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  Gray—A common color found in horses and ponies. A gray horse is born black and gradually lightens with age from a steel-gray color to almost white.

  Graze—Eat grass. Horses and ponies will graze continually when turned out on good pasture.

  Groom—To groom a horse is to clean and brush his coat, comb his mane and tail, and pick the dirt from his hooves. A person known as a “groom” goes along on a horse show or horse race to help with grooming, tacking up, or anything else that needs to be done.

  Ground drive—The act of driving a horse in full harness but not hooked to a cart or carriage. A person steers the horse by walking behind the horse and holding the long reins. This is a method used to train a horse to drive.

  Gully—A trench worn in the earth by running water after a rain.

  Gymkhana—A horse show made up of games played on horseback, including games defined elsewhere in this glossary.

  Halter—Also known as a “head collar,” a halter is made of rope, leather, or nylon and is placed on the head of a horse and used for leading or tying him. The halter has no bit, but it has a metal ring that rests under the chin of the horse to which you attach a lead rope.

  Hames—The metal pieces of the driving harness that fasten around the collar and are attached to the traces.

  Hard brush—A grooming tool resembling a scrub brush, usually with firm bristles made of nylon, used to brush dried mud or dirt from the coat and legs of a horse or pony.

  Harness—The collection of leather straps, bridle, reins, and collar that is placed on a horse or pony and attached to a cart, sleigh, or carriage.

  Haunches—Another term for the hindquarters of a horse or pony.

  Hay—Grass or other herbage that is cut in the field and allowed to dry over several days, then usually baled and stored in the barn to feed to animals.

  Haynet—A nylon or rope net that is stuffed with loose hay and tied at the top, then hung in a stall or trailer to allow an animal to eat from it.

  Hindquarters—The rear of a horse or pony, including the back legs.

  Hitch up—Attach a horse or pony to a cart, carriage, or sleigh through the use of the harness straps.

  Hoof pick—A grooming tool used to clean dirt and gravel from the hooves of a horse of pony.

  Hooves—The hard covering of the foot of a horse or pony. The hooves must be cleaned before and after riding and trimmed every six weeks (or so) to keep them from growing too long.

  Jump standards—The wooden or vinyl upright supports on either side of the jump that hold the jump cups onto which the jump rails or poles are placed.

  Keyhole race—A game played on horseback, in which a pattern in the shape of a keyhole is painted or limed on the ground and the rider gallops the horse or pony to the end of the pattern and back again without stepping outside the lines. The fastest time wins.

  Lead rope—A short (about six feet) length of cotton or nylon rope with a snap attached to the end. The rope is used to lead the horse or pony.

  Leg up—The action of helping someone mount by grasping their bended left knee and hoisting them up and onto the back of the horse or pony.

  Leather conditioner—An oily or creamy substance that is rubbed into leather to help keep it from drying out.

  Lines—Another term for the long reins used with a harness to drive a horse.

  Loft—The large area in the top of a barn used to store bales of hay and straw.

  Mane—The long hair that grows on the crest (top) of a horse’s or pony’s neck.

  Manger—A wooden box with an open top, usually attached to the wall of the stall, used for feeding grain to a horse or pony.

  Mare—A female horse or pony three years of age or older.

  Mare’s tails—Also known as cirrus clouds, these are wispy cloud formations that actually look like the long flowing tail of a horse or pony.

  Milkers—The equipment that is attached to the cow’s teats in order to draw the milk out through a pulsing action.

  Milk house—The small building attached to the dairy barn where the milk ends up in a cooling tank.

  Mustang—A native breed of horse that is found mostly in the western plains and lives in the wild, although many mustangs have been caught and tamed for riding.

  Muzzle—The lower end of the nose of a horse or pony, which includes the nostrils, lips, and chin.

  Neat’s-foot oil—A type of oil used to condition leather to keep it from drying out.

  Nicker—A low, quiet sound made by a horse or pony in greeting or when wanting to be fed.

  Obstacle course—A game played on horseback involving various obstacles that the rider and horse or pony must maneuver, such as going over a bridge, trotting between poles, opening gates while mounted, etc.

  Paddock—A fenced area, smaller than a field, used for enclosing animals for limited exercise.

  Pinto—A horse or pony of a solid coat color with white patches or markings on various parts of the body. The mane and tail may be various colors.

  Pole bending—A game played on horseback that involves riding a horse or pony through a slalom pattern in and out of vertical poles without touching the poles. Fastest times wins.

  Pony—A pony measures below 14.3 hands from the bottom of the hoof to the withers. (See defini-tion.) A hand equals four inches. An animal 14.3 hands or above is considered a horse.

  Reins—The leather straps of the bridle attached to the bit and held by the rider to guide and control the horse.

  Ringmaster—The person at a horse show who assists the judge in the ring and helps any rider who falls; this person may also replace any rails that are knocked down on jumps.

  Saddle—A padded leather seat for a rider, placed on a horse’s or pony’s back and secured by a girth. A harness placed on the horse’s or pony’s back behind the withers is also called a saddle.

  Saddlebags—Two leather pouches attached to each other by a wide piece of leather that drapes over the saddle or withers of the horse, or sometimes behind the saddle, to allow the rider to carry supplies on the trail.

  Saddle rack—A metal or wooden frame in the shape of a saddle attached to the wall or stall, on which to hang the saddle.

  Salt block—A square, compact brick of salt placed in the field or stall for a horse to lick, which provides him with salt and other necessary minerals.

  Shafts—The poles attached to a carriage, sleigh, or cart, between which a horse or pony is hitched to pull the vehicle.

  Sleigh—A horse-drawn vehicle that has “runners” for gliding over snow or ice instead of wheels.

  Slip knot—A type of knot, also known as “quick release,” which can be quickly and easily untied in case of a problem, such as the horse or pony falling down or getting hung up.

  Soft brush—A brush made for grooming a horse or pony’s coat and face; it is the same shape as a hard brush, but has softer, longer, natural bristles.

  Spook—An action of the horse or pony in which he shies away nervously from something he is not familiar with.

  Stallion—A male horse or pony that has not been neutered and may be used for reproductive purposes.

  Star—Any white mark on the forehead of a horse or pony, located above the level of the eyes.

  Straw—The material used for bedding in a stall; it consists of stalks of grain from which the grain has been removed and the stalks baled. It should be bright yellow and not dusty.

  Tack—Equipment used in riding and driving horses or ponies, such as saddles, bridles, harnesses, etc.

  Tack box—A container with a handle used to transport grooming tools, bridles, etc., to horse shows or other events.

  Tack trunk—A large trunk usually kept in the stable, which contains the equipment used by the rider, such as as bridles, grooming tools, saddles, lead ropes, medicines, etc.

  Throatlatch—The narrow strap of the bridle, which goes under the horse’s throat and is used to secure the bridle to the head.

  Traces—The thick leather
straps on the harness that attach it to the carriage, allowing a horse or pony to pull the vehicle.

  Trot—A rapid, two-beat gait in which the front foot and the opposite hind foot take off at the same time and strike the ground simultaneously.

  Trough—A long, shallow receptacle used for feeding or watering animals.

  Tugs—Common name for the leather straps attach ing the shafts to the breeching straps of a horse-drawn vehicle.

  Udder—The mammary glands of a cow, where the teats are attached and the milk is produced.

  Wash stall—An enclosed area, usually inside the stable, with hot and cold running water, where a horse or pony may be crosstied and bathed.

  Whinny—A high-pitched, loud call of the horse.

  Winter coat—The longish hair that the horse or pony naturally grows in the winter to protect him from the cold. In the spring, the winter coat “sheds out” and the body becomes sleek again, with a short hair coat.

  Withers—The ridge at the base of the neck and between the shoulders of a horse or pony. The saddle sits on the horse’s back behind the withers, and we measure the horse or pony’s height by measuring from the ground to the top of the withers.

  Photo: Christopher Myers

  About the Author

  A horse lover since early childhood, JoAnn Dawson lives with her husband Ted and their two sons on a horse farm in Maryland, where they operate a bed & breakfast and offer riding lessons, carriage rides, horse shows, and a summer camp. JoAnn teaches Equine Science at a local college and is an actress and animal wrangler for film and television. She has enjoyed competing over the years on her American Paint Horse, Painted Warrior, but it is Butterscotch the pony who accompanies her on school visits and book signings. Butterscotch is so comfortable around kids that he may be the only pony in the country who is allowed to go into classrooms! Learn more about the author and her farm at www.luckyfootseries.com.