HorseGlossary

Welcome to the 2nd Horse Page I've got some really cool stuff on this page. There is a list of horse-related terms in the glossary below and there are some really cool pictures. At the bottom of the page is a link to some horse pictures that a friend drew just for me. Try the link, you'll like the pictures. A Glossary of "Horsey" Terms Age
    a. Life span of a horse on average is 25 years, horses are generally at
    their best at three to twelve years of age

    b. The age of a horse is determined from the first of January

Aged horse
    a. A horse of eight years of age or older

    b. A horse that is smooth mouthed indicating that the horse is twelve years
    of age or older

Alter
    To castrate a horse; to geld

Appointments
    Clothing and equipment used in showing

Asterisk
    a symbol used either in front of horses name or in front a jockeys name,
    when used in front of a horses name it indicates the horse is imported,
    used in front of a jockeys name it indicates that he is an apprentice
    rider

Bald
    a common head marking, a white face including the eyes and nostrils or a
    portion thereof

Banged
    the hair of the tail is cut off in a straight line

Bangtail
    slang term for a racehorse or wild horse

Barefoot
    Unshod

Barren
    A mare that is not in foal

Bay
    one of the five basic body colors of horses; a mixture of red and yellow and
    ranges from a light yellowish tan (light bay) to a dark, rich shade that is
    almost brown (dark bay), the tail and mane are usually black with black
    points

Birth Date
    January 1st is always considered the birth date of a horse regardless of
    when it is born in the year

Black
    one of the five basic body colors of horses; a black horse is completely
    black including the muzzle and flanks, if in doubt about the color, a true
    black horse will have fine black hairs on the muzzle and black hairs on the
    flanks

Blaze
    a common head marking, a broad white marking covering almost all of the
    forehead but not covering the nostrils of eyes

Blemish
    An abnormality that does not affect the serviceability of a horse

Blindness
    Partial or complete loss of vision, may be detected by discoloration of the
    eye(s), very erect ears, and a hesitant gait

Blood-horse
    A pedigreed horse, usually synonymous with the Thoroughbred breed

Blood spavin
    A varicose vein on the inside of the hock just above the site of a bog
    spavin

Bog spavin
    A condition in which there is a filling in of the natural depression on the
    front and inside of the hock

Bone
    The circumference around the cannon bone halfway between the fetlock and
    knee joints

Bone spavin
    A bony enlargement on the inside of the hock at the point
    where the hock tapers into the cannon bone

Bowed tendons
    Swollen tendons behind the cannon bones occurring on both the front and hind
    legs

Breed Registry Association
    A group of breeders joined together for the purposes of : protecting the
    purity of their breed, recording the lineage of their breed, encouraging
    further improvement of their breed, and promoting interest in the breed

Brown
    one of the five basic body colors of horses; a brown horse is almost black
    but is distinguishable by brown or tan hairs on the muzzle and flanks

Canter
    A slow, restrained, three-beat gait in which a hind foot and the opposite
    front foot are paired and strike the ground in between the other front foot
    and rear foot, with this gait the lead needs to be changed frequently

Capped hock
    An enlargement at the point of the hock

Chestnut
    A. one of the five basic body colors of horses; basically red in
    color ranging from light yellow (light chestnut) to dark liver color (dark
    chestnut), the mane and tail are usually the same color as the body but they
    may be lighter (flaxen mane and tail), the mane and tail are never black

    B. the horny growth on the inside of the horse's legs, above the knees and
    below the hocks

Chukker
    a seven-and-one-half-minute period in a polo game

Cinch
    girth of a Western saddle

Cocked ankles
    Fetlocks are bent forward in a cocked position, usually occurs in the hind
    legs

Combined training
    A sport that tests the horses and riders ability in three
    different areas: cross-country jumping, stadium jumping, and dressage

Colt

A young stallion under three years of age; in Thoroughbreds the age is extended to four

Conformation
    Body shape or form

Crest
    the top part of the neck

Crop
    a riding whip with a short, straight stock and loop

Curb
    Swelling at the back of the leg and just below the point of the hock

Dam
    the female parent of a horse

Dapple
    small dots, patches or spots which contrast in color or shade with the
    background color

Dressage
    Guiding of a horse through natural maneuvers without emphasis on the use
    reins, hands, or feet

Draft Horse
    One classification of horses, standing at least 14.2 to 17.2 hands high,
    weighing 1,400 lb. or more, used primarily for heavy work such as pulling
    loads

Dun
    a variation of the five basic body colors, a yellowish color that
    ranges from pale yellow to a dirty canvas color, may be striped down the
    back

Endurance rides
    Designed to test the stamina of horses through competitive rides over a
    prescribed course

Eohippus
    Earliest known ancestor of the modern horse, approximately 12
    inches tall, it had four toes in front, and three toes of the hind feet,
    slender legs, short neck and even teeth, well adapted to living and eating
    swampland herbage

Equus asinas
    Zoological name for donkeys, males of the species are called jacks, and
    females are, jenneys.

Equus caballus
    Zoological name for the modern horse

Field Hunter
    Type of horse used in following the hounds in fox hunting

Fistulous withers
    An infected or inflamed condition in the area of the withers that can be
    caused by a bruise or ill-fitting harness

Gallop
    A fast, four-beat gait in which the feet strike the gowned separately
    alternating one hind foot, then the other hind foot, then the front foot on
    the same side as the first hind foot, then the other front foot, their is a
    brief interval in which al four feet are off the ground

Girth
    The circumference of the chest as measured from behind the withers and in
    front of the back

Gray
    a variation to the five basic coat colors, a mixture of black and white
    hairs, sometimes not distinguishable from black but gray horses become
    lighter with age

Hand
    Term used to describe the height of a horse, each hand is 4 inches, this
    measurement was derived from the average width of the human hand

Height
    The distance from the highest point of the withers to the ground, this
    measurement is expressed in
    hands
Jumpers
    Mixed group consisting of all breeds and types, the only requirement being
    that the horse can jump

Knee-sprung
    Knees are bent forward

Light Horse
    One classification of horses, standing over 14.2 hands high, weighing
    between 900 to 1400 lb., used primarily for riding, racing, driving, or for
    farm utility purposes

Lope
    A slow, smooth gait in which the head is carried low, the western adaptation
    of a very slow canter

Man O War
    Famous thoroughbred who lived from 1917 to 1947, lost 1 race at of 21
    starts, he was maintained largely for private use, sired over 300 offspring

Mesohippus
    Descendent of Eohippus, approximately 24 inches tall, three toes both front
    and hind legs, well adapted to prairie life

Moon blindness
    An inflamed or cloudy condition of the eye that recurs
    at periodic intervals

Mule
    Hybrid produced by crossing a male donkey (jack) and a female horse (mare)

Pace
    A fast, two-beat gait in which the both the front and hind legs on the same
    side take off and strike the ground at the same time with a brief moment
    when all four feet are off the ground at the same time

Palomino
    a variation of the five basic coat colors, a golden colored body with a
    white, silver, or ivory mane and tail

Parade horse
    Horse of any breed, cross, or color used in parades under elaborate Spanish,
    Mexican, Western equipment

Parrot Jaw
    condition in which the lower jaw is shorter than the upper jaw

Piebald
    a type of pinto color with colored areas of black and white

Pinto
    a variation of the five basic coat colors, irregular white
    and colored areas in either a skewbald or piebald patterns

Poll evil
    An infected or inflamed condition in the area of the poll, usually caused by
    bruising

Polo
    A game in which four mounted riders on each team attempt to drive a wooden
    ball with a long-handled mallet between two goal posts at either end of a
    playing field 300 yards long and 120-150 yards wide

Polo mount
    A horse that is particularly adapted for use in playing the game of polo,
    usually of mixed breeding, but most are predominantly Thoroughbred

Pony
    One classification of horses, standing 14.2 hands high or under, weighing up
    to 900 lb.

Pony Express
    A private venture mail service started in 1861 which carried US Mail from
    St. Joseph Missouri to Placerville California before the existence of
    telegraph or rail way, operated for approximately 18 months before being
    replaced by the telegraph

Przewalski
    Only surviving species of the original wild horses

Quittor
    A deep-seated running sore located at the coronet

Racehorse
    A horse that is bred and trained for racing under a saddle

Roan
    a variation of the five basic body colors, a mixture of white hairs with one
    or more base colors

Skewbald
    a type of pinto color with areas of white and colored areas of any color
    except black

Snip
    a common head marking, a white mark on the lips or between the nostrils

Splints
    Bony growths on the cannon bone, usually occurs on the inside of the front
    legs

Star
    a common head marking, any white mark on the forehead located above a line
    running from eye to eye

Stifled
    A condition in which the patella (cap) of the stifle joint is displaced

Stripe
    a common head marking, a narrow white marking that extends from about the
    line of the eyes to the nostrils

Teeth
    A mature male horse has forty, a mature female has thirty-six, a foal of
    either sex has twenty-four
    Teeth can be used to determine the approximate age of a horse up to twelve
    years of age by noting the time of appearance, the shape, and the degree of
    wear of temporary or permanent teeth

Tevis Cup Ride
    A well-known endurance ride held at Auburn, California each August which is
    100 miles long over extremely rough terrain with a time limit of 24 hours

Thoroughpin
    An inflamed condition in the web of the hock

Trot
    A rapid, natural, two-beat gait in which a front foot and the opposite hind
    foot leave and strike the ground at the same time with a brief moment when
    all four feet are off the ground at the same time

Undershot jaw
    A condition in which the lower jaw is longer than the upper jaw

Unsoundness
    A serious abnormality that affects the serviceability of a horse

Walk
    A slow, natural, flatfooted, four-beat gait in which each foot leaves and
    strikes the ground at separate intervals

White
    one of the five basic body colors of horses; a true white horse is born
    white and remains white throughout its life, the skin is pink and the eyes
    are brown or rarely blue

Here are the Rest of the Pictures

Here is the cool Link that will take you to pictures that were drawn JUST FOR ME.

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