Skilled craftsman who shoes horses.

Long hair on the lower legs and fetlocks. Abundant on heavy horse breeds.

Lowest joint on the horse's leg.

 This is also called a Grackle noseband.  Noseband with thin leather straps which cross over at the front and buckle both above and below the bit.

Female horse under four years old. A female foal is called a "filly foal".

Horses shown at the walk, trot and canter, as well as the "slow gait" and the "rack" are called five gaited.

When the horse yields the lower jaw to the bit, with the neck bent at the poll. The term also describes the full bending of the hock joints. Vets perform "flexion tests" when diagnosing lameness.

(a) The action associated with the trotting gait of the Arabian horse. 

(b) The action of rasping the horse's teeth is known as floating in the US.

Colt, filly or gelding up to one year of age.

The upper part of the foreleg, above the knee.

The horse's head, neck, shoulder, withers and forelegs. Horses in lower levels of training, who have not yet learned to balance themselves in self carriage and are heavy in the bridle are said to be on the forehand.

The mane between the ears, which hangs forward over the forehead.

This is when the shoe of the horse's hind foot hits the shoe of a front foot.  Forging can cause the loss of a shoe.

Foundation Quarter Horses are Quarter Horses whose bloodlines have not had any Thoroughbred blood added since 1940. Must be registered with the AQHA and have less than 10% Thoroughbred blood.

A team of four harness horses.

Triangular, rubber pad on the sole of the foot which acts as a shock absorber.

A six year old horse, with all his permanent teeth is said to have a "full mouth".

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The paces at which horses move, usually the walk, trot, canter and gallop.

Horses which move at paces other than the walk, trot and canter - such as the Saddlebred, the Paso Fino and the Icelandic.

The "second thigh" extending from above the hock upwards to the stifle.

Castrated male horse.

(a) The circumference of the body measured from behind the withers around the barrel. 

(b) Means by which an English 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 cinch in Western Riding.

Term used to describe the nature of the ground, i.e. deep, good, rough.

Describes a horse that is easy to keep, which maintains good condition on small rations. 

Pronounced muscular development at the croup seen in some jumping horses. Sometimes called "jumper's bump".

 This is also called a Figure-Eight noseband.  Noseband with thin leather straps which cross over at the front and buckle both above and below the bit.

Term used to describe an horse that is not registered with any breed association.

Greasy Heel varies in it's severity and is usually found around the coronet, heels and pastern but as been known to affect higher on the leg or belly. The skin becomes inflamed and cracks developing weepy sores and scabs.  The cracks in the skin may allow bacteria to enter and cause infection. In severe cases the leg(s) may swell and lameness may follow. Also known as Mud Fever.

A horse that is in the early learning stage of his particular discipline is said to be green.

Horse that has been accustomed to the tack and the rider and has begun initial training.  Also called broken-in or broken to ride.

An inflammation and swelling in the fetlock joint of young horses, particularly on the front of the joints where the cannon and long pastern bones meet.

Coat colour ranging from pure white to dark grey. Further described by terms such as "dappled"  which is small iron-grey circles on a lighter background, and "flea-bitten"  which is flecks of dark grey on a white background.

The various brushes, combs and other equipment used to clean the horse's coat, mane, tail and hooves.

Pole placed on the ground in front of a fence to help the horse and/or rider judge the take-off point.

Term used to describe the behaviour of a horse while being handled on the ground, being groomed, saddled, in the stable etc.

Mounted games, including bending poles, sack race, musical sacks and a variety of other games and races.

Combination of fences placed at relative distances to each other, used in the training of the jumping horse.

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Traditional riding attire for side-saddle riders.

(a) A type rather than a breed of horse, hacks are elegant riding horses, popular in the show ring in the UK. 

(b) "to hack" i.e. to go for a ride.

Dressage movement performed on two tracks in which the horse moves sideways and forwards at the same time.

Metal arms fitted into the harness collar and linked to the traces.

Unit of measure used to describe a horse. One hand equals 4 inches, partial measurements being described as 16.1, 16.2, 16.3. The notation "hh" is normally used to mean hands high.

A horse used in harness and having "harness" type of conformation, with straight shoulders etc. and having an elevated "harness action".

Term for the equipment of a horse that is driven, as opposed to being ridden.

The classical art of advanced riding. 

Any large draft horse, such as the Shire, the Clydesdale, the American Cream Draft.

A horse that is judged capable, by virtue of its bone and substance, capable of carrying weights of more than 196 lbs.

The herring gut is a very sharp narrowing of the belly, which usually indicates poor condition, with insufficient room for the abdominal contents.

The notation for the hand measurement of height. See "Hand".

The classical art of advanced riding. 

The part of the horse's body from the rear of the flank to the top of the tail down to the top of the gaskin. Also called simply the quarters.

Joint midway up the hind leg, responsible for providing most of the forward energy of the horse.

Term used to indicate a horse that has short cannon bones (shanks) which is considered to be a good conformational trait giving the horse strength in the legs. Long cannons, on the other hand, are considered a conformational weakness.

A mane that has been shaved close for its entire length. 

Describes a conformation fault where there is a concave curvature of the spine between the withers and the loins. Unduly dipped but must not be confused with the hollowing of the back with old age. Opposite of roach back.

(a) Hard, insensitive outer covering of the hoof. 

(b) Prominent pommel at the front of a western saddle around which the rider loops or twists the lariat when a steer has been roped to secure the animal. 

Vehicle used to transport horses.

The art of equitation or riding.

A horse that becomes overly excited is said to be "hot". 

Term describing horses of Arabian or Thoroughbred blood.

In the UK, a type of horse, rather than a breed, suitable for being ridden to hounds. In the US, a well mannered, smooth gaited jumping horse shown in Hunter Under Saddle and Hunter Over Fences classes.

A cross between a horse and one of the other equids, such as an ass or a zebra.

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Strong but controlled forward movement in the horse. This should not to be confused with speed.

A term used to describe a horse which pulls or hangs heavily on the rider's hand.

When a horse is controlled from the ground rather than being ridden.

The mating of brother/sister, sire/daughter, son/dam, to fix or accentuate a particular trait or character.

The opposite rein to the direction in which the horse is moving. When giving an indirect rein aid, the instruction comes by pressing the opposite rein against the horse's neck.

The legs of horse and rider which are on the inside of any circle or curved track being travelled.

The metal pieces attached to the saddle by means of leather straps in which the rider places his feet. 

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One stage in the process of training a young horse, as taught by Monty Roberts. A method of getting a horse's attention.

All limb joints have similar basic structure and function. Joint cartilage covers the end of the bones for protection. Cartilage has no nerve supply, so damage to it does not cause pain. It also has no blood supply and is reliant on the synovial (joint) fluid for nutrition. This fluid is also important for lubrication of the joint. The synovial membrane has a nerve and blood supply and controls the composition of the fluid.  The joint capsule and the collateral ligaments provide stability to the joint and limit its range of movement.

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Term used to indicate the horse's leading leg in canter i.e. "right lead canter" or "left lead canter".

Either of the two leading horses in a team of four, or a single horse harnessed in front of one or more horses. The "near" leader is the left hand horse and the "off" leader is the right hand horse.

Method of mounting in which an assistant stands behind the rider and supports the lower part of his left leg and giving a boost as necessary as the rider springs up off the ground.

A classical air above the ground in which the forehand is lifted with bent forelegs on deeply bent hind legs -- a controlled half-rear.

Ligaments are fibrous bands which attach bone to bone. They are similar in structure to tendons but are more fibrous and less elastic.

Horse, other than a heavy horse or pony, which is suitable for riding or carriage work.

Insufficient bone below the knee to support the horse and rider's body weight without strain. This is a conformation fault.

The mating of horses having a common ancestor some generations removed, to accentuate particular traits or characteristics.

British term for an equestrian facility where horse owners may keep their horse for a weekly/monthly fee.

The weakest part of the horses back, lying either side of the vertebrae, just behind the saddle.

The act of training a horse by working it in the various paces on a circle using a long longe or lunge rein. This rein is attached to the cavesson. Also riders may have  lessons on the lunge as they learn/improve the basics of position, without having to concern themselves with the control of the horse.

Slow western canter.