Star of Wonder (10 page)

Glossary of Horse
Terms

Bale
—In stable terms, a bale is a closely packed bundle of either hay or straw (see definitions) measuring about two by three
feet, weighing about forty pounds, and tied with two strings lengthwise. When the strings are cut, the bale can be shaken
loose and can be used either as feed, in the case of hay, or as stall bedding, in the case of straw.

Baling twine
—The term used for the thick yellow string that is tied around a bale.

Bank barn
—A barn that is built into the side of a hill so that the hill forms a “ramp” leading into the upper part of the barn, where
hay and straw may be stored; the bottom floor of the barn is used for milking cows if it is a dairy barn, or it may have stalls
for the purpose of sheltering other animals.

Barn swallow
—A small, blue-black bird with a rusty-colored breast and throat and a forked tail; found all over North America and Europe,
these friendly birds like to build their nests in barns and eat insects.

Bay
—A common coloring seen in horses and ponies. The body is reddish-brown with black mane, tail, and lower legs.

Bit
—The metal piece on the bridle inserted into the mouth of a horse that provides communication between the rider and horse.

Blinders
—A leather attachment to a driving bridle designed to restrict the vision of a horse from the rear and sides, and to focus
the vision forward.

Breeching straps
—An attachment to the driving harness that fits across the hindquarters of the horse about twelve inches below the dock of
the tail and fastens to the shafts of the cart. These straps help to keep the cart from hitting the horse when going down
a hill.

Bridle
—The leather headgear, with a metal bit, which is placed on the head of a horse to enable the rider to control the horse.

Canter
—A three-beat gait of a horse, which can also be called a “collected gallop.” It is slightly faster than a trot, and not so
“bouncy.”

Carriage
—A horse-drawn, four-wheeled vehicle.

Carriage robe
—A heavy blanket about five feet square, which is used to cover the legs of the occupant of a carriage or sleigh and provide
warmth while riding.

Chestnut
—A common coloring found in horses and ponies. The coat is basically red, in varying shades on different horses. The mane
and tail are the same color as the body.

Cluck
—The “clicking” sound a rider or driver makes from the corner of the mouth to urge a horse forward. Also the sound a chicken
makes when communicating.

Collar
—The oval, leather piece of harness that fits around the horse’s neck, and to which the hames and traces are attached. The
collar allows the horse to pull the carriage by pushing his weight against the collar and walking forward.

Corncob
—The inner segment of an ear of corn to which the corn kernels are attached. The horse eats the kernels but not the cob.

Crop
—A short leather riding whip carried by the rider and used lightly to encourage the horse to move forward.

Crosstie
—The method of tying a horse squarely in the aisle or stall by clipping a rope to both sides of the halter. When a horse is
crosstied, he cannot move away from the rider during grooming and saddling.

Crupper
—The part of the driving harness that fastens around the top of the tail to help keep the saddle and breeching straps in place.

Dismount
—The action of getting down from a horse and onto the ground.

Dock
—The bone in a horse’s tail, formed of the lowest vertebrae of the spine.

Dollar bareback
—A game played on horseback, in which a dollar is placed under the knee of the rider while riding bareback and the riders
must walk, trot, and even canter around the ring without losing the dollar. The last person with the dollar still under his
knee wins all the dollars.

Eaves
—The overhanging lower edge of a roof.

Field horse
—Another term for a work horse; that is, a horse that is hitched to and performs work in a field, such as plowing or planting.

Flake
—A section of hay that is taken from a bale for feeding, usually about six inches wide and two feet square. There are usually
about ten flakes of hay in a whole bale.

Flaxen
—A type of coloring sometimes found on chestnut horses, and always found on palominos, in which the mane and tail are white.
If a chestnut has a flaxen mane and tail, he is known as a “flaxen chestnut.”

Foal
—A young, unweaned horse or pony of either gender. When the horse or pony is “weaned,” or separated from its mother, it is
called a “weanling.”

Gallop
—A fast, four-beat gait in which all four of the horse’s feet strike the ground separately.

Grain
—Harvested cereals or other edible seeds, including oats, corn, wheat, and barley. Horses and ponies often eat a mixture of
grains, vitamins, minerals, and molasses called “sweet feed.”

Gray
—A common color found in horses and ponies. A gray horse is born black and gradually lightens with age from a steel-gray color
to almost white.

Graze
—Eat grass. Horses and ponies will graze continually when turned out on good pasture.

Groom
—To groom a horse is to clean and brush his coat, comb his mane and tail, and pick the dirt from his hooves. A person known
as a “groom” goes along on a horse show or horse race to help with grooming, tacking up, or anything else that needs to be
done.

Ground drive
—The act of driving a horse in full harness but not hooked to a cart or carriage. A person steers the horse by walking behind
the horse and holding the long reins. This is a method used to train a horse to drive.

Gully
—A trench worn in the earth by running water after a rain.

Gymkhana
—A horse show made up of games played on horseback, including games defined elsewhere in this glossary.

Halter
—Also known as a “head collar,” a halter is made of rope, leather, or nylon and is placed on the head of a horse and used
for leading or tying him. The halter has no bit, but it has a metal ring that rests under the chin of the horse to which you
attach a lead rope.

Hames
—The metal pieces of the driving harness that fasten around the collar and are attached to the traces.

Hard brush
—A grooming tool resembling a scrub brush, usually with firm bristles made of nylon, used to brush dried mud or dirt from
the coat and legs of a horse or pony.

Harness
—The collection of leather straps, bridle, reins, and collar that is placed on a horse or pony and attached to a cart, sleigh,
or carriage.

Haunches
—Another term for the hindquarters of a horse or pony.

Hay
—Grass or other herbage that is cut in the field and allowed to dry over several days, then usually baled and stored in the
barn to feed to animals.

Haynet
—A nylon or rope net that is stuffed with loose hay and tied at the top, then hung in a stall or trailer to allow an animal
to eat from it.

Hindquarters
—The rear of a horse or pony, including the back legs.

Hitch up
—Attach a horse or pony to a cart, carriage, or sleigh through the use of the harness straps.

Hoof pick
—A grooming tool used to clean dirt and gravel from the hooves of a horse of pony.

Hooves
—The hard covering of the foot of a horse or pony. The hooves must be cleaned before and after riding and trimmed every six
weeks (or so) to keep them from growing too long.

Jump standards
—The wooden or vinyl upright supports on either side of the jump that hold the jump cups onto which the jump rails or poles
are placed.

Keyhole race
—A game played on horseback, in which a pattern in the shape of a keyhole is painted or limed on the ground and the rider
gallops the horse or pony to the end of the pattern and back again without stepping outside the lines. The fastest time wins.

Lead rope
—A short (about six feet) length of cotton or nylon rope with a snap attached to the end. The rope is used to lead the horse
or pony.

Leg up
—The action of helping someone mount by grasping their bended left knee and hoisting them up and onto the back of the horse
or pony.

Leather conditioner
—An oily or creamy substance that is rubbed into leather to help keep it from drying out.

Lines
—Another term for the long reins used with a harness to drive a horse.

Loft
—The large area in the top of a barn used to store bales of hay and straw.

Mane
—The long hair that grows on the crest (top) of a horse’s or pony’s neck.

Manger
—A wooden box with an open top, usually attached to the wall of the stall, used for feeding grain to a horse or pony.

Mare
—A female horse or pony three years of age or older.

Mare’s tails
—Also known as cirrus clouds, these are wispy cloud formations that actually look like the long flowing tail of a horse or
pony.

Milkers
—The equipment that is attached to the cow’s teats in order to draw the milk out through a pulsing action.

Milk house
—The small building attached to the dairy barn where the milk ends up in a cooling tank.

Mustang
—A native breed of horse that is found mostly in the western plains and lives in the wild, although many mustangs have been
caught and tamed for riding.

Muzzle
—The lower end of the nose of a horse or pony, which includes the nostrils, lips, and chin.

Neat’s-foot oil
—A type of oil used to condition leather to keep it from drying out.

Nicker
—A low, quiet sound made by a horse or pony in greeting or when wanting to be fed.

Obstacle course
—A game played on horseback involving various obstacles that the rider and horse or pony must maneuver, such as going over
a bridge, trotting between poles, opening gates while mounted, etc.

Paddock
—A fenced area, smaller than a field, used for enclosing animals for limited exercise.

Pinto
—A horse or pony of a solid coat color with white patches or markings on various parts of the body. The mane and tail may
be various colors.

Pole bending
—A game played on horseback that involves riding a horse or pony through a slalom pattern in and out of vertical poles without
touching the poles. Fastest times wins.

Pony
—A pony measures below 14.3 hands from the bottom of the hoof to the withers. (See defini-tion.) A hand equals four inches.
An animal 14.3 hands or above is considered a horse.

Reins
—The leather straps of the bridle attached to the bit and held by the rider to guide and control the horse.

Ringmaster
—The person at a horse show who assists the judge in the ring and helps any rider who falls; this person may also replace
any rails that are knocked down on jumps.

Saddle
—A padded leather seat for a rider, placed on a horse’s or pony’s back and secured by a girth. A harness placed on the horse’s
or pony’s back behind the withers is also called a saddle.

Saddlebags
—Two leather pouches attached to each other by a wide piece of leather that drapes over the saddle or withers of the horse,
or sometimes behind the saddle, to allow the rider to carry supplies on the trail.

Saddle rack
—A metal or wooden frame in the shape of a saddle attached to the wall or stall, on which to hang the saddle.

Salt block
—A square, compact brick of salt placed in the field or stall for a horse to lick, which provides him with salt and other
necessary minerals.

Shafts
—The poles attached to a carriage, sleigh, or cart, between which a horse or pony is hitched to pull the vehicle.

Sleigh
—A horse-drawn vehicle that has “runners” for gliding over snow or ice instead of wheels.

Slip knot
—A type of knot, also known as “quick release,” which can be quickly and easily untied in case of a problem, such as the horse
or pony falling down or getting hung up.

Soft brush
—A brush made for grooming a horse or pony’s coat and face; it is the same shape as a hard brush, but has softer, longer,
natural bristles.

Spook
—An action of the horse or pony in which he shies away nervously from something he is not familiar with.

Stallion
—A male horse or pony that has not been neutered and may be used for reproductive purposes.

Star
—Any white mark on the forehead of a horse or pony, located above the level of the eyes.

Straw
—The material used for bedding in a stall; it consists of stalks of grain from which the grain has been removed and the stalks
baled. It should be bright yellow and not dusty.