Equine Anatomy and Equestrian Terms

Equestrian Terms

• aged: a horse who is at least nine years old
• bale: a measurement of hay/alfalfa; each bale is composed of 10 "flakes"
• barn sour: a horse who doesn't like leaving the barn or stable
• bay: a chestnut-colored horse with black legs and tail
• bit: the metal piece of a bridle that goes into a horse's mouth; types include curb bit, snaffle bit, gag bit and Pelham bit
• blaze: a broad white marking a horse's face
• break: to train or gentle a horse
• bridle: leather headgear that includes the headstall, bit and reins; helps give the rider control
• broodmare: a mare used for breeding
• canter: a smooth three-beat gait slower than a gallop (also "lope")
• chestnut: a red or brown horse
• colt: a male horse under four years old
• conformation: the body structure of a horse
• dam: the mother of a horse
• derby: a staked event for three-year-old horses
• equestrian: someone who rides horses; having to do with horses
• equine: a horse
• ferrier: a blacksmith; the person who shoes the horses
• feather: the longer hairs on a horse's legs
• filly: a female horse under four years old
• foal: a baby horse
• furlong: 1/8 of a mile
• gaits: patterns of movement: walk, trot, canter, gallop
• gallop: the fastest three-beat gait
• gelding: a castrated male horse
• green: a young, inexperienced horse who has just started training
• groom: to clean or brush a horse; or one who is hired to groom a horse
• gymkhana: a rodeo where mounted games such as barrel racing are played
• halter: rope/canvas headgear with a lead attached
• hand: the term used when measuring the height of a horse; one hand equals four inches, abbreviated "hh" for hands high
• heart girth: the circumference of a horse measured from between the front legs and over the withers
• jockey: the person who rides a horse in a race
• juvenile: a two-year old thoroughbred who has just become eligible to race
• lunging: training a horse through a large circling walk, trot or canter around the trainer
• maiden: a horse with no wins
• mare: a female horse at least 4 years old
• martingale: a strap on the harness between the nosepiece and the girth that prevents a horse from tossing his/her head (also "tie down")
• mule: offspring of female horse and male donkey; mules are sterile
• mustang: a feral (wild) horse found on the western north American plains
• nearside: the left side of a horse; the mounting side
• novice: a horse that has had his/her first win
• offside: the right side of a horse
• paddock: a fenced enclosure
• pony: a small breed or horse under 14.2 hh
• reins: long straps connected to the bit or bridle used by the rider to control the horse
• rollers: the sound a horse makes when he blows out air when spooked
• silks: a jockey's jacket and hat in the colors of the horse's stable
• sire: the father of a horse
• sound: healthy
• stallion: a male horse at least four years old
• stirrups: the metal loops attached to a saddle into which a rider's feet go
• stud: a stallion used for breeding
• tack: horse riding and training equipment
• tree: the main structure of a saddle
• trot: a two-beat gait (also "jog")
• turnout: set to pasture, or let loose in an arena or corral
• weanling: a horse under one year old who has been weaned from his/her mother
• yearling: a horse born the previous year; or one who is approaching or is one year old.