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Dictionary-
P
Dictionary Main
Word rarity: 
= commonly used  =
occasionally used 
= obsolete
Words with two dots are between categories.
Total words in this section: 55
| PACE |
| A lateral
gait in which the two right legs move forward together, then
the two left legs. Some gaited breeds of horses natually pace
(Icelandic horses and Standardbreds). Camels and Giraffes
also have a pace-like gait. |
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| PACER |
| Refers
to a horse that paces. |
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| PACK HORSE |
| A horse
that is used to carry a load or burden in a pack as opposed
to being a riding horse. |
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| PADDOCK |
| An enclosed
(fenced), usually small, area of land that horses are kept
in. |
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| PAD |
| Also called
a Saddle Pad. Made of wool, felt, cloth, or various other
materials. It is put underneath the saddle to cushion and
protect the horse's back. |
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| PAINT |
| A breed
of horse, similar to the Quarter Horse, but often having pinto
coloration. Many Quarter Horses that exhibit pinto color are
registered as Paints. |
links: American
Paint Horse Association
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| PALFREY |
| A light
riding horse. |
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cours·er2 ( P ) Pronunciation Key (kôrsr, kr-)
n.
A swift horse; a charger.
| PALOMINO |
A light
yellow, tan, or golden coat color with light, flaxen, or
white mane and tail. A palomino is genetically a chestnut
horse with one cream gene. The cream gene lightens the red
hair to a golden or yellow color, but leaves black unchanged
(for example, a buckskin is a bay with one cream gene).
A palomino is not a breed
nor can it ever be, as palominos are heterozygous and do
not breed true. Some registries will register palomino colored
horses of various breeds. Palominos occur in all breeds
in which the cream gene occurs.
Palomino crossed with palomino
will yeild 50% palomino, 25% chestnut, and 25% cremello.
The best way to get a palomino is by breeding a cremello
to a chestnut, as this yeilds 100% palomino.
Some horses may be palomino-colored
but are not true palominos. For example, while some Arabians
may look golden with a flaxe mane and tail, they are not
true palominos as the Arabian breed does not carry cream
genes.
Likewise, some horses may
be true palominos but may not be the traditional golden
color. Palomino shades vary and can be chocolate colored
with flaxen mane (chocolate palomino), can be nearly white,
or can even have a 'gray' mane and tail (caused by a mixture
of flaxen and darker sooty colored hairs).
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| PANEL |
| Part of
the English saddle. |
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| PARENTS |
| The father
of a horse is called a "sire", the mother a "dam". |
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| PARASITE |
| A parasite
is an organism that feeds off of another. In horses, external
parasites include ticks, mites, and lice (all of which are
are fairly rare on domestic horses); internal parasites include
various worms, which are often digested when the horse grazes
off the ground, and can be prevented or removed by regular
deworming. |
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| PARROT MOUTH |
| When a
horse's lower jaw is shorter than the upper jaw, it is said
to have a parrot mouth. This is undesirable and in some cases
may make it difficult for a horse to chew. |
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| PASO FINO |
| The Paso
Fino is a breed of horse that originated in Spain and is known
for its smooth gait. |
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| PASSAGE |
| A High
School movement. It is a collected, rythmic trot in which
the horse shows elastic movement and accentuated flexion in
the knees and hocks. |
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| PASTERN |
| The area
of a horse's leg below the fetlock joint but above the hoof. |
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| PASTERN JOINT |
| Another
term for the Fetlock joint. See FETLOCK. |
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| PASTURE ORNAMENT |
| Refers
to a horse that is not ridden, shown, or used and just sits
around. |
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| PEDIGREE |
| A form
showing the ancestry of a horse. Often includes the ancestor's
names, registration numbers, dates foaled, color, and sometimes
earnings or show records. |
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| PEGASUS |
In Greek Mythology, Pegasus was a
winged horse that could fly. He was created from the body
of Medusa (a beautiful mortal daughter of a sea god). As
a colt, Pegasus flew to Mount Helicon, struck his hoof on
the ground and created a water fountain. Later in his life,
he was captured by Bellerophon who caughter im with a golden
bridle. Bellerophon died when Pegasus dumped him in the
sky, and Pegasus flew into space where he became the constellation
named after him. |
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| PELHAM |
| A type
of English bit that combines a snaffle and a curb into one
mouthpiece. It can be used with two reins (one for the snaffle
and one for the curb) or can be used with one rein. |
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| PERLINO |
| A bay horse
having two cream genes is a Perlino. Also called a 'double-dilute'
(as are cremellos, because both have two dilute genes). Perlinos
are generally a light cream color with tan, pink, or coffee-colored
legs, mane, and tail. The cream gene in two doses dilutes
the black pigment of a bay to a coffee color, and the red
gene to a cream or nearly white color. The eyes are blue and
the skin is an off-pink color (not black, but not completely
lacking pigment either). |
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| PHALANX |
| The phalanxes
are the last 3 bones on the horse's leg. The first phalanx
is also called the long pastern, it runs from the fetlock
joint and joins to the second phalanx (short pastern) which
joins to the third phalanx (coffin or pedal bone), which is
the last bone in the horse's leg. |
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| PIAFFE |
| A high
school dressage movement in which the horse does a collected,
supple trot in place. |
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| PIDGEON TOED |
| A conformational
fault in which the front hooves of a horse point inward toward
each other. |
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| PIEBALD |
| An obsolete
term for a black-and-white colored pinto. Probably used before
the 4 different types of pinto genes were distinguished. The
terms tobiano, frame overo, sabino, and splashed white (which
are the four pinto genes) are used instead. |
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| PIED |
| A pinto
of any type (basically, the term means a horse that has white
patches). |
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| PIG-EYED |
| A horse
with small, squinty eyes set back on the head. Not desirable. |
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| PINNED EARS |
| When a
horse lays its ears flat back, they are said to be 'pinned'.
A display of anger. |
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| PINTO |
Any
of the 4 genes that cause white patches on a horse (sabino,
frame overo, tobiano, splashed white). Also, a horse that
has such white patches, regardless of breed. Breeds that
have pinto genes include Paints, Miniature Horses, Thoroughbreds
(rarely), Tenneesee Walking Horses, Arabians (rarely sabino),
Icelandic Horses, Clydesdales, even Quarter Horses (where
it is not allowed, but minimal pintos with little coloring
still occur) and many other breeds.
Also, a breed of horse known
for its pinto coloring (capitalized, Pinto). |
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| PIN WORMS |
| Internal
parasites that can infect horse's intestines, colon, and rectum. |
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| PIROUETTE |
| A dressage
movement where the horse spins in a small circle (moving its
front feet around its body) with one leg hind acting as a
pivot. A similar movement is done in reining, only it is called
'spinning'. |
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| PITCHEL |
| A tool
used by blacksmiths to poke nail holes in a hot handmade shoe.
Not used by most farriers, as shoes are usually ordered already
made. |
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| PLATE |
| Also called
a Racing Plate. A light shoe used on racehorses or speed horses,
usually made out of aluminum. |
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| PLAYER RATINGS |
| Polo term.
Each year, Polo players are rate each other on a scale of
-2 to 10 (best). The rating is based on a player's riding
ability, ability to hit the ball, and be an effective team
player. |
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| POINTING |
| A horse
with a lame front foot may rest the foot forward and/or in
the air. This is called pointing. |
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| POINTS (COLOR) |
| The points
often refer to a horse's mane, tail, and lower legs. For example,
a bay is described as a red body with black points. Some colors
will have different points, what I call "Soft Points",
where the soft parts of the body are colored lighter. For
example, a seal brown will have a black or dark brown body
with lighter soft points (girth, between thighs, flank, behind
eyes/ears, soft parts of muzzle, etc.). |
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| POINTS (SHOWING) |
| Many associations,
clubs, etc. will award a horse "points" for placing
in events or winning money. First place may recieve X points,
second place Y points, etc. Some places will award points
based on the number of dollars won (a point per dollar). Horse's
or rider's points are kept track of, and at the end of the
year, event, or other specified time, awards will be given
based on points earned. |
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| POLE BENDING |
| A competition
in which 6 equally spaced poles are set up, one end in the
air and the other on the ground (in a rubber or plastic holder).
The horse and rider must run to the end, turn around the end
pole and weave through toward the finish, then turn a full
turn around the last pole and weave back away, turn the last
pole again and run toward the finish. The fastest time wins,
and penalties or disqualifications are given if a pole is
knocked over. |
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| POLING |
| An abusive
practice used to train a horse to jump high over an obstacle
to prevent the horse from knocking or touching the jump. The
underpart of the horse may be stuck or hit with a pole, a
barbed-wire wrapped pole, or an electric wire. Also called
rapping. |
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| POLL |
| The top
of a horse's skull, which is a small bump between the horse's
ears. |
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| POLL EVIL |
| An inflammation
of the horse's poll, usually caused by bumping its head. |
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| POLO PONY |
A fast,
tough horse used for playing polo. Not exactly a set breed,
but rather a type of horse. Most Polo Ponies are a Thoroughbred
crossed with Quarter Horse. They may even have Arabian in
them. In Argentina, Polo Ponies are often part Criollo.
They stand around 15 hands, although in the past there were
height restrictions set in 1876 in England limiting them
to 14 hands, then to 14.2 in 1896, and in 1919 the restrictions
were abolished.
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| POMMEL |
| Also called
the fork or swell. The pommel is the rounded part on the front
of a Western saddle on which the horn sits. |
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| PONY |
| Most ponies
are 14.2 hands or under. However, because a horse is 14.2
or smaller does not necessarily mean it is a pony. For example,
the Icelandic Horse, a breed of horse, is often pony-sized
but is not a pony. Any breed of horse, regardless of size,
will still be a horse. A breed of pony, even if over 14.2,
would still be a pony. |
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| PORT |
| The raised
middle area of a curb-type bit. A small port relieves tongue
pressure, but higher ports can make a bit more severe. |
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| POST |
| The starting
time of a race. |
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| POSTING |
| Moving
up and down to the rythm of a horse's trot, as opposed to
a sitting trot. This keeps the rider form being shaken up
and also helps relieve pressure from the horse's back. Although
often considered English, many Western riders post too. Also
called a rising trot. |
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| PRIMITIVE MARKINGS |
| Sometimes
dun factors are called primitive markings because they are
thought to be closer to the color of primitive horses. See
DUN FACTORS. |
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| PROPHET'S THUMBPRINT |
| A dent
in the horse's body, often occuring on the neck or chest.
It is said that Mohammed once tested his Arabian horses by
depriving them of water for several days. He then let them
all free near a watering hole, and they rushed to drink. Before
they reached the water, he sounded his trumpet to call them,
and only 5 mares returned. These 5 loyal mares were cherished
and kept for breeding, the only ones fit to pass on their
bloodlines. It is said that he pressed his thumb into their
necks, marking them. Horses with thumbprints are thought to
be good horses. |
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| PROUD CUT |
| A horse
that has been improperly gelded so that one or a part of one
testicle remains is called "proud cut". A proud
cut horse can still produce testosterone and act like a stallion,
including mounting mares. He may even be able to impregnate
them if a testicle is left. |
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| PROUD FLESH |
| Granulation
tissue that forms over the site of a wound and prevents the
skin from growing back. It tends to form on the lower legs,
as these areas have tighter skin, which makes it easier for
proud flesh to occur. Proud flesh is usually a bumpy, pink
tissue that raises above the surrounding skin and often oozes.
It has many blood vessels so may easily bleed, but it lacks
nerves so it is not very painful. It can be controlled in
some cases by wrapping the area tightly or applying ointments
that will shrink the flesh. Bad cases may require veterinary
removal of the flesh. |
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| PULL |
| The mane
and tail are sometimes pulled to thin them out. |
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| PULLING COMB |
| A comb
used to pull the mane and tail. |
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| PULLING LEATHER |
| Cowboy
term. To pull leather is to grab the saddle horn to keep from
getting thrown when a horse is bucking and rearing. |
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| PUREBRED |
| A horse
whose sire and dam are both of the same breed and are registered. |
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| PURSE |
| The prize
money given to the winners in a race, that the owners of the
horses do not contribute to. |
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