Issie and the Christmas Pony (10 page)

AIDS
- the signals a rider uses to let their horse know what she wants him to do. There are two kinds of aids natural and artificial. Natural aids include using the seat, legs and hands. Artifical aids include using whips, spurs, martingales and nosebands.

ARENA
- also known as a school or manege, the arena is a purpose-built area, usually made from sawdust or sand, where you can ride and train your horse.

BAY
- a reddish-brown coloured horse with black points and black mane and tail.

BIT
- made of metal with rings on either side to connect it to the bridle. The bit goes into the horses mouth and the rider uses it to guide and control their horse. There are lots of different kinds of bits. One of the most common bits is a snaffle.

BRIDLE
- this fits on the horses head. The reins are attached to it, which the rider holds to guide and control the horse.

CANTER
- faster than a walk or a trot, the canter is a three-beat pace.

CAVESSON
- a type of noseband worn on the horses bridle.

CAVALETTI
- low jumps constructed from a single bar that is nailed to two crossed poles at each corner. Cavaletti are only little jumps but they can be stacked up to make bigger fences or used for gridwork.

CHESTNUT
- a chestnut horse is ginger or reddish in colour with a matching mane and tail.

COLT
- a young male horse.

DUN
- dun-coloured horses vary from mouse to golden, and generally have black or chocolate points and a black or chocolate mane and tail.

DUNG
- horse poo!

EARS
- you can tell whether the horse is happy or not by its ears. Horses will put their ears flat back against their head when they are angry or frightened.

ELIMINATED
- if a rider has three refusals on a showjumping or cross-country course they will be eliminated or disqualified.

FARRIER
- once known as the blacksmith, the farrier is the person who puts metal shoes on your horse. Horses need to be shod at least every six weeks.

FILLY
- a young female horse.

FLANK
- a very sensitive area of the horse located on their side, just in front of the hind leg.

FLAXEN
- some chestnut horses have a flaxen mane and tail, meaning they are pale blonde in colour.

FOAL
- a baby horse.

GALLOP
- the fastest of the horse's four paces. When a horse gallops it lifts all four feet off the ground at once.

GELDING
- a male horse that has been gelded is like a cat that has been neutered.

GIRTH
- the thick piece of leather that goes around the horses belly to hold the saddle in place.

GREY
- a grey horse has both white and black hairs throughout its coat. There are different kinds of grey: a dapplegrey has circular blooms of grey, especially on the rump; a fleabitten grey has tufts of dark hair, a bit like freckles.

HALTER
- the halter is worn around the horses head and allows the rider to control the horse while they are on the ground tying up the horse for grooming, feeding etc.

HANDS HIGH
- the height of a horse or pony is measured in hands. One hand equals four inches. Measurement is made from the ground next to the hoof up to the wither. A pony is any animal that measures up to 14.2 hands high. A horse is any animal larger than 14.2.

HOCK
- the area halfway up the back of a horses hind leg, where a point (hock) sticks out.

IMPULSION
- the push or energy a horse uses to move forward powerfully. This is a term that dressage riders often use.

IN FOAL
- when a mare is in foal it means she is pregnant and is going to have a baby.

JODHPURS
- stretchy, snug-fitting trousers worn by horse riders. Also known as jods, they should be cream or white for competitions.

JUMPING
- horses love to jump! However there are some reasons why they might stop jumping or refuse, including being overfaced with fences that are too big and loss of nerve on the riders part.

KIT
- your grooming kit should include: a dandy brush, a body brush, a hoof pick, a curry comb, a sweat scraper, a mane comb and a sponge.

LAME
- lameness means that a horse is sore in one or more of its legs. Some causes of lameness are stone bruises, a pricked foot from a misplaced nail during shoeing and laminitis (fever in the feet).

LEAD ROPE
- this attaches to the halter and is used to lead and tie up the horse or pony.

LIVER CHESTNUT
- a liver chestnut describes a particular colour of chesnut horse that is darker and more chocolate-toned than a regular chestnut horse or pony.

LOOSE BOX
- a large indoor space big enough for a pony or horse to move around and lie down, with a floor lined with straw, shavings, sawdust or some other nonedible, comfortable bedding material.

MANE
- the long hair that runs along a horses neck. The mane needs to be brushed and combed regularly and can be pulled or plaited.

MARE
- a female horse.

MOUNT
- another word for your horse. Getting on the horse is referred to as mounting and you can use a mounting block to climb on to your horse.

NEAR
- the left-hand side of a horse.

NOSEBAND
- there are different kinds of noseband including a cavesson and a flash. Nosebands attach to the bridle and are artificial aids used to control the horse.

NOVICE
- a new, less-experienced rider.

NUMNAH
- a pad, shaped like a saddle, that is worn underneath the saddle to protect and cushion the horses back and to stop the saddle getting sweaty.

OXER
- a strong fence consisting of railings. Oxers can be jumped on the cross-country course or in showjumping.

PACES
- horses and ponies have four paces: walk, trot, canter and gallop.

PADDOCK
- also known as a field, this is an outdoor space where the horse is free to roam and graze on grass.

PIEBALD
- a black and white coloured horse with large, irregular patches, a bit like a magpie.

POLL
- a very sensitive area between the horses ears on the top of their head.

PLAITS
- when a horse or pony goes to a show or event they will often wear their manes and tails plaited.

QUARTER HORSE
- the Quarter Horse is a special breed, often favoured by riders in Western films, known for its intelligence and strength. Quarter Horses are often cowboy colours such as Palomino, Dun and Piebald (also known as Tobiano).

REINS
- these attach to the bit and are held in the riders hands to control the horse.

REFUSAL
- when a horse stops and will not jump it is called a refusal.

RUG
- horses who live outside in paddocks or fields will require a paddock rug or cover to keep them warm and dry, especially in winter.

SADDLE
- usually made out of leather, the saddle fits on to the horses back and makes it more secure and comfortable for the rider. You can get different types of saddles to suit different activities, like jumping, dressage and cross-country.

SKEWBALD
- a coloured horse with irregular patches of white and any other colour except plain black.

STABLE
- an indoor space where horses and ponies are kept warm and dry. In New Zealand horses are seldom stabled and tend to live out at pasture, but stables are still used sometimes especially on very cold or wet nights.

STALLION
- a male horse that has not been gelded. Stallions are considered to be more difficult to manage than mares and geldings.

STIRRUP IRON
- the metal stirrup or stirrup iron, attached to the saddle, is where the rider puts their foot while riding. It should be big enough for the rider to allow half an inch on each side of their foot.

TACK
- this is a horsey term for saddlery: all the bits and pieces you need to ride, like bridles, saddles etc. When you get a horse ready to ride you are tacking up.

TOBIANO
- similar to piebald and skewbald, a term particularly used for American breeds such as the Quarter Horse.

TROT
- there are two ways of riding the trot. You can do a sitting trot where you stay in the saddle, or you can do a rising trot where you allow the horses stride to lift you up and down out of the saddle (this is also known as posting).

UNSADDLE
- taking the horses tack off, including the saddle and bridle.

VET
- the vet should be called in to treat a horse that is unwell or injured.

VICES
- bad habits such as bucking, rearing, kicking and biting.

WALK
- the slowest of all the horses paces.

WITHER
- the wither is at the base of the neck, where the saddle sits. It is the point on the horses body where their height is measured.

WHITE
- there is actually no such thing as a white horse; they are known as greys.

EXERCISE
- horses need to be exercised regularly with lots of trotting and canter work to get them fit if they are competing.

YEARLING
- a horse or pony which can be either a boy or girl, under one year of age. Yearlings are too young to be ridden.

ZEBRA
- zebras are related to horses. Like horses, zebras can walk, trot, canter and gallop, but they cannot be trained or ridden.

1. Mystic and the Midnight Ride

2. Blaze and the Dark Rider

3. Destiny and the Wild Horses

4. Stardust and the Daredevil Ponies

5. Comet and the Champion's Cup

Coming soon…

6. Storm and the Silver Bridle