A
- Aids
- The signals a rider uses to ask the horse for something — legs, hands, seat and voice.
B
- Bay
- A brown horse with a black mane, tail and lower legs.
- Bit
- The metal or rubber mouthpiece on the bridle that the reins attach to.
- Bridle
- The headgear that holds the bit, with the reins attached.
C
- Canter
- A three-beat pace, faster than trot and slower than gallop.
- Chestnut
- A reddish-gold horse with no black in its coat, mane or tail.
- Clear round
- Jumping a whole course without knocking a pole down or refusing. Also a relaxed class where every clear earns a rosette.
- Colic
- Pain in a horse’s abdomen. It can be serious — always call the vet straight away.
- Colt
- A young male horse under four years old.
- Combination
- Two or three fences set close together, jumped as one obstacle (a double or a treble).
- Cross-pole
- A small fence with two poles crossed in an X — often the first fence a rider jumps.
D
- Double clear
- Clear in the first round and clear again in the jump-off.
- Dressage
- Precise schooled movements ridden in an arena and marked by judges.
E
- Eventing
- A competition combining dressage, show jumping and cross-country.
F
- Farrier
- A registered professional who trims hooves and fits shoes.
- Filler
- The decorated panel under a fence’s poles — walls, flowers, violins and the like.
- Filly
- A young female horse under four years old.
- Foal
- A baby horse, usually under a year old.
- Full livery
- The yard looks after a horse completely — feeding, mucking out, grooming and exercise.
G
- Gait
- A horse’s way of moving: walk, trot, canter and gallop.
- Gelding
- A male horse that has been castrated.
- Girth
- The strap that goes under the horse’s belly to hold the saddle on.
- Grey
- A horse whose coat turns lighter with age. Many greys are born dark.
H
- Hand (hh)
- How horses are measured: one hand is four inches, taken to the top of the withers.
- Haylage
- Grass cut and wrapped while still slightly moist — an alternative to hay.
- Headcollar
- A simple head harness, without a bit, used to lead or tie a horse.
J
- Jump-off
- A shorter, timed round for everyone who jumped clear — fastest clear wins.
L
- Laminitis
- A painful condition of the hooves. Call the vet if you suspect it.
- Livery
- Keeping your horse at someone else’s yard, from full care to part-time.
- Lunging
- Exercising a horse in a large circle around you on a long line.
M
- Mare
- A female horse aged four or over.
- Mucking out
- Cleaning a stable: removing droppings and wet bedding, and adding fresh.
N
- Near side
- The horse’s left side, where you usually lead and mount from.
- Numnah
- A shaped pad worn under the saddle.
O
- Off side
- The horse’s right side.
- Oxer
- A spread fence with two sets of poles, testing height and width.
P
- Part-time livery
- Shared care: the yard does some jobs and the owner does others.
- Pony
- A small horse measuring 14.2 hands or under.
- Puissance
- A high-jump competition over a big wall that rises each round.
R
- Rein
- The leather straps from the bit to the rider’s hands.
- Rising trot
- Rising and sitting in time with the trot, to make it more comfortable.
- Rug
- A horse’s coat — turnout rugs for the field, stable rugs for indoors.
S
- Schooling
- Training a horse on the flat or over fences to improve its way of going.
- Stallion
- An adult male horse that hasn’t been castrated.
- Stirrups
- The metal footrests hanging from the saddle.
T
- Tack
- All the riding equipment — saddle, bridle, girth and so on. Tacking up means putting it on.
- Trot
- A two-beat pace, faster than walk.
- Turnout
- Time a horse spends out in the field.
U
- Upright
- A fence built straight up, with poles one above another and no spread.
W
- Warm-up ring
- The practice arena where riders loosen up before their class. Also called the collecting ring.
- Water tray
- A shallow tray of water under a fence, sometimes called a liverpool.
- Withers
- The ridge between a horse’s shoulder blades — where its height is measured.
No match. Try another word, or ask Nikki.
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