Glossary of Equine Terms

Related topic:
Essential Horse Facts

The Horse (Equus caballus) is a large ungulate mammal, one of the seven modern species of the genus Equus.



Here are some of the commonly used equine terms.

Anthelmintics - Another word for dewormers

Bascule - The arc the horse forms with its head neck, and back while clearing an obstacle.

Colt - Male up to four years of age

Coronary Band - Area where hair stops and hoof growth begins at the bottom of the pastern.

Coronet - Surface of the hoof.

Cribbing - A stable vice, like an addiction, in which a horse will arch his neck, grab hold of a surface with his teeth, suck in air and swallow it

Dam - Mother of a foal

Eohippus - Earliest (prehistoric) ancestor of the modern day horse.

Fetlock - The "ankle" joint of each leg

Filly - Female up to four years of age

Foal - Horse of either sex, up to six months of age

Gelding - Castrated male horse

Girth - The strap around the horse's belly which secures the saddle to the horses back.

Hackamore - A bitless bridle used as reins.

Hand - Unit of measurement of the height of a horse, taken from the bottom of the front hoof to top of withers. Four inches = one hand.

Hock - The "knee" of the hind legs.

Lope - A slow canter, used mostly in Western disciplines.

Lyme disease - Lyme disease is a bacterial illness caused by the spirochetal (corkscrew shaped) bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. It is most commonly transmitted by the bite of infected Ixodes spp ticks, commonly referred to as "deer ticks" or "black legged ticks"

Mare - Mature female horse, four years or older

Martingale - A leather strap that goes from the girth to the bridle underneath the chin which prevents a horse from throwing his head up.

Pastern - The area between the hoof and fetlock joint.

Pony - Horse measuring under 14.2 hands in height

Sire - Father of a foal

Stallion  - Mature male horse, four years or older

Twitch - A metal clasper applied to the top lip that is used to temporarily restrain a horse, usually for medical treatment.

Weanling - Horse of either sex, between six months and one year

Yearling - Horse of either sex, between one and two years of age