Equestrian glossary - words you need to know

Discover definitions for many equestrian terms!

4th January 2024

Whether or not you have a horse, if you’re visiting this page, it’s likely you’ve come across an unfamiliar equestrian term!

While it’s impossible to know the meaning of every horse-related word, we hope you’ll find this glossary of basic (UK) equestrian terms helpful…

Everyday horse-related words

B

Broodmare – a mare who has had at least one foal and is used for breeding.

C

Colt – a male horse or pony, under four years old, who hasn’t been gelded.

D

Dam – a horse or pony mare who is a mother.

F

Farrier – a highly trained, qualified professional who cares for horses’ hooves, as well as making and fitting horseshoes.

Feed – types of horse food fed via a bucket.

Filly – a female horse or pony under four years old.

Foal – a young (baby!) horse or pony under one year old (no-matter their height, type, or breed).

Forage – usually refers to hay or haylage.

G

Gelded – neutered (male horse).

H

Hands or ‘hands-high’ (hh) – the unit for measuring a horse’s height (one hand = four inches) from the ground to their wither, e.g. 14.2hh = “fourteen-two hands-high” & 16hh = “sixteen hands-high”.

Horse – an equine who measures above 14.2hh at maturity (around 7-8 years old, which may vary depending on the individual).

L

Lunge – (a.k.a. ‘lungeing’ or ‘lunging’) means to exercise a horse, in an enclosed space (e.g. arena or field), by asking them to walk, trot, or canter in a circle. While lunging, a long lunge line is used to keep a horse at a distance and allow them the space to exercise safely. Lunging a horse is very hard work for their muscles, so sessions should usually be kept to a maximum of 20 minutes – depending on a horse’s fitness levels.

M

Mare – female horse or pony over four years old.

P

Pony – an equine who measures below 14.2hh at maturity (around 6-7 years old, which may vary depending on the individual).

S

Saddler – a highly trained, qualified professional who makes and fits saddles.

Sire – a horse or pony stallion who is a father (also applies to a gelding who previously fathered at least one foal as a stallion, before they were gelded).

Stallion – a male horse or pony, over four years old, who hasn’t been gelded.

T

Tack – equipment used for horses (e.g. headcollar, bridle, saddle, rugs, etc.).

Turnout – a horse’s time in the field.

V

Veteran – a horse or pony who is older than 15 years of age.

Y

Yearling – a horse or pony who is between one and two years old.

 

Horse ‘for sale ad’ acronyms, abbreviations, and phrases

B

Backed – a horse has worn a saddle and accepted a rider, yet hasn’t been schooled (fully trained).

BD – British Dressage (referring to registration or type/level of competition).

BE – British Eventing (referring to registration or type/level of competition).

BSJA – British Showjumping Association (referring to registration or type/level of competition).

BSPS – British Show Pony Society.

C

CHAPS – Coloured Horse and Pony Society.

E

Easy to do – a well-behaved, polite horse.

F

Forward going – a horse is responsive and may be strong or prone to rushing while ridden.

G

Green – an inexperienced horse who requires further training.

H

HT – Hunter Trial(s).

I

ID – Irish Draught.

ISH – Irish Sport Horse.

K

KWPN – Dutch Warmblood (horse breed).

L

LR – Lead Rein, which means a pony has been ridden by a child while being led (it doesn’t necessarily mean a pony is safe for child to ride without a leader, though!).

M

M&M – Mountain and Moorland (referring to the type of horse/pony or competition classes they’ve entered).

O

ODE – One Day Event (type of competition that involves dressage, cross country, and show jumping classes on the same day).

P

PC – Pony Club (referring to type/level of activities).

R

RC – Riding Club (referring to type/level of activities).

S

Schoolmaster or Schoolmistress – an experienced horse.

T

TB – Thoroughbred (horse breed).

X

XC – Cross Country.

W

WH – Working Hunter (referring to type of horse or type of competition).

 

Horse-riding phrases

A

Arena – (a.k.a. ‘school’ or ‘menage’) an enclosed space covered in a specialist, springy surface (like silica sand, fibre sand, rubber, etc.); can be indoor, outdoor, or covered.

B

Body protector – rider wear that protects the upper body (must comply with legal safety requirements).

Bridleway – a public right of way for horses.

C

Canter – a smooth, three-beat pace that can vary in speed and style (e.g. working canter, extended canter, collected canter, etc.).

Change rein – if a riding instructor asks you to do this, it means they need you to change direction safely.

Chaps – made in a choice of different materials and styles, chaps protect a rider's legs from friction against the saddle (e.g. half-chaps wrap around a rider’s lower legs if they’re wearing short riding boots).

D

Diagonal – this is the term given to the movement of a horse’s legs as they trot.

Top tip: To be on the ‘correct diagonal’, a rider needs to be 'rising' (standing in the stirrups momentarily) as their horse’s outside front leg (nearest the fence) moves forward in trot; then 'sitting' in the saddle as their horse’s outside front leg moves back.

Dismounting – the process of getting off a horse’s back/out of the saddle.

G

Gallop – a fast, four-beat pace (e.g. the speed a racehorse goes during a race!).

H

Hacking – riding horses outside an arena or field (e.g. along bridleways, on roads, etc.).

I

Inside rein – the side of a horse that’s closest to the middle of an area while riding.

J

Jodhpur boots – short, ankle-high boots designed for riding.

Jodhpurs – (a.k.a. ‘breeches’ or ‘riding tights’) specially-designed riding trousers.

Jump – an obstacle a horse can jump over (must be safe!).

L

Lead (canter) – (a.k.a. ‘leading leg’, ‘canter lead’ or ‘leg’) a horse who transitions to canter on the ‘right canter lead’ will be balanced, whereas the ‘wrong canter lead’ might make them feel unbalanced.

Top tip: If your horse is on the ‘correct canter lead’, their inside (front) leg (on the inner side of a circle) will stretch or reach further than their outside (front) leg (on the outer side of a circle).

M

Mounting – the process of getting on a horse’s back/into the saddle.

O

Outside rein – the side of a horse that’s closest to the fence while riding in an area.

R

Riding boots – tall, knee-high boots designed for riding.

Riding hat – (a.k.a. ‘riding helmet’ or ‘jockey skull cap’) rider wear designed to protect a rider’s head (must comply with legal safety requirements).

S

Schooling – training exercises with a horse in an arena or field.

T

Transition – the movement from one pace to another (e.g. from trot to walk or trot to canter).

Trot – a two-beat pace that can vary in speed and style (e.g. working trot, extended trot, collected trot, etc.).

W

Walk – a steady, four-beat pace that can vary in speed and style (e.g. free walk, extended walk, collected walk, etc.).

Top tip: If a riding instructor says, “Walk march!”, they’re asking for more of an active walk than a slow stroll.

 

Points of the horse

B

Bars (of the mouth) – the gap (consisting only of gums, with their tongue in the middle) between a horse’s front teeth and back teeth, which is where a bit sits.

C

Cannon bone – the section of a horse’s lower leg below the knee or hock, above the fetlock.

Check ligaments – are situated in a horse’s lower legs and take any strain off their muscles, to allow them to sleep soundly.

Chestnut – the thick lump of keratin attached to a horse’s leg (above the knee on their forelegs, below the hock on their hind legs).

H

Hind leg – a horse’s back leg.

Hindquarters – the large, muscular areas just before the tail, on either side of a horse, above their hind legs.

Hock – a joint in the horse’s hind leg, above their cannon bone.

Hoof – a horse’s foot.

F

Fetlock – the joint above a horse’s pastern, below their cannon bone.

Foreleg – a horse’s front leg.

Forelock – a horse’s ‘fringe’.

M

Mane – the hair that grows along, and flows from, the top of a horse’s neck.

Muzzle – the part of a horse’s head that includes their nose area, nostrils, lips, and chin.

P

Pastern – the area between a horse’s hoof and their fetlock joint.

S

Stay apparatus – the arrangement of muscles, tendons, and ligaments that work together to allow a horse to stay standing up safely.

W

Wither – the arch-shaped, bony section at the base of a horse’s neck.

 

Tack terms

B

Bit – usually made of metal (though also available in different materials), the bit attaches to a bridle and sits on the bars of a horse’s mouth.

Blinkers – small pads, attached to the bridle, that are worn over a horse’s eyes to restrict peripheral (side) vision. Blinkers are designed to prevent distractions that might cause a horse to behave unexpectedly and get injured; usually seen when a horse is pulling a carriage or racing.

Bridle – the piece of tack designed to fit around a horse’s head (with a bit or bitless), to allow a rider, leader, or carriage driver to control a horse safely.

Brushing boots – one of the many types of boots available; these boots are used to protect a horse’s legs from brushing against one another while they move.

G

Girth – the strap that secures a horse’s saddle and keeps it in place (should wrap under the body, just behind the front legs).

H

Headcollar – headgear designed to control a horse safely from the ground (different types of headcollars are available for a variety of purposes, e.g. field-safe headcollars for turnout, leather headcollars for travelling, etc.).

L

Lead rope – a rope that attaches to a headcollar, allowing a horse to be led or tied up safely (using a quick-release knot!).

N

Numnah – a soft, saddle-shaped pad that sits between the saddle and a horse’s back, to protect their back while also providing cushioning for comfort.

O

Overreach boot – dome-shaped boots that cover a horse’s front hooves to protect them from injuries (caused by their hind hooves cutting into the heels of their front hooves).

R

Reins – the straps that enable a rider to control a horse, by connecting a rider’s hands to a horse’s bit (or bitless section of a bridle).

Rug – the type of coat used for a horse (available in many designs including turnout rugs for the field, stable rugs, fly rugs to protect from flies, exercise sheets to use while riding, etc.).

S

Saddle – the piece of equipment that looks like a ‘seat’, secured with a girth, to keep a rider in place on a horse’s back.

Saddle pad – a soft, rectangular pad that sits between the saddle and a horse’s back, to protect their back while also providing cushioning for comfort.

Stirrups – usually made of metal (though also available in other materials), the stirrups hold a rider’s feet in place to help them sit safely in the saddle.

Stirrup leathers – although not always made of leather, stirrup ‘leathers’ are straps that attach stirrups safely to the saddle.

 

If you’ve discovered a ‘horsey word’ you’d like us to add to this guide, please let us know via Facebook or Instagram

Read our horse blog!

If you found this article useful, why not visit our horse blog for more news, insight and opinion pieces?

  

Need horse insurance?

Horse insurance can help cover the cost of veterinary treatment if your horse gets injured or falls ill.

  

We know pets

Animal Friends Insurance is a multi-award winning FCA-regulated pet insurer, founded in 1998 to provide industry-leading pet insurance and first-class animal care to create a better life for every animal.
 
As one of the UK’s largest pet insurance providers, Animal Friends works with vets, veterinary professionals, and partners pioneering the latest veterinary technology & healthcare advancements to achieve our vision.
 
Our policyholders have helped donate over £8.5 million to more than 800 animal charities worldwide and by educating and inspiring others to act on current events and responsible pet ownership, Animal Friends is driving positive change for animal welfare and conservation.