Glossary of Equine Terms – T

Tack: Refers to the equipment of a riding horse – saddle, bridle etc. Short for “tackle.”

Tapeworms: Internal equine parasite.

Teaser: Substitute stallion used to test the mare’s readiness for breeding with the breeding stallion.

Tennessee Walking Horse: Breed of horse originating in the American south, bred for comfort and exhibiting characteristic gaits.

Tetanus: Serious bacterial infection caused by Clostridium tetani, which enters the body through puncture wounds. Also called lockjaw.

Thoroughbred: Breed of horse, originating in England, used as a race horse and also to add refinement to other breeds of horse.

Thrifty: Describes a horse that is easy to keep, which maintains good condition of small rations. Also called a good-doer.

Thrush: Fungal or bacterial infection of the frog, characterized by foul-smelling discharge from the cleft of the frog.

Tied in Below the Knee: Where the measurement below the knee is substantially less than that above the fetlock. Conformation fault.

Top Line: The line from the back of the withers to the end of the croup.

Top Heavy: Overdeveloped (heavy) body in relation to the substance of the legs.

Trailer” Transportation vehicle of one or more horses, which is towed behind another vehicle.

Trakehner: Breed of warmblood horse, popular in a variety of equestrian sports.

Transition: The act of changing from one pace to another. Walk to trot and trot to canter are known as “upward transitions”. Canter to trot and trot to walk are known as “downward transitions”.

Trot: Moderate-speed gait in which the horse moves from one diagonal pair of legs to the other, with a period of suspension in between.

Turnout: (i) The practice of turning horses loose in a field or pasture for all or part of the day. (ii) the standard of dress and appearance of horse and rider, or horse and carriage.

Two Track: School movements in which the hindlegs follow a separate track from that made by the forelegs.

Type: A horse that fufills a certain purpose, such as a cob, a hack or a hunter, but is not necessarily of any particular breed.

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