You can talk to a horse, but make sure you use the right language. For everyone who has ever wondered what “colic” means or “cribbing” means, here is a guide to basic horse terms.

Aged A horse over 9 years old.

Anhydrosis The inability to sweat. First reported in Thoroughbred racehorses who were taken from temperate to tropical climates, but occurs in any breed of horse. This can be deadly, as the horse cannot regulat its body temperature and can result in overheating.

Azoturia Cramping of a horse's large muscles, also called "tying up".

Backyard horse A horse that lives with its owner, not in a proper horse barn or stable.

Bag Balm A brand of balm that is made for the udders of cattle, to prevent discomfort or chaffing. Also good for rough hands and skin on people, and can be used on mare's udders or horse's skin to prevent painful cracking.

Bagging Up Means that a mare's udders are filling with milk.

Bale A measurement of hay, equal to 10 "flakes".

Barn Sour A horse that doesn't like to leave the barn or stable.

Bomb-proof A horse that doesn't spook.

Breaking The act of training a horse. Probably became a horse term because you would also have to 'break in' a new saddle or pair of boots. To break in a saddle you'd have to ride in it, oil it, and work in it to get it soft; with a horse, you have to work with it to get it 'broken', to the point where it is no longer afraid and is rideable. Other terms are training, gentling, and starting. They all mean the same thing.

Bridle The entire headpiece, the headstall, bit, chin strap, and reins, is called the bridle.

Broodmare A female horse that is used strictly for breeding.

Cannon Bone The long bone of a horse's lower leg.

Coggins Test The “Coggins Test” is a blood test that tests for exposure to the virus causing Equine Infectious Anemia, a very serious, sometimes fatal disease that is carried by blood-sucking insects such as mosquitoes and flies. Symptoms include fever, depression and weight loss. Most states require any horse being transported to have a current Coggins test report (”current” varies from state to state - some are 6 months, some 12 - check with your state’s agricultural department or your vet).

Cold-Blooded Designating any horse or breed of horse without Arabian or eastern blood in its breeding. In practice, since many so-called cold-blooded breeds have been improved by the use of Arab blood, the distinction is based mainly on physical type: broadly, all heavy draft horses and most european native ponies are classed as cold-blooded.

Colic A stomachache usually caused by twists or blockages of the intestine. Symptoms include pawing, excessive lying down or rolling, and looking at, biting, or kicking at the stomach. Should be considered a medical emergency.

Colt An unaltered male horse less than four years old.

Coronet The small area that attaches the hoof (see def.) to the rest of the leg.

Cribbing A behavioral vice. A cribbing horse will fix his jaws on an object, such as the side of a stall or a fence-post, and may swallow air at the same time. The chewing can wear a horse's teeth down, and the air ingestion may cause digestive problems.

Dam A horse's mother.

Easy keeper A horse that easily keeps his weight.

Equestrian A horseback rider.

ER Equine Rescue, usually some sort of organization to help equines, sometimes an individual or doing.

Farrier A person who shoes horses.

Fetlock The first flexible joint above the horse's hoof, visible as a protrusion at the back of the leg.

Filly A female horse less than four years old who has not had a baby.

Floating Fixing a horse's teeth. The procedure for filing down a horse’s teeth. A horse’s upper jaw is larger than his lower jaw, so the teeth do not rub together as he chews, allowing sharp points and ridges to form over time. A horse normally chews from side to side, so if the teeth have grown too long, he starts to chew up-and-down (less efficient) and drop food. This can lead to weight loss, digestive problems or colic. A horse’s teeth should be floated once or twice a year. Consult your veterinarian for the proper schedule for your horse.

Foal A baby horse.

Founder Also known as laminitis, founder is a painful hoof inflammation that will cause a horse to rock back on his heels to keep pressure off his toes.

Frog V-shaped area found on bottom of horses hooves.The wedge-shaped leathery part on the bottom of a horse's hoof. The frog has a rubbery feel and helps the horse avoid slipping.

Gaskin The rounded, muscular part of a horse's rear leg.

Gelding A neutered male horse.

Groundwork Lead rope and lunge-line training.

Gut sounds The noises that can be heard from a horse's stomach.

Hand The unit of measurement for horses. Once defined as the width of a man's hand, the unit has been standardized to four inches.

Hard keeper A horse whose weight is hard to maintain.

Hock The large, flexible joint in the middle of the rear leg of a horse.

Hoof Pick A tool used to pick dirt and rocks from a horse's hooves.

In Season When a mare is in heat.

Lungeing A way of exercising a horse without riding it. A handler stands in the center of the ring, holding a long lead, and the horse moves around him in a circle.

Mare A female horse more than four years old.

Mucking Out Cleaning out stalls.

Mustang any breed of feral American horse. Mustang is often refurred to as a breed.

Navicular A disease that affects the navicular bones in a horse's front feet and results in lameness. The cause is unknown, but poor shoeing may contribute to the condition.

Paddock A large enclosure to hold a horse.

Pastern The part of the lower leg between the hoof and the fetlock.

Point of Buttocks One of the points checked by the Henneke system and sometimes referred to as the pin bone, the point of buttocks is analogous to our seat bone.

Point of Hip One of the points checked by the Henneke system and sometimes referred to as the hook bone, the point of hip is analogous to our hip bone.

Poll Area between the horses ears.

Pony A full-grown horse who is less than 14 hands 2 inches tall.

Put down Euthanize, put to sleep.

Quarter Horse The world's most popular and versital breed. This breed was originally bred as a range horse, then for running races at short distances, such as a quarter of a mile.

Rogue A horse with a bad temper.

Saddle A piece of riding equipment put over the horses' back as a type of brace and seat for the rider.

Sire A horse's father.

Sound This is the term to describe a healthy horse.

Spinous Processes The vertical projections on backbones. The outline of the spinous processes will only be apparent on horses who are underweight.

Stall An indoor box where a horse is kept at times during the day.

Stallion An unaltered male horse more than four years old.

Stifle The uppermost joint visible in a horse's rear leg, just below the abdomen.

Tack The equipment, such as a saddle and halter, worn by a horse.

Thoroughbred Any descendant of three specific arabain stallions of the 1600's. They are usually used for middle-distance races, shorter than indurance but longer than 1/2 of a mile. Also, these horses must trace their parentiage back to at least one of three thoroughbred stallions: Herod, Matchem, or Eclipse.

Thrush Fungal or bacterial infection of the frog, characterized by foul-smelling black discharge from the cleft of the frog.

Turnout When a horse is let out of its stall into a pasture or arena or corral.

Unsound A horse with health problems or lameness.

Vice Any bad habit learned by a horse (ie: head tossing, rearing, etc....)

Warm-Blood designating any horse or breed of horse with Arabian or eastern blood in its breeding. In practice, the distinction is based mainly on physical type: broadly, all light saddle horses and harness horses are classed as Warm-Bloods.

Weanling A horse under one years old that has been weaned from his mother.

Withers The area where the horse's neck meets his back. If he has his head lowered, this is often the highest point on the back. It is where a horse's height is measured.

Yearling A horse just approaching or just turning one years old.