Glossary of Equine Terms
Action: The movement of the horse's legs.
Aged: A horse of 15 years of age or older. Prior to this age, experienced horsemen can estimate the age of a horse by examining the teeth.
Aging: The process of estimating the age of a horse by examining the appearance and development of the teeth.
Aids: Signals or cues by which the rider communicates his wishes to the horse. The "natural" aids include the voice, the legs, the hands and the weight. "Artifical" aids include the whip and spurs.
Amble: The slower form of the lateral pacing gait. (See Pacer)
Anhidrosis: A condition in which the horse has a limited ability to sweat.
Anthelmintics: Name given to the various deworming medications used to control equine internal parasites.
Appendix: A horse registered in the Appendix of the American Quarter Horse Registry. Quarter Horse/Thoroughbred cross.
Artificial Aids: Mechanical means by which the rider conveys his wishes to the horse. Includes spurs and whip.
At Grass: A horse that has been turned out in a paddock or field.
Azoturia: Condition in which the horse experiences prolonged muscle contractions during exercise. Exercise-induced myositis. Also known as tying-up and Monday Morning sickness, because the condition often appears in fit horses following a period of rest.
Back at the Knee: A conformational fault where the upper leg is set back in comparison to the lower leg. This fault is more serious than over at the knee because it places additional strain on the tendons running down the back of the lower leg.
Back-breeding: The practice of breeding back to a certain stallion to preserve a particular desirable trait.
Bald-Faced: US term used to describe a horse with a predominantly white face.
Bandy-legged: Where the hocks turn outward. (See also bow-hocks). Opposite of cow-hocks.
Banged tail: A tail which has been trimmed level at the bottom, seen in dressage horses and hunters, but not in Arabians and western pleasure horses.
Barrel: The area of the horse's body between the forelegs and the loins.
Barrel Racing: A timed event in Western Riding where horse and rider complete a cloverleaf pattern around three barrels.
Bars: In the horse's mouth, the fleshy area between the front and back teeth, where the bit rests.
Bascule: Term used to describe the arc a horse makes as it jumps a fence.
Bat: Artificial aid by which the rider may emphasize and back up the natural aids of seat and legs. Used to encourage reluctant or lazy horses to move forward. Sometimes used to punish. See also whip and crop.
Bay: Coat color - deep reddish brown with black mane and tail.
Billets/Billet Straps: Straps by which the girth is attached to the saddle.
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.
Blaze: Elongated white marking down the front of the horse's face. (Also called a stripe)
Blistering: Application of a caustic agent, or blister, to the leg. Formerly and, occasionally, still used in the treatment of a number of conditions, such as spavin, ringbone and bowed tendon. Thought to encourage internal healing in some cases.
Blood Horse: A Thoroughbred horse.
Bloodstock: Thoroughbred horses bred for racing.
Boarding Stable: Equestrian facility where horse owners may keep their horse for a monthly fee. See also Livery Stable.
Bog Spavin: Soft, synovial swelling seen on the inside of the hock. Does not usually cause lameness, unlike regular spavin.
Bone: The measurement around the leg, just below the knee or hock. This measurement determines the horse's ability to carry weight, therefore a light-boned will be limited in weight carrying capacity.
Bosal: A braided noseband used in western equitation. Western bitless bridle.
Bots: Equine parasite.
Bow-hocks: Bandy-legged, where the hocks turn outwards. The opposite of cow-hocks.
Bowed Tendon: Injury to superficial digital flexor tendon, which runs down the back of the lower leg.
Boxy hooves: Narrow, upright hooves with a small frog and closed heel. Also called club foot.
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.
Bridoon: Snaffle bit used in conjunction with a curb bit in a double bridle.
Brindle Horse: Breed of horse exhibiting a distinctive marbleized coat coloring, similar to that seen in brindle dogs.
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. (Also called greenbroke)
Broken Winded: Term used to describe horses having an abnormal breathing pattern due to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Also known as heaves.
Brushing: Where the hoof or shoe hits the inside of the opposite leg, at or near the fetlock. Usually caused by poor conformation or action.
Brushing Boots: Item of horse equipment used to protect the horse's legs from injury due to brushing.
Buck: A leap in the air with the head lowered and the back arched.
Buckskin: Coat color - body can range from creme 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.
Cannon Bone: The bone of the lower foreleg between the knee and the fetlock. Also called the "shin bone". In the hindleg, the corresponding bone is called the shank.
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.
Cantle: Back ridge of an English saddle.
Capped Hocks: Swelling or puffiness on the point of the hock. Can be cause by a blow or injury, or may be caused by a horse lying down repeatedly in a stable with insufficient bedding.
Carriage Horse: An relatively light and elegant horse used for carriage driving.
Cart Horse: A coldblood draft horse.
Cast: A horse which rolls and gets stuck, either up against the wall of his stall, or near a fence, etc. Is said to be cast. Human intervention can be necessary to release the horse.
Cavelletti: Adjustable low wooden jumps used in the schooling of horse and rider.
Cavesson: (i) Simple noseband fitted to a bridle. (ii) Leather or nylon headgear, with attachments for side reins and lunge line, worn by the horse when it is being lunged.
Chestnut: (i) The small rubbery protrusion on the inside of all four legs. (ii) Reddish-brown coat color (also see Sorrel).
Chin Groove: The groove above the lower lip in which the curb chain of a curb bit lies.
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.
Coach Horse: A powerfully built horse, capable of drawing a heavy coach.
Coffin Bone: Small bone within the hoof. In severe cases of laminitis, this bone can detach and rotate, causing extreme lameness. See also Founder.
Coggins Test: A blood test for Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA). Horses which test positive may be required by the state of occupancy to be destroyed or permenantly quarantined. See also EIA.
Coldblood: The name used to describe the heavy European breeds of horse descended from the prehistoric Forest Horse.
Colic: General term describing abdominal pain in the horse. Ranges in severity from mild to life-threatening.
Colostrom: First milk produced by a mare following foaling. Contains globulins to provide the newborn foal with temporary immunity against disease.
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.
COPD: Abbreviation for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or heaves. Brought on by allergies and characterized by abnormal breathing pattern and reduced tolerance to exercise. See also broken winded.
Counter Canter: School movement in which the horse canter in a circle with the outside leg leading, instead of the more usual inside leg.
Cow-hocks: Hocks turned in, like those of a cow. Opposite of bow-hocks.
Cracked Heels: Inflammation of the heels, resulting in cracked skin and discharge of pus.
Crib-Biting/Cribbing: A stable vice in which the horse hooks his teeth onto something solid, such as the door of his stable, and sucks air through his open mouth. Said to be addictive behavior, cribbing straps and collars have varying degrees of effectiveness at discouraging the behaviour. Horses which suck air, without latching their teeth on to something are said to be wind sucking.
Crop: Artificial aid by which the rider may emphasize and back up the natural aids of seat and legs. Used to encourage reluctant or lazy horses to move forward. Sometimes used to punish. See also whip and bat.
Crossbreeding: The mating of horses of different breeds or types.
Cross-Ties: A method of tethering a horse using two ropes or ties, one on each side, connected to a solid post or wall.
Croup: The top of the hind quarters, from the point of the hip to the tail.
Cues: Another name for aids. Signals by which the rider communicates his wishes to the horse.
Curb: Thickening of the tendon or ligament below the point of the hock, resulting from a strain.
Curb Bit: Bit fitted with cheeks and a curb chain which lies in the chin groove. Operates on the leverage principle acting on the lower jaw. In a double bridle, the curb bit is used in conjunction with a bridoon, or snaffle bit.
Curb Chain: Chain used with a curb bit.
Dam: A horse's female parent.
Diagonals: The horses legs move in pairs at the trot, called diagonals. The left diagonal is when the left foreleg and right hindleg move, the right diagonal is when the right foreleg and the left hindleg move. When on a circle, the rider rises as the outside foreleg moves forward.
Dished Face: The concave head profile seen in breeds such as the Arabian.
Dishing: A faulty action, where the toe of the foreleg is thrown outward in a circular movement with each stride.
Distemper: Highly contagious disease caused by the bacteria Streptococcus Equi. More commonly known as Strangles.
Disunited: Canter in which the horse's legs are out of sequence.
Dock: The bony part of the tail, from which the hair grows.
Docking: Amputation of the dock for the sake of appearance. (Illegal in the UK)
Draft Horse: A term applied to any horse used for hauling vehicles or loads, but most usually associated with the heavy breeds.
Dropped or Drop Noseband: Noseband which buckles beneath the bit to prevent the horse from opening its mouth to "take hold of" the bit and ignore the riders rein aids.
Dryland Distemper: Disease, also known as Pigeon Fever, which causes abcesses on the chest and belly.
Dun: Coat color. Yellow or sandy colored body with black points. Also has a dorsal strip.
EIA: Equine Infectious Anemia. Viral disease for which there is no known cure or vaccine. Also known as Swamp Fever. See also Coggins Test.
Engagement: The hindlegs are engaged when they are brought well under the body.
Entire: Uncastrated male horse. (Also called Stallion)
EPM: Equine Protozoal Myleoencephalitis. Neurological disorder caused by a protozoa which invades the spinal cord, causing a variety of symptoms attributed to nerve damage - stumbling, loss of coordination, muscle atrophy, etc.
EPSM: Equine Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy. Muscle wasting condition seen in Draft horses and other breeds.
Equine Infectious Anemia: Viral disease for which there is no known cure or vaccine. Also known as EIA or Swamp Fever. See also Coggins Test.
Equitation: The art of horse riding.
Ergot: Horny growth at the back of the fetlock joint.
Ewe Neck: Conformation fault in which the neck appears to be "upside down", concave along it's upper edge with a consequent bulging of muscles along the lower edge.
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.
Extravagant Action: High knee and hock action such as that seen in the Hackney and the Saddlebred
Farrier: Skilled craftsman who shoes horses.
Feathering: Long hair on the lower legs and fetlocks. Abundant on heavy horse breeds.
Fetlock (Joint): Lowest joint on the horse's leg.
Figure-Eight Noseband: (Also called a Grackle noseband) Noseband with thin leather straps which cross over at the front and buckle both above and below the bit.