Glossary

Disclaimer!

I'm attempting to put the definitions to these frequently used terms in my own words in an attempt to make them more understandable rather than technical. I welcome suggestions on alternative wording, other words you'd like to see defined, and please tell me if I've made any stupid mistakes! If you find this page useful, please let me know! I can be emailed at: [email protected]

The photos I've annotated may also help clarify the meanings of some terms, and can be found at this link:

I'm also defining phrases here; for the sake of preserving some type of order, I'm going to hyphenate the phrase, and alphabetize by the first letter (for example, above-the-bit will be found under 'A')

above-the-bit:

the horse's nose is in front of a vertical line draw through his forehead; typically he carries his head high and hollows his back

aid:

a cue to the horse; natural aids are your leg, seat/weight, and reins. Artificial aids include the spur and the riding crop (or whip)

anatomy:

behind-the-bit:

the horse's nose is behind a vertical line drawn through his forehead; often his poll is no longer the highest part of his body. Frequently, this is used as a way to evade the action of the bit

behind-the-vertical:

when the rider is leaning too far back from the ideal alignment where her ear, shoulder, hip, and ankle are all on the same vertical line (when viewed from the side)

behind-your-leg:

when a horse is not quickly responsive to a leg aid; sometimes this feels like there literally is more horse behind your leg than in front of it

bend:

the direction a horse's body is curved. A simple flexing of the neck to the right (so you can see the corner of his inside eye, but not the whole thing) is sometimes called a bend to the right (though pulling the horse's entire head to the right is NOT a proper bend); more correctly, the horse should feel like he is bent around your inside leg. As the level of the horse's training increases, the degree of bend required in the movements becomes greater. A purist would point out that, behind the withers, the spine hardly flexes sideways at all, and what you feel as a bend around your leg is caused actually by the displacement of the rib-cage.

canter:

a three-beat gate, also called a lope

change-rein:

in an arena, switching from going left around the arena to going to the right (or vice-versa). It is important to plan how to do this, and ride it carefully

collection:

when a horse travels at a slower speed, not because he moves at a slower tempo or has less energy, but because he strides are shorter. More weight is moved to the hindquarters, which appear lowered compared to the withers, because the hind legs are more engaged. Typically, the head is carried higher, the neck is compressed, but the horse remains on the bit and the back rounds up underneath you. Smaller circles, tighter bends, most lateral work and upper-level movements all require some degree of collection. Passage, for example, is a very collect trot.

conditioned-response:

training in a response to a particular cue you give the horse, which over-rides what he'd normally do. For example, yielding to pressure is a conditioned response. Teaching your horse to turn and face what his scaring him (instead of bolting away) is a conditioned-response is a particularly useful one to teach a nervous horse.

contact:

refers to how the horse feels through your reins; typically a correct amount of contacts enable you to feel a small amount of the pressure on the reins, without feeling like the horse is leaning on your hands; the horse can also be on loose contact (long rein)

counter-canter:

being on the left lead when the horse is traveling to the right (and vice-versa); a useful intermediate exercise which helps prepare a horse to learn a flying change

cross-canter:

cantering on one lead with the front feet the other with the back feet (so the diagonal hind leg provides the motivating power); often a sign of lameness in a horse

cross-tie:

ropes (or chains) which fasten to either side of a horse's halter. NEVER attach the cross-ties to the bit! If your horse doesn't yield consistently to pressure on his poll, it is probably not safe to cross-tie him, even if he normally stands quietly, when it matters, he needs to have the conditioned-response to yield to pressure even when he becomes scared.

diagonal:

'correct diagonal':

the rider is in the upward part of her post when the horse's outside (relative to his bend) leg is forward, and she is sitting when the outside leg is back. For example, on a circle to the left, the rider should be up when the right leg is forward; 'across the diagonal' means that you go across the arena, for example in a dressage arena, HXF takes you from the left rein to the right rein- the bend (and posting diagonal) should be changed just as you reach F. 'diagonal leg' means the opposite one (right front and left hind are a diagonal pair)

downhill:

refers to the build of the horse (haunch higher than withers) or sometimes to how a horse travels in the canter (more weight carried on the front end than on the hindquarters, hind leg does not reach far under the body)

figure-8:

A figure made of two tangent circles circles. Ideally, the horse is only straight for a single stride during the change of bend as you cross the center line; however it is much better to go straight (parallel to the short side of the arena) for more strides than it is to ride a diagonal line between the bends. The change in bend should be smooth; this is a wonderful exercise to supple your horse.

forward:

horse moving forward energetically (hopefully from a relatively soft leg aid) and with suppleness. It does not necessarily mean your horse moves fast, but he should feel light on his feet

flying-change:

going from one lead to another in the canter, without any strides of walk or trot in between

go-large:

ride on the rail in an arena

half-halt:

a move which helps the horse balance, often used as a signal you're about to ask him for something different . Sometimes it is used to slow the horse, but he should definitely be more balanced and on the aids. There are many ways to perform a half-halt depending on its purpose, the horse's level of training, and what is happening. A strong half-halt is literally that, about half of what it would take to halt the horse. This might take leg, seat, and hands together. A lesser half-halt might be a gentle squeeze of the reins, or an application of the leg followed immediately by the rein (leg-into-hand). Half-halts are sometimes performed with the seat alone (a tightening of the abdominal muscles).

half-pass:

a lateral movement where the horse moves forward and sideways at the same time. The horse moves forward while the feet cross each other (the shoulder slightly leading the haunch) while the horse's body remains parallel to the rail, so the effect is that the horse moves along a diagonal line. Essentially it is a haunches-in on a diagonal line. The horse is bent in the direction he is moving. In a half-pass left, he is bent left and moves sideways to the left. This can be performed at all three gaits: walk, trot and canter.

half-seat:

the two-point position, where the rider's bottom is out of the saddle, her upper body inclined slightly forward. Essentially, it is the upper part of the posting-trot (as ridden by a hunt-seat rider). It takes your weight off of the horse's back.

hand-gallop:

a very fast canter, ridden in the two-point (half-seat) position.

haunch:

the hindquarters of the horse, sometimes referred to as 'quarters'

haunches-in:

in non-lateral movement, the hind leg follows the same 'track' as the front leg. In haunches-in, the hind legs are moved to the inside (of the bend)- how far they are moved sideways is the degree of the bend. If the horse is bent to the left, the haunches are also moved to the left. The horse is bent in the direction of movement. This move is also known as traverse.

haunches-out:

in non-lateral movement, the hind leg follows the same 'track' as the front leg. In haunches-out, the hind legs are moved to the outside (of the bend)- how far they are moved sideways is the degree of the bend. If the horse is bent to the left, the haunches are moved to the right. This move is also known as renverse.

head-set:

whether your horse's head is at, behind or in front of the vertical; this also refers to the angle of the neck; generally speaking, as a horse moves to a higher level of training, he carries his head higher, while still being 'on the bit' (the neck typically appears compressed and muscular, as in highly collected work). NOTE:

the horse may be carrying his head correctly (compared to the vertical), so he has a correct head-set, but at the same time having a 'hollow' back, so he is not properly 'on the bit'

impulsion:

horse moving easily and energetically forward from your leg aids, while not rushing forward; the horse is pushing forward from his hind legs, the energy is transferred forward over his back (which must be rounded up under the rider) and to the riders hands.

in-front-of-the-vertical:

rider is leaning forward, as is proper for a hunt-seat rider, but not for a dressage rider. Leaning forward takes your weight off of your seat bones, which are an essential dressage (and Western!) aid.

in-front-of-your-leg:

horse moves easily and energetically forward from your leg aids.

lateral:

sideways; during lateral movements such as shoulder in, haunches-in, or half-pass, the horse's legs cross in front of each other as he moves. It can also mean, in the veterinary sense, on the outside of the horse (as opposed to medial, which is closer to the middle of the horse), which usually applies to anatomical structures like ligaments.

lead:

which foot is leading; the horse is on the left lead when his left front hoof is the one which goes the furthest forward during the canter. Typically, a horse is on the left lead when circling to the left (otherwise it is a counter-canter). On the left lead, particularly on a circle, the left hind provides the most power, and goes the furthest under the body.

leg:

refers to the rider's leg below her knee. Applying your leg means squeezing your calf (but not your knee or thigh, which is part of your seat!). Don't squeeze with the back of your calf (this would mean your toe is turned too far outwards); your heel should stay down, unless you need to use your spur

ligaments:

connects a bone to a different bone.

long-and-low:

A frame where the horse reaches his neck down long and low, without shifting his weight onto his forehand. His hindlegs should still reach well underneath his body. This is a great exercise to encourage a horse to round his back up underneath you, and helps build the muscles he needs. It is a particularly good thing to do when the horse has been in a more collected frame than he is used to, as it lets him relax and recover.

lope:

canter

medium:

a type of a gait, for example 'medium trot'. The basic types of gaits are: collected, working, medium and extended. The basic gait is a 'working' gait. A 'medium' gate has a longer stride, and the frame is rounder (the back is lifted up underneath the rider a bit more, and the horse carries more weight on his hindquarters than in a working gate). When transitioning between a working gait and a medium gate, the horse becomes faster not because the rhythm of his stride changes, but because he takes longer strides. The difference between a medium gate and 'lengthen stride' found in a first level dressage test is the horse's carriage is required to be better (more of his thrusting power is coming from behind, and his whole body is a bit more round and compressed than in the working gait).

on-the-bit:

horse has correct carriage of his head (his nose is just barely in front of (or at) a straight line drawn down from his forehead AND he is using his back properly (it is rounded up underneath the rider), so that he is stepping up properly with his hindquarters.

piaffe:

A highly collected trot where the horse virtually remains in place. The hindquarters are noticeably lower than the front end, and the diagonal pair of legs continue to rise in unison, but the horse virtually remains on the spot

passage:

A highly collected trot where the horse moves very slowly forward; knees are elevated

poll:

the part of the horse directly between his ears, where the first neck vertebra joins the skull. To be correctly on the bit, the horse should bend at the poll, not further down the neck. It is very important to have a supple joint there, so if your horse resists bending there, it is always a good idea to warm him up with bending exercises which relax the poll. It is also a good idea to teach the horse to respond to the pressure of your hand on his poll by bringing his head down; don't pull him down, but apply pressure until he gives just a bit, then back off. Repeat until he responds quickly to a light pressure and will bring his head down where you want it. This is particularly useful because it helps when you want to bridle the horse, de-worm him, and giving at the poll is also essential for training a horse to properly lead, trailer, and cross-tie. See also

posting-trot:

when the rider rises up off the saddle (by bringing her pelvis forward and up towards her hands), and then sits back down. This serves two purposes, as it is less tiring for the horse and is easier on its back (when done correctly!) than the sitting trot, and it also is easier on the rider's backside if the horse has a not-so-smooth gait. See diagonal.

quarters:

haunches

quarters-in:

haunches-in

quarters-out:

haunches-out

rein-back:

horse moving backwards; this should be done fluidly, without excessive use of rein or the horse's head going behind the vertical; diagonal pairs of legs move together.

renverse:

see haunches-out

reverse:

turn around and go the other direction (not a rein-back!); diagonal legs move together

rising-trot:

posting trot

shoulder-fore:

a shoulder-in with only a small degree of bend; this is useful to help learn shoulder in, and can also be used to help straighten your horse; a good bending and suppuling exercise; see shoulder-in

seat:

everything between your waist and your knees, the most fundamental part of your position. 'independent seat' means that whatever is happening with the horse doesn't affect the rest of your body (your hands, upper body, lower leg, etc.), this is (or should be) the most fundamental goal of a beginning dressage rider- your seat responds to the motion of the horse's back without disturbing the rest of your position. Because of their forward position, most hunter riders don't use their seat as an aid very much, which is why dressage is really more similar to Western riding than hunt-seat.

seat-bones:

part of your pelvis. To find them, sit on your hands- the points you feel are you seat bones. You should feel these bones evenly in contact with the saddle when you ride- not more on the left than the right or tipped forward and back (which changes the alignment of your pelvis). You might want to try intentionally rocking forward and back on them until you find the neutral position. When your seatbones are properly in contact with the saddle, they are powerful aids you can use to influence your horse. Putting your right leg back should (and does) bring your right seat bone back as well.

self-carriage:

this is when your horse is not balancing on the reins at all, and when he moves forward freely and correctly of his own accord in response to your aids. The dressage tests now test for this during certain movements by having the rider bring one or both hands forward for a couple of strides, during which the horse's carriage should not change at all. He should maintain the same bend, head carriage, tempo and impulsion. If you have pulled your horse into frame (using reins instead of activating his hindquarters), there will be a noticeable, immediate change. It is a useful test, for instance, during shoulder-in, to move your inside hand forward for a stride, so you can make sure your not pulling him into it.

serpentine:

An S-shaped figure, made of a particular number of loops (typically half-circles), for example, a 3-loop serpentine (full width of the arena) is made of 3 20-meter half-circles. Ideally, the horse is only straight for a single stride during the change of bend as you cross the center line; however it is much better to go straight (parallel to the short side of the arena) for more strides than it is to ride a diagonal line between the bends. The change in bend should be smooth; this is a wonderful exercise to supple your horse.

shoulder-in:

in non-lateral movement, the hind leg follows the same 'track' as the front leg. In shoulder-in, the front legs are moved to the inside (of the bend)- how far they are moved sideways is the degree of the bend. If the horse is bent to the left, the shoulders are also moved to the left; the shoulders should be displaced at least far enough for the left hind to be traveling in the same track as the right front. For a greater degree of bend, all four feet are on different tracks, but the movement should be more forward not sideways. The horse is bent away from the direction of movement. Shoulder-fore is similar, but with not as great a degree of bend.

shoulder-out:

the same as shoulder in, except the shoulders are displaced to the outside of the arena instead of the inside.

square-halt:

The horse's four feet are placed a the corners of a rectangle, directly underneath his body in a balanced position.

tendon:

connects a muscle to a bone

through-the-back:

the horse's energy is traveling smoothly from where it is produced in the hindquarters, to where the rider controls it in front. The back must be soft, supple and rounded upwards under the rider. The rider must ride 'back to front' creating the energy in the haunches, and controlling it through the reins without pulling the horse into frame. When the horse is truly through-the-back, it is easy for him to step up underneath his body, either forwards or sideways.

track-right/left:

going around an arena with your right/left side away from the rail.

tracking-up:

when the horse's hind hoof steps in front of the print made by the front foot. Watching how evenly a horse's feet track up can help diagnose lameness; on a circle the outside hind should track up slightly more than the inside one; if it doesn't, your horse may be slightly off.

transition:

to go from one gait to another. An upward transition goes to a faster gait, for example, walk to trot. A downward transition goes to a slower gait, for example from canter to halt

transition-with-a-gait:

to remain in the same gait, but switch between working, collected, medium or extended versions of the gait. For example, you might decided to go from a working trot to a collected trot, and that would be a transition within the trot.

traverse:

see haunches-in

trot:

a two-beat gait, where the diagonal legs (left front and right hind, for example) move together.

turn-on-the-forehand:

the horse's front feet remain almost motionless, though they must cross a little, while the hind legs trace out a large half-circle, the inside leg crossing well in front of the outside leg. The horse is bent away from the motion (if the haunches move to the right, he is bent to the right)

turn-on-the-haunch:

the horse's hind feet remain almost motionless, though they must cross a little, while the front legs trace out a large half-circle, the outside leg crossing well in front of the inside leg. The horse is bent in the direction of the motion (if the shoulders move to the right, he is bent to the right)

two-point:

the half-seat position, where the rider's bottom is out of the saddle, her upper body inclined slightly forward. Essentially, it is the upper part of the posting-trot (as ridden by a hunt-seat rider). It takes your weight off of the horse's back.

uphill:

refers to the build of the horse (haunch lower than withers) or sometimes to how a horse travels in the canter (more weight carried on the hindquarters, hind leg coming well underneath the horse, pushing up as well as forward so that the front end lightened.

upside-down:

when the horse's back is severely hollowed so his spine is U-shaped rather than rounded up underneath you (why this is bad is discussed on my other page). Even if a horse's feet are moving in the correct pattern, the movement is not being correctly performed if the horse is upside-down.

walk:

a four beat gait, where 3 legs are on the ground at all times

withers:

the hump on a horse's back just before the neck. The horse's height is measured to the top of his withers. Prominent withers help keep saddles from moving side-to-side, but aren't very comfortable if you like to ride bareback, particularly on hills...

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