Glossary

aids: the communication signals given by a rider to his or her horse, which can be given by external equipment or by the rider’s body. See also “artificial aids” and “natural aids.”

Alexander technique: a method that works to change movement habits; improve freedom of movement, balance, and coordination; and release unnecessary tension to allow the body to move with greater ease and efficiency.

artificial aids: items such as a whip, a crop, or a spur

bar: the toothless, bony space in the horse’s mouth where the bit lies, located between the incisors and the molars; also, the two pieces of a saddle tree that span the horse’s back parallel to the spine. (The bars are connected to the cantle in the rear and to the swells in the front of the saddle.)

barrel: the area of a horse’s body between the forelegs and the hind legs, where the ribs are located

bitless bridle: any sort of bridle that does not use a bit in the horse’s mouth, including a bosal, a hackamore, a mechanical hackamore, and a sidepull

bosal: a type of bitless bridle with a simple noseband usually made of braided rawhide and knotted under the horse’s chin, with the reins attached to the knot

brace: to use more muscle, power, or energy than is necessary to complete a task; also, a part on a spade bit connecting the port to the cheek

breastplate: a device used across the horse’s chest that attaches to the saddle to prevent it from slipping; also known as a “breast collar”

bridle: headgear used to guide a horse when riding or driving; the entire headgear assembly including headstall, bit, and reins

canter: a three-beat gait. It has the same footfalls as the western lope.

chaps: leggings, usually made of leather, worn over jeans or trousers. They offer extra grip in the saddle and protection against shrubs and brush when trail riding. They are often worn by riders in the show ring.

cinch: the western term for “girth,” which is a band that goes under the horse’s belly and keeps the saddle on the horse’s back

collection: a natural movement when a horse coils like a spring

combination bit: any bit that uses leverage with shanks and lip pressure, as well as a jointed mouthpiece

counter canter: taking the lead contrary to the direction of travel. It is different from being on the wrong lead, as the horse still needs to be bent in the direction of the leading leg.

crop: a short riding whip with a looped lash

cross training: working the horse in more than one discipline, such as trail riding, showing, cattle work, and dressage. Cross training helps the horse gain more athletic ability and additional skills, and it benefits the horse physically because he is not overusing any single part of his body by doing only one discipline.

cue: a signal from the rider that requests the horse to respond with a certain movement. The signal can be a natural aid or an artificial aid. See also “artificial aids” and “natural aids.”

curb bit: a bit that works based on leverage in the horse’s mouth, regardless of the shape or configuration of the mouthpiece. It has shanks of varying lengths, and it creates pressure on the bars of the horse’s mouth and sometimes on the roof of the horse’s mouth.

dally: to wind the rope around the saddle horn after a cow has been roped. The friction helps secure the rope to the saddle horn rather than having to tie the rope.

deaden: to desensitize a horse’s mouth or sides by using the bit or leg aids excessively and without clarity

diagonal: the movement of a foreleg in unison with the opposite hind leg. At the jog, the left front and right hind legs move together in a diagonal, and vice versa.

direct rein: using a rein to pull the horse’s head in the direction the rider requests. See also “indirect rein.”

Feldenkrais: named after Moshe Feldenkrais, this method uses movement to increase a person’s body awareness. Through awareness, one is able to improve one’s flexibility, posture, and breathing.

flying lead change: in the lope, the horse changes from one lead to the other in midair instead of transitioning with steps of a jog or a walk. See also “lead.”

footfall: the order in which the horse’s feet leave and come into contact with the ground. Footfall changes depending on which gait the horse is in.

gullet: the space under the saddle that spans the horse’s spine. There should be no pressure on the horse’s spine along the gullet, and the bars of the tree should rest sufficiently away from the spine rather than right next to it.

gymkhana games: informal speed games, contests, and races on horseback

hackamore: a type of bitless bridle with a noseband, usually made of braided rawhide, that applies pressure on the nose instead of using a bit for guidance and signaling

headstall: the pieces of a bridle not including the bit and the reins. The headstall includes the cheek pieces, the throatlatch, the browband, and the noseband, if used.

horn: the raised part in front of a western saddle. It is often used to dally the rope when working with cattle.

indirect rein (neck rein): laying the rein against the horse’s neck so the horse turns only from the pressure of the rein, not from contact with the bit or bosal. See also “direct rein.”

jog: a two-beat diagonal gait, which has the same footfall as the trot. When the horse is jogging, the right front leg and the left hind leg move together as a pair, and the left front leg and the right hind leg move together as a pair.

jumping hackamore: leather noseband or leather-covered rope noseband with two rings attached near the mouth of the horse

lasso: a thirty- to forty-foot rope with a running noose for roping cattle and horses

lateral work: sideways movement, varying from being completely sideways in the sidepass to maintaining sideways movement while going forward in the leg yield

latigo: a long piece of leather or nylon that is used to tighten the cinch around the horse’s belly

lead: the foreleg that takes the longer stride while the horse is at the lope or canter indicates which lead he is on. A horse is on the left lead if the left leg reaches farther in the lope or canter, and he is on the right lead when the right leg reaches farther in the lope or canter. When the horse is traveling clockwise, he will be on the right lead, and vice versa. See also “counter canter.”

leg yield: the horse moves forward and sideways at the same time, crossing the forelegs and hind legs to the front. See also “lateral work.”

longe (or lunge): working a horse on a long line, usually with a long whip used as an extension of the hand, and with the handler standing in the middle of the pen

loose rein: reins that hang loosely without any pulling or contact between the rider’s hands and the horse’s mouth

lope: a three-beat gait with the same footfall as the canter. If the horse is on the left lead, the footfall is right hind, left hind and right front landing together, then left front. See also “lead.”

mecate: a single length of horsehair rein or rope about 22 feet long that is tied to the hackamore knot, looped to create reins, with the remaining length used as an attached rope

mechanical hackamore: a bitless bridle that has long metal shanks and a curb chain, making its action similar to the leverage action of a curb bit

natural aids: hands, seat, leg, voice, weight, mind, intention, focus, center, energy

neck reining: guiding a horse using just the weight of the rein on the horse’s neck rather than with pressure from the bit, the hackamore, or the bosal

pelham bit: a leverage bit with short shanks and two sets of rings to attach double reins

post: to rise and sit in time with the rhythm of the horse’s trot

rein hand: the hand that holds the reins. Traditionally, the rein hand is the left hand so the right hand can be used for roping, opening gates, and so on.

romal reins: reins that join to form a single long lash or whip with a leather popper on the end.

roping: lassoing cattle with a long rope, either around their heads, horns, or hind legs while on horseback. See also “dally.”

scapula: the proper name for the horse’s shoulder blade

self-carriage: the horse’s and the human’s body posture that is balanced, correctly aligned biomechanically, without reliance on bracing or unnecessary muscular tension

sidepull: usually a lariat noseband, knotted at the sides of the horse’s head to rings where the reins attach

snaffle bit: a nonleverage bit that applies pressure to the corners of the horse’s mouth and tongue. It can have a broken or a solid mouthpiece.

spade bit: a complex bit that has a high spoon port, braces, a roller, and shanks

split reins: reins that are not joined or attached and that can be held in two hands or in one hand

spur: usually a round rowel that attaches to the rider’s boot heel and is used as an aid in addition to the leg

tack: all the gear used to ride or handle a horse, including a halter, a lead rope, a saddle, a pad, and a bridle

tie down: a strap (or self-contained) piece of tack that connects the noseband to the breastplate and prevents the horse from raising her head past a certain point

tree: the wooden or plastic framework on which a saddle is built

walk: a four-beat gait in which the horse’s feet move together on the same side; for example: right hind, right front, left hind, left front

withers: the highest point of the horse’s back where the neck and back join