Horse Lingo

This article is from the February 2021 Horse Deals magazine.

Words or terms used, when around horses, can be as difficult to understand as if listening to another language. For instance, when your coach gives the command to “track left” or “halt”; you may think to yourself, what do they mean? But you could be too timid to ask the question.

Below are some words, together with their meaning, which will help you gain a general understanding of horse lingo; a bit like a horse language dictionary. There are many more words that could be added but these are enough, to begin with.

When you have finished reading this article you should have a greater understanding of horse-related words. Such as, if someone were to say to you “be careful when riding that horse because he might pigroot”; you will know what they mean.

Have fun learning, and maybe you can think of a few more words that you have heard people say to add to the list.

A Short Glossary of Horse Lingo

Aged - a horse or pony that is more than seven years old.
Aids - is the use of hands, legs, seat, weight and voice to influence a horse; these are natural aids. Artificial aids are the whip, spurs, which may be used to reinforce the natural aids of the rider.
Billets - a name used for the leather straps under the flaps of English saddles, to which the buckles of the girth attach to when done up.
Bit - the metal mouthpiece of a bridle. The part that goes into your pony’s mouth.
Blemish - is a scar or defect, usually caused by injury or disease, that doesn’t affect the paces of your pony but may look unattractive.
Breeches - calf-length, fitted riding pants worn with long top boots.
Broken in - a horse or pony that has been trained to have a rider on its back and has basic understanding of the rider’s aids.
Canter - the gait that is a speed up from trot. There are three sets of footfalls in the canter and the canter can be ‘leading’ with either the left or right front leg. The left lead is used for a circle left and the right lead for a circle right.
Chaps - are leather or suede leggings worn over riding pants that go up as far as under the knee, or for western riders that go up and over their riding pants that do up around the waist.
Cinch - is the leather or fabric band that secures a Western saddle to the horse. Some Western saddles have a back cinch, which is not pulled tight.
Colic - is a cramping pain that occurs in a horse or pony’s abdomen, ranging from mild to life-threateningly severe. Colic is the number one killer of horses.
Conformation - is the physical structure and build of a horse.
Crest - is found at the top of a horse’s neck, between the ears and the wither from which the mane grows.
Combined training - a combination of dressage and showjumping to win a final outcome of both scores combined together.
Cross country jumping - is riding over a course of natural and man made fences and obstacles constructed over natural terrain.
Croup - is part of the hindquarters going from the highest point of the rump to the top of the tail.
Curb bit - is a bit that uses sidepieces (“shanks”) and a strap or chain under the chin to create leverage on the bars of the mouth; a curb bit is more severe than a snaffle bit.
Cutting - is a judged event in which the Western horse-and-rider pair must cut one calf from a herd and keep it from returning to the herd.
Diagonal - is when a pair of your pony’s legs move in unison at the trot (e.g. right front, left hind). A correctly rising trot rider (said to be “on the correct diagonal when riding in an arena”) when they sit as the outside front leg touches the ground.
Dismount - is to get off your pony/horse.
Discipline - Could mean to some what type of riding do you prefer - be it dressage, showing, jumping, x-country, trail riding, western etc.
Dressage - is a French word meaning “to train.” In the discipline of dressage, the horse-and-rider execute gymnastic movements that highlight the harmony between horse and rider, as well as a horse’s balance, suppleness, cadence and obedience.
Endurance riding - is when horse and rider are judged for speed and fitness over 25-, 50-, and 100-mile courses.
Equitation - is a word used for the art of correct riding. Equitation classes are judged on the rider’s correctness of rider position, proper use of aids, and control over the horse in the chosen discipline.
Eventing - is when a horse-and-rider competes in all three disciplines of dressage, cross-country jumping, and jumping in an arena to win a final outcome of all three scores combined together to produce the winner.
Farrier - is a person who trims and shoes your pony or horse’s feet.

Fetlock - is the joint just above the hoof that seems like an ankle (although it doesn’t correspond to the human ankle).
Flank - is the sensitive area of a horse’s side between his rib cage
and hindquarters.
Forehand - is a horse’s head, neck, shoulders and front legs, basically the front end of your horse. A horse to be said “travelling on the forehand” is not carrying enough weight on its hindquarters.
Frog - is the dense, shock-absorbing, triangular growth on the underside of your horse’s hoof.
Founder - is a serious condition that affects your pony’s or horse’s hooves. It is often caused by eating too much grain or green grass; especially in spring with problematic ponies. The condition is also known as laminitis.
Gaits - the different ways in which a horse travels — walk, trot, canter
and gallop.
Gallop - is the fastest gait of your horse or pony; it consists of four beats followed by a moment of suspension.

Gelding - is a de-sexed male horse. Castrated is also a term used for a de-sexed animal.
Girth - is the leather or fabric band that secures the saddle to the horse.
Girthy - is when a horse reacts badly to his girth being tightened.
Green - is a term used for an inexperienced horse or pony without much education; may be applied to a horse of any age having limited training, or a rider. The old horseman’s adage says, “Green plus green makes black and blue.”
Ground training - is the schooling of the horse from the ground, rather than from the saddle. The word also includes in-hand work and lunging.
Gymkhana - is a competition offering classes and games for the less experienced showies.
Hackamore - is a bit-less bridle; control comes from the pressure of the noseband on the bridge of the horse’s nose.
Halt - is to stop.
Halter or Headcollar is the headgear with which a horse is led; made of leather, synthetic webbing or rope, and has an attachable or fixed long rope to lead from the headpiece.

Halter class - an event in which horses are led in hand and judged on the basis of their conformation and movement.
Hand - is the unit of measurement for determining the height of horses and ponies. One hand equals four inches or 10 cm; the measurement is taken from the horse’s wither to the ground.
Hock - is the large, angular joint halfway up a horse’s hind leg, a bit like our elbow.
Horn - is the part of a Western saddle that extends up from the front of
the saddle.
Jodhpurs - are ankle-length, fitted English riding pants worn with ankle-high jodhpur boots mainly used for junior riders or small riders on ponies.
Leading rein class - is a competition class for the young rider from about three to seven years of age in which all mounts are led by an adult or
older child.
Leg up - is when you are boosted into the saddle. Given by someone standing next to both the horse and the rider, they grasp the lower left leg with both hands as the rider bends their leg at the knee, and the ground person lifts the rider up, thus allowing the rider to throw their other leg over the saddle.
Lunge - is when you exercise your horse or pony on a long line (up to 30 foot or more) in a circle around you.
Lope - is a slow canter performed by Western horses.
Mare - is a female horse of four years of age or older.
Markings - are mostly the white areas on a horse’s face and/or legs; commonly used to identify individual animals.
Martingale - is a piece of equipment designed to affect a horse’s head carriage or to prevent the tossing of the head.
Mounting - to get on your pony “to mount up.”
Mouth, hard or soft *- describes the horse’s relative responsiveness to
the hand.
*Mucking out - is the word used for removing manure and soiled bedding from a stable.
Near-side - is the left side of the horse.
Off-side - is the right side of the horse.
Paddock - is where most people keep their horses in an outdoor enclosure.
Pastern - is the part of the horse’s leg between the hoof and the fetlock.
Pigroot - is when a horse or pony kicks to the side when being ridden or running free in a paddock.
Roundyard - is a large round outdoor or indoor enclosure large enough for a horse to walk, trot and canter around in, but smaller than a dressage or jumping arena.
Pleasure - is a judged event in which the horse’s calmness, smoothness, manner of going and obedience are judged; there are both English and Western pleasure classes.
Pole bending - is a timed event in which contestants must weave in and out a line of poles.
Poll - is the bony bump between a horse’s ears.
Pommel - is the front top part of a saddle.
Pony - is any pony that measures under 14 hands from the withers to the ground. In pony dressage, they are 14.2 and under, measured from the withers to the ground.
Vet check - is the process of having a veterinarian check your prospective horse or pony for health and soundness; also called “vetting.”
Pulling back - is a bad habit in which the horse pulls back violently on the lead rope when tied, potentially injuring himself and anyone
around him.

Rearing - is the raising up of a horse onto its hind legs when being led or ridden; a bad habit that should be handled only by a professional.
Reins - are the leather lines that attach to the bit and are held in the rider’s hands to guide and control
a horse.
Rising trot is a term used for a movement in the saddle at the trot from the rider, the rider (lifts) rises with the rhythm with the horse’s strides. Rising to the trot takes the “bounce” out of the trot when learning to ride.
Sour - the attitude of a horse that is tired of his training and doesn’t enjoy being ridden in an arena and looks for ways to leave the ring or quit working.
Roping - is a timed event in which the Western rider and horse must chase and rope a steer.
Shod - is when the farrier puts shoes on your pony/horse’s feet.
School horse - is an experienced, usually older horse used as a lesson mount; also called lesson horse
or schoolmaster.
Showjumping - is a discipline in which the horse-and-rider must negotiate a course of fences without knocking any part of them down.
Showmanship - is an in-hand class in which the handler is judged on their ability to present the horse effectively to the judge.
Shying - responding to a sound, movement, or object by suddenly jumping to the side or running off. A horse that shies a lot is said to be “spooky.”
Snaffle bit - is a bit with a jointed mouthpiece and rings at the ends; works first on the corners of the mouth. Much preferred bit for the novice horse and rider.
Spooky - is a horse or pony that is easily startled. A spooky horse is not recommended for a beginner rider of any age.
Stallion - is a male horse, four years of age or older.
Stirrup leathers - are the straps connecting the stirrups to the saddle; also known as “leathers.”
Stirrups - are the part of the saddle that supports a rider’s feet; metal for English saddles (thus often called “stirrup irons”) and wood-and-leather for Western saddles.
Tack - is the term used for the gear used on a horse, e.g. saddles, bridles.
Tacking up or tackling up are the terms used for saddling and bridling a horse.
Topline - is the outline of a horse from the top of his head to the top of his tail.
Transition - is going from one pace to another eg. walk to trot or from halt to walk.
Trot - is the two-beat gait between the walk and the canter.
Vaulting - is a combination of gymnastic manoeuvres and riding performed on the back of a
cantering horse.
Vice - any one of a number of bad habits displayed by a horse eg. weaving, wind sucking, biting, kicking, bucking etc.
Walk - is the slowest gait, consisting of four beats.
Withers - is the bony point at the base of the neck, just in front of where the saddle rests. Horses and ponies are measured from the top of the withers to the ground.

Until next month, happy horsing around!

Article by Catherine Shelley
NCAS EA SSTA/ CE Level 2 General Coach, NCAS Level 1 RDA Coach, Dip. of TB racing - Melton Equestrian accredited with EA Ready, Set, Trot program.

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