feather. Feathering or feather is the long hair on the lower legs of some breeds of horse and pony. On some horses, especially draft breeds, the hair can almost cover the hooves. What is the hair on the fetlock called? The word fetlock literally means “foot-lock” and refers to the Read more…
Most often, the place where you ride a horse is called an “arena” or a “ring.” These facilities can be indoors or outdoors, depending on your location and the type of activity you’re doing. What is a horse enclosure called? A paddock is a small enclosure for horses. What do Read more…
The distance between each drum varies by venue size, but the standard course, as defined by the WPRA, requires 90 feet between the first barrel and the second; 105 feet between the second and the third, as well as the third and the first; and 60 feet between the start Read more…
Withers. Withers: the highest point of the thoracic vertebrae, the point just above the tops of the shoulder blades, seen best with horse standing square and head slightly lowered; the height of the horse is measured at the withers. What are horse shoulders called? The withersThe withers is the ridge Read more…
The barrel is the area behind the girth area to the flank. Beneath is the ribcage that surrounds the horse’s vital organs. On the mare in the photo, the barrel is distended from repeatedly carrying foals. What are the 15 main parts of a horse? 1. Name the 15 main Read more…
The tail of the horse and other equines consists of two parts, the dock and the skirt. The dock consists of the muscles and skin covering the coccygeal vertebrae. The term “skirt” refers to the long hairs that fall below the dock. How do they dock a horse’s tail? There Read more…
The forelock or foretop is a part of a horse’s mane, that grows from the animal’s poll and falls forward between the ears and onto the forehead. What is the lock of hair on the forehead of a horse? The part of a horse’s mane that falls across the front Read more…
A lead, lead line, lead rope (US) or head collar rope (UK), is used to lead an animal such as a horse. Usually, it is attached to a halter. The lead may be integral to the halter or, more often, separate. When separate, it is attached to the halter with Read more…
Witches knots (also known as fairy knots) are those awful twisted knots that happen in a horse’s mane. I have two horses that get them something awful. What causes a fairy knots in horses manes? Sometimes the wind, rain or mud can cause them. Rolling and shaking with wet hair Read more…
Select hay with a low level of soluble carbohydrates for the IR horse. Small grain hays such as oat and ryegrass have much greater sugar content than other grass hays like timothy and orchard grass. What feed is best for laminitic horses? For a laminitic prone horse/pony, low sugar roughage Read more…