Star of Wonder (11 page)

Tack
—Equipment used in riding and driving horses or ponies, such as saddles, bridles, harnesses, etc.

Tack box
—A container with a handle used to transport grooming tools, bridles, etc., to horse shows or other events.

Tack trunk
—A large trunk usually kept in the stable, which contains the equipment used by the rider, such as as bridles, grooming tools,
saddles, lead ropes, medicines, etc.

Throatlatch
—The narrow strap of the bridle, which goes under the horse’s throat and is used to secure the bridle to the head.

Traces
—The thick leather straps on the harness that attach it to the carriage, allowing a horse or pony to pull the vehicle.

Trot
—A rapid, two-beat gait in which the front foot and the opposite hind foot take off at the same time and strike the ground
simultaneously.

Trough
—A long, shallow receptacle used for feeding or watering animals.

Tugs
—Common name for the leather straps attach ing the shafts to the breeching straps of a horse-drawn vehicle.

Udder
—The mammary glands of a cow, where the teats are attached and the milk is produced.

Wash stall
—An enclosed area, usually inside the stable, with hot and cold running water, where a horse or pony may be crosstied and
bathed.

Whinny
—A high-pitched, loud call of the horse.

Winter coat
—The longish hair that the horse or pony naturally grows in the winter to protect him from the cold. In the spring, the winter
coat “sheds out” and the body becomes sleek again, with a short hair coat.

Withers
—The ridge at the base of the neck and between the shoulders of a horse or pony. The saddle sits on the horse’s back behind
the withers, and we measure the horse or pony’s height by measuring from the ground to the top of the withers.

Photo: Christopher Myers

About the Author

A horse lover since early childhood, JoAnn Dawson lives with her husband Ted and their two sons on a horse farm in Maryland,
where they operate a bed & breakfast and offer riding lessons, carriage rides, horse shows, and a summer camp. JoAnn teaches
Equine Science at a local college and is an actress and animal wrangler for film and television. She has enjoyed competing
over the years on her American Paint Horse, Painted Warrior, but it is Butterscotch the pony who accompanies her on school
visits and book signings. Butterscotch is so comfortable around kids that he may be the only pony in the country who is allowed
to go into classrooms! Learn more about the author and her farm at www.luckyfootseries.com.