Glossary
- At grass
- Out at grass means the horse is kept in a field and not in a stable.
- Bridle
- The headgear by which a horse is guided and controlled.
- Colt
- A male horse under four years of age.
- Cross-country
- Competition in which horses are ridden over a long course - about 5
miles - containing
up to 30 natural jumps such as a hedge, gate, sheep pen, stream and fallen
tree.
- Eventing
- A three-part competition consisting of dressage, cross-country and
stadium jumping. All
three tests can take place on the same day but, at the advanced levels,
they are spread over
two or three days.
- Filly
- A female horse under four years of age.
- Foal
- A horse or pony up to one year old.
- Gait
- A manner of moving the feet. A horse or pony has four gaits: walk,
trot,
canter and gallop.
- Hack
- A good, light riding horse. The expression "going for a hack"
or "hacking"
means riding for pleasure.
- Liberty horse
- A circus horse which performs "at liberty" - without being
ridden or touched
by it's trainer.
- Mane
- The long hair growing along the top of the horse's neck.
- Mare
- A female horse or pony which is over four years old.
- Nearside
- The left side of a horse. Horses should always be mounted and dismounted
on the
nearside.
- Polo
- A team game played on horseback with long-handled mallots (polo sticks)
and a
wooden ball.
- Rodeo
- An event where cowboys show off their skill at riding, roping and rounding
up cattle.
- Saddle
- A seat for the rider of a horse.
- Saddle horn
- A post sticking up at the front of a western saddle.
- Stadium jumping
- An arena competition in which the horse has to cover a course of about
ten
different jumps. The jumps, or fences, are set out to test the skill of
bothe the
horse and rider. The goal is to complete the course without faults.
- Stallion
- A male horse over foor years of age, used for breeding.
- Stirrup leather
- A leather strap used on the side of the saddle to hold the stirrup
iron in place.
