hotblood and coldblood horses to produce a more refined, but athletically strong and capable horse, such as the Swedish Warmblood, the Dutch Warmblood etc.
" Withers: Point at the bottom of the horse's neck from which the horse's height is measured.
" Yearling: Colt or filly between one and two years of age.