Horses

General

In thoroughbred horse racing, a filly becomes a mare at		5 years
Otherwise a filly becomes a mare, and a colt becomes a stallion, at		4 years
Hand		4 inches or 10cm
A pony is less than		14.2 hands
The highest part of a horse's back (between its shoulders) – to which its height is measured		Withers
Teeth of an adult horse		40
White mark on a horse's forehead		Blaze
Common name for the distal phalanx or third phalanx – the most distal (furthest) bone of a horse's forelimb, lying completely within the hoof capsule		Coffin bone (or pedal bone)
Tufts of hair just above the hooves		Fetlocks
V–shaped band of horn on the underside of the hoof		Frog
Synchronous diaphragmatic flutter (SDF), or 'thumps', is the equine equivalent of (human condition)		Hiccups
Joint between the fetlock and knee, equivalent to the human ankle		Hock
The coffin joint is in a horse's		Hoof
Between fetlock and hoof		Pastern
Castrated stallion		Gelding
Europe's leading bloodstock (race horse) auctioneer: established at Hyde Park Corner, London, in 1766; moved to Newmarket in 1965, around which time it also dropped the apostrophe from its name; began operating in Ireland (Old Fairyhouse, Co. Meath) in 1988		Tattersalls

Types of horse

Term used in North America for an untrained horse		Bronco
Free–roaming feral horses of Australia (lost by or escaped from early settlers)		Brumbies
Breed of draught horse named after a Scottish region		Clydesdale
The only breed of pony of Irish origin		Connemara
The best–known war horse of the mediaeval era – from the Latin for "right–sided" – brought to England by William the Conqueror		Destrier
The world's smallest breed of horse – developed in Argentina		Falabella
Small, well–bred Spanish horse – sometimes used in English for a female mule		Jennet
Primitive Polish breed of pony – name is a Polish diminutive for a horse – said to be the closest living relative of the last breed of western European wild horse. Has been introduced in areas of Western Europe (e.g. Cambridgeshire) where native breeds have died out		Konik
Breed of horse used in the Spanish Riding School of Vienna – named after a village near Trieste, now in Slovenia		Lippizan(er)
Free–roaming feral horses of America (lost by or escaped from early settlers); name probably derived from two Spanish words meaning 'wild', 'ownerless' and/or 'stray'		Mustangs
Highly–valued riding horse of the middle ages, comparable to a knight's destrier – noted for its smooth, ambling gait; popular with nobles and ladies		Palfrey
Golden–brown horse with silver mane and tail		Palomino
Powerful draught horse, named after the valley of its origin in northern France		Percheron
Term most commonly used in the British Isles for a black and white horse		Piebald
American term for a horse with large patches of white and another colour		Pinto
The tallest of the modern draught horse breeds – descended from the Destrier and from 100 horses brought from the low countries in the reign of King John		Shire horse
White and red (or white and brown) horse		Skewbald
Reddish–brown horse		Sorrell
The oldest English breed – a strong, solid work horse, always chestnut in colour		Suffolk Punch
Western Europe's last native breed of wild horse – extinct from about 2000 BC		Tarpan

Shoes, harness, etc.

For polo, cross country, show jumping and "western riding", shoes are most often made of		Steel
For racing, and often for dressage, shoes are made of		Aluminium
Pelham, snaffle and Kimberwick are types of		Bit
Soft padded loop that passes under the base of the tail, to keep the harness from slipping forward		Crupper
Metal or wooden strip(s) that take the full force of the pull, padded by the collar		Hame(s)
Joins the girdle to the reins and prevents the horse from lifting its head too high		Martingale
The spiked wheel on a spur		Rowel
Dandy–brush: used for		Grooming a horse

Named horses

Xanthus, Belius (brothers; Xanthus talked!): mounts of		Achilles
El Cid's horse (meaning "simpleton")		Babieca (or Bavieca)
Mary Queen of Scots's palfrey – named after the Countess of Dunbar		Black Agnes
Name of the horse on which, according to legend, Dick Turpin rode from London to York		Black Bess
Alexander the Great's horse		Bucephalus
Gene Autry's horse		Champion
US army horse that survived Custer's Last Stand		Comanche
The Duke of Wellington's horse (ridden most famously at Waterloo) – named after a British victory of 1808		Copenhagen
The Cisco Kid's horse		Diablo
Steptoe & Son's horse		Hercules
Caligula's horse (appointed Consul)		Incitatus
The title character in Michael Morpurgo's War Horse (children's novel, play and film)		Joey
Napoleon's horse (named after a battle of 1800, at which Napoleon (first?) rode him; captured by the British at Waterloo)		Marengo
Buried next to the winning post at Aintree, 1995		Red Rum
Don Quixote's horse		Rosinante
Tonto's horse		Scout
British army horse, badly injured by an IRA bomb, London, 1984		Sefton
Gandalf's horse, in the Lord of the Rings trilogy		Shadowfax
Colonel Potter's cherished horse in M*A*S*H		Sophie
William III's horse, from which he fell, leading to his death from pneumonia		Sorrel
Richard III's favourite horse		(White) Surrey
Hopalong Cassidy's horse		Topper
Robert E. Lee's horse		Traveller
Roy Rogers's horse		Trigger
Also the name of the horse that pulled "the fastest milk–cart in the West" in the Benny Hill song Ernie (1971)

© Haydn Thompson 2017–24