Are you totally confused at some of those horse terms out there? Well you've come to the right place!
Aids The riders way of telling the horse what to do. There are to types of aids, artificial and natural. Natural is the seat, hands, voice, legs and back. Artificial aids
are whips, spurs, martingales and more.
Bareme The name given to the table under which a jumping convention is held. Table A covers jumping only and Table C covers speed for example.
Barrage The alternate name for a jump-off, the results can be deicded by # of faults, amount of time or both.
Bitless Bridle A bridle without a bit, the horse is controlled by pressure on their nose.
Brushing When the horse strikes its fetlock with the shoe on the opposite foot. Usually a result of faulty action.
Buck Horses get their backs up and kick into the air.
Cavalettetti Small fence consiting of a sqared-off pole, supported at each end by an X-shaped support. Can be used for schooling or made into a fence.
Chaff Chopped up hay oroat straw. Mixed with corn or bran to make a bulk feed.
Cob Name given to a stocky, short legged horse, not much over 15hh with good bone and body and up to weight.
Collect Pull a horse together by using impulsion with the legs and and containing it with the hands. The horse will bring its legs under its body.
Colt A young male horse under the age of four.
Combined Training A dressage, show-jumping and cross country competition. Can be called a 3-day event.
Cow Hocks A conformational weekness of the horse. In it, the points and the joints of the hocks incline towards each other.
Cribbing When a horse gabs the end of their stall in their teeth and swallow air. Leads to indigestion.
Curb Bit A bit consisting of a single mouthpiece which is attached to 2 hooks. These hold the curb chain, which fits beneath the chin groove, and when the reins are pulled it exerts pressure onto the lower jaw. Usually used with a double bridle.
Curry Comb A large flat plastic or rubber brush with spiked ends (very small and really dull). Used to clean the horse and removes dirt and grime. Very relaxing to the horse.
Double 2 fences with only a short distance between them where the rider has to jump them one at a time. Can be called a line.
Double bridle A bridles usually seen in dressage. Consists of a curb and a snaffle, with seperate cheeck pieces and its own rein. Causes the horse to flex its neck and bring its nose in.
Drag hunt A form of fox hunting where riders follow a scent that has been put down artificially.
Draw rein A rein fit through the girth and passing through the ring of the bit to the riders hand.
Entire Can be used to desribe an ungelded horse.
Filly A young female horse under the age of 4.
Gag A gag snaffle bit has cheeck pieces which pass through the holes in the top and bottom of the rings and lead to the reins. Severe and should only be used by an experienced rider.
Gaited horses Aprominent class of American show horses. The horses have 5 gaits, the extras being the stepping pace and the rack. They are created artifically (without abuse) and heriditary.
Galls Areas on an unfit horses body which have been rubbed raw by ill-fitting tack. Work should cease until they are healed.
Gelding A stallion unable to breed.
Going Used to desribe various states of the ground. Going can be soft, hard, holding (sticky mud) etc...
Interval training A system of conditioning horses to increase their speed and indurance.
Long distance riding Endurance riding. The horse must be ridden for a long amount of time and through a long race (some over 100 miles) and completed in a given # of hours.
Lungeing rein A webbing rein, 40 feet long, attached to the bridle, enabling the horse to be schooled or exercised without the horse being ridden. Also called a longe line.
Mare A female horse, able to give birth, above the age of 4.
Martingale A strap around the horses neck, reaching to the bridle and saddle keeping the horse or pony from putting their head to high. (I know about these well! Precious needs one!)
Nap Refuses to do what the rider wishes. Usually stands still and tries to buck or rear.
Navicular disease A chronic inflammation of the navicular bone in the foot, cause by concussion. Show jumpers are prone to it and are sometimes de-nerved (nerves cut, ick!) in order to prolong their active life.
Numnah A pad, made of sheepskin, the same shape of the saddle, is placed on the horses back to prevent rubbing.
One-day event A modified 3 day event. The tests consist of dressage, show jumping and cross country, the missing elements being roads and tracks and steeplechase.
Pacer A harness horse, instead of having a trotting pace, move the hind leg at the same time on the same side. Horses are sometimes hobbed to encourage this movement.
Passage A High School movement consisting of a very rythmic, collected evelvated trot .
Pelham A bit which consists of a snaffle and curb in one mouthpiece.
Piaffe A very collected trot, where the horse seems to trot on the spot, or make little forward motion.
Pirouette A movement where the horse turns a circle on its own length.
Polo A game like hockey on horseback.
Polocrosse A game based on polo and lacrosse. Riders use a lacrosse stick and throw the ball around, like polo.
Sickle hocks A conformation fault. Seen broadside on, the hocks are too concave, shaped like a sickle!
Side reins Part of breaking (starting) equipment. Attached to the roller to the bridle.
Snaffle The simplest, most common form of bit. Consists of a straigh or jointed mouthpiece with a ring on the side.
Spavin Aboney enlargement on the lower inner aspect of the hock joint, cause by a periotitis.
Speedy Cut A wound on the inside of the leg, cause by the shoe of the opposite foot.
Splints Inflammitory bony outgrowths involving the 'slint' bones. They seldom cause lameness when formed, or after 6 years of age.
Sprained tendons Sprains usually affect the back tendons of a horse used for fast work. The pain and lameness depends on how much of the tendon was sprained. A horse may never work again, but usuallt is fine.
Stallion An ungelded male horse over the age of 4.
Strangles An acute disease of the lymph glands in the intermandibular cavity. Symptoms are fever, nasal discharge and abcsesses.
Surcingle A webbing band with straps and buckles which pass around the horses girth. Used to hold rugs in place.
Temerature The normal temperature of a horse is 100.5 degrees F.
Tetanus A severe disease caused by bacteria in wounds. Can be cured if found quick enough, otherwise deadly. Horses are vaccinated against it.
Thrush An evil smelling infection of the frog and foot. Caused by bad stable conditions or the orses foot is not cleaned out.
Trebel 3 fences in a combination. Much like a line.
Triple bar A staircase type of fence, 3 poles at different heights.
Weaving Caused by boredom. A weaving horse rocks from side to side and loses condition.
Weanling A young horse, being weaned.
Yearling A year old horse.
And that's it! If there are any terms you don't understand and isn't on this page email me
and I'll put it up for you.
This page is © to Sandra Glover. Request permission if you want to re-use and grphics, etc...