TERMINOLOGY USED IN EQUINE PRODUCTION

TERMINOLOGY USED IN EQUINE PRODUCTION

Species - Equine

Group of Animals - Pack

Adult male - Stallion

Young male - Colt

Young female - Filly

New born - Foal

Castrated male - Gelding

Castrated female - Spayed

Female with its offspring - Foal at foot

Act of parturition - Foaling

Act of mating - Covering

Throughbred horse - Horses whose immediate ancestors are used with stallion and mares record. Mainly used for racing and crossbreeding programmes. They are registered with Jockey club.

Pure bred Horse - Entered in stud book maintained by a breed society

Halt – bred Horse - Race horse with no pedigree

Light horses – Used mainly for riding, driving, and racing. They measure 14.2 – 17 hands at withers, weigh about 408 – 635 kg.

Ponies - Measures under 14.2 hands. Weighed 136 – 400 kg. Mainly used for riding and driving.

Donkey - Common name for the ass

Ass - Smaller than horse, longer ears, gestation period is one month longer than that of horses hort and erect mane.

Jack - Male ass is called jack. Jack is crossed with a mare and the resulting offspring is called mule. (Mules are usually sterile)

Jennet - Female ass is called Jennet. When a stallion iscrossed with a jennet, a resulting offspring is called hinny. Hinnyis smaller in size than mule.

Brood mare - Female horse used for breeding

Broken horse - Well trained horse

Cob - Short legged stocky horse

Aged horse - Morethan 8 years

Yearlings - 1– 2 years of age

Whaler - Australians addle horse.

Bishoping - The practice of artificially altering the teeth of older horses in an attempt to make them to sell as young horses.

Blaze - A broad white marking covering almost all of the forehead

but not including the eyes or nostrils

Blemishes - Those abnormalities that do not affect the service ability of the horse, including shoe boils and capped hocks.

Bloodhorse - A pedigree horse

Bloodspavin - Varicose vein enlargement which appears on the inside of the hock.

Bolting - Habit of horses of eating too fast

Broodmare - Mare kept for breeding or reproductive purpose.

Colic - Severe ingestion which causes abdominal discomfort and pain

Colt -  Young stallion under three years ofage.

Dental star - Marking on the incisor teeth of horses, used in judging their age. It first appears on the lower central and intermediate incisors when the horse is about 8 years of age.

Doping - The administering of a drug to a horse to increase or decrease his speedin a race. Race course officials runsaliva test, and urine test to detect whether any horses have been doped.Usually such test are conducted on the winners of every racehorse.

Gymkhana - A program of games on horseback

Laminitis / Founder - Inflammation of sensitive laminae under the horny wall of the hoot.

Quarter crack - Avertical split in the horny wall of the inside   hoof,which extends from the coronet.

Quittor - Adeep  seated running sore which occurs on the coronet bar or hoof head.

Run / gallop -  Fast, four beat gait of horse

Stud - Male horse kept for breeding.

Stud book - The permanent book for breeding records.

Whinny - The horse’s sound that denotes happiness