A
Action - how a horse moves.
Aged - a horse 15 years or older
Ageing
- The process of estimating a horses age by its teeth.
Aids - The signals used by a rider to tell the horse what
to do. There are two types of aids, artificial - whips, spurs etc and natural - voice, legs, seat etc
B
Back breeding - Mating animals with special characteristics
to produce a replica of a now-extinct species
Bars - The parts of the gums at the sides of the mouth where there
are no teeth and where the bit lies
Bit - the part of the bridle that goes in the horse's mouth to give the
rider more control
Box Stall - An individual stabe
Bridle - the combination of straps that fit around
a horse's head and are used to control it for for riding
Broodmare - a female horse used for breeding
C
Colt - technically means a male horse under the age of
four but is often used for any young horse
Confirmation - The shape of a horse, or the way it is put together
Crossbred
- When a sire from one breed is bred with a dam from another breed
D
Dam - The mother of a foal
F
Farrier - A specialist in equine hoof care
Filly
- A young female horse under the age of four
Foal - A newborn horse of any sex
G
Gait - any forward movement of the horse such as walking
or galloping
Gelding - A male horse that has been castrated
Green - A horse that is untrained or inexperienced.
H
Hand - the unit used to measure horses, from the ground
to the withers. A hand is 4 inches high (10 centimetres)
Hoof Pick - Used to clean a horses hoof.
K
Knot, quick-release - A type of knot used to tie up horses
that can be untied quickly in case of emergency.
L
Lameness - Any injury to the legs or hooves that causes
pain and makes a horse unable to work.
M
Mare - A female horse
Markings - White patches
of hair in defined shapes on a horse's head, face, and legs.
N
Near Side - The left side of a horse.
O
Off Side - The right side of a horse.
P
Purebred - Bred from horses of the same breed (full blood)