A great resource so you start to know what everyone is talking about! In alpha order by section...
Aged/Senior — Horses that are fifteen years old or older.
Colt — A male horse under four years of age that is not castrated.
Equine — A horse or another member of the horse family such as a donkey or a zebra.
Foal — A young horse.
Filly — A female horse that is under the age of four.
Gelding — A male horse that has been castrated.
Mare — A female horse over four years old.
Stallion — A male horse that is over four years old and has not been castrated.
Yearling — A horse between the ages of one and two.
Weanling — A young horse under 1-year old that has been weaned from its mother.
Mini – The miniture version of a full grown equine, generally under 52″ tall at the withers and shoulders.
English Riding Terms
English riding is a form of horse riding with several disciplines, including the following:
Cross-Country — An endurance test that is part of the three phases of eventing. XC involves jumping solid obstacles. Originally designed to mimic jumps you would come across on the hunt field.
Dressage — A discipline where the horse and rider are judged based on how well they perform a series of prescribed movements. Learn more about dressage riding and the equipment you need for dressage.
Eventing — A combination of three disciplines: dressage, cross-country, and show jumping.
Hunter — A competition where the horse and rider jump over fences and the horse’s form, style, and accuracy is judged.
Jumper (also called Show Jumping) — A competition that evaluates how quickly a horse and rider can complete a series of jumps with the fewest errors, or faults.
General Horse Terminology
These are other commonly-used horse-related words you may come across:
Above the bit —This is an incorrect head position, typically caused by excess pressure from a bit, where the horse’s head is held high above a rider’s hands.
Aids —Tools a rider uses to communicate with a horse, including voice, legs, spurs, and hands.
Canter —A gait with three beats, between a gallop and a trot.
Dry Lot —A grass-free paddock for horses who are overweight or require strict monitoring of their grass intake.
Equestrian — A person who owns, rides, or shows horses, or participates in horse-related activities.
Equitation – The practice of horse riding and horsemanship.
Farrier — A person who trims and shoes a horse’s hooves. Also known as a Blacksmith.
Gait — The movement and speed of a horse.
Gallop — A fast gait with four beats where all four of the horse’s hooves are off the ground at a time.
Hand – A common unit of measurement for horses. One hand equals four inches.
Lame — A horse that is limping or has mobility issues due to injury or pain.
Mount — Getting on a horse. (Getting off a horse is called dismounting).
Paddock — A small enclosure to keep a horse contained for a specific purpose.
Jackson in his paddock.
Pasture — a large area of several acres where horses are turned out to graze, run and play.
Sound — A horse with an even gait. (A horse with an uneven gait is known as lame orunsound.)
Trot — A pace faster than a walk where a horse lifts its legs in diagonal pairs.
There’s a lot to learn when you are first introduced to horses and riding. Not only are you learning to care for them and ride them, but you also have a whole new list of terminology to figure out! This glossary is a great place to start.
What did I forget to include? Help everyone out and add to the list!
Comments