Glossary
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This page contains a list of commonly used terms relating to equine passports and
their definitions. |
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A
Aged
A horse of 15 years of age or older. Prior to this age, experienced horsemen can
estimate the age of a horse by examining the teeth.
Akhal-Teke
Ancient breed of horse originating in the Turkmenistan area, north of Iran and east
of the Caspian Sea.
Albino
Term used to indicate lack of pigment. True albino horses have pink skin, white
hair coat and pink eyes.
Andalusian
Elegant breed of horse originating in the Iberian peninsula, also known as the Pure
Bred Spanish Horse.
Anglo
Type of horse resulting in a cross between a Thoroughbred and any other breed of horse or pony eg. Anglo Arab.
Appaloosa
Type of horse exhibiting one of a number of distinct coat patterns of spots
on the body. Originating in the USA in the vicinity of the Palouse river populated by the Nez Perce Native Americans. Coat patterns include leopard spot, blanket, snowflake, frost.
Arabian
Ancient and graceful breed of horse, originating in the deserts of the Middle East
and having a strong influence on many other breeds, including the Thoroughbred.
Azteca Horse
Relatively new breed of horse, developed in Mexico by crossing Andalusians, Criollos
and Quarter Horses.
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B
Back-breeding
The practice of breeding back to a certain stallion to preserve a particular desirable
trait.
Bay
Coat color - deep reddish brown with black mane and tail. (See also Dark
Bay and Light Bay)
Blood Horse
A Thoroughbred horse.
Bloodstock
Thoroughbred horses bred for racing.
Breed
A classification of horses and ponies into equines which breed true to a type or
that are bred selectively for consistent characteristics over a long period of time.
Breed Society
An organisation that maintains a studbook register containing breeding and identification
information usually specific to breed of equine but can also contain information
on part-bred horses.
Brood Mare
A mare used for breeding purposes.
Buckskin
Coat color - body can range from creme to dark bronze, mane, tail, legs and tips
of ears are black or dark brown. Horses showing similar colouration, but with a
dorsal stripe, are called dun.
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C
Carriage Horse
An relatively light and elegant horse used for carriage driving.
Chestnut
i) The small rubbery protrusion on the inside of all four legs.
ii) Reddish-brown coat color (sometimes referred to as Sorrel). (See also
Dark Chestnut).
Cleveland Bay
Breed of horse. Originating in England as a carriage horse. Increasingly popular
for crossing with Thoroughbreds to produce versatile sport horses used in a number
of equine sports.
Clydesdale
Breed of heavy horse originating in Scotland and used for heavy draft work.
Coach Horse
A powerfully built horse, capable of drawing a heavy coach.
Cob
A type of horse, rather than a breed, a cob is a horse of stocky appearance, well-adapted
to carrying heavyweight riders in all circumstances.
Coldblood
The name used to describe the heavy European breeds of horse descended from the
prehistoric Forest Horse.
Colt
Uncastrated male horse up to four years of age. Male foals are called "colt foals".
Competition Discipline
An organisation that provides performance data to NED, e.g. British Eventing. See
also Performance discipline.
Connemara
Breed of horse native to Ireland renowned for their hardiness, agility, versatility,
intelligence and a natural jumping ability.
Crossbreeding
The mating of horses of different breeds or types.
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D
Dales Pony
One of the nine breeds of horse or pony native to the British Isles. Originating
from the Pennines, from Derbyshire to the Scottish border.
Dark Chestnut
Dark brown coat color. (See also Chestnut).
Dartmoor Pony
One of the nine breeds of horse or pony native to the British Isles. Originating
in the Dartmoor region of southwest England.
Dam
A horse's female parent.
Dark Bay
Coat color - dark brown with black mane and tail. (See also Bay
and Light Bay)
Desert Horse
Term used to describe horses bred in dry, desert conditions, or horses descended
from such horses. Examples are Arabian and Akhal Teke.
Donkey Colour
Colour typical of the donkey breeds.
Draft Horse
A term applied to any horse used for hauling vehicles or loads, but most usually
associated with the heavy breeds.
Dressage
i) The art of training the horse so that he is totally obedient and responsive to
the rider, as well as supple and agile in his performance.
ii)Competetive sport which, by a series of set tests, seeks to judge the horse's
natural movement and level of training against an ideal.
Dun
Coat color. Yellow or sandy colored body with black points. Also has a dorsal strip.
Dutch Warmblood
Popular sport horse derived from the breeding of French, German and English horses
with native Dutch horses. Bred originally as a carriage horse, but has evolved into
a versatile horse which excels at many equestrian sports, including dressage, showjumping
and eventing. See also Warmblood.
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E
Equitation
The art of horse riding.
Eventing
Equestrian competition held over one or three days and including the disciplines
of dressage, cross country and show jumping.
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F
Fell Pony
One of the nine native breeds of Britain. Originating in the fells of northern England.
Filly
Female horse under four years old. A female foal is called a "filly foal".
Fjord/Fiord
Norwegian Fjord Horse. Ancient breed of horse, retaining the characteristics of
the primitive wild horse, the Przewalski.
Foal
Colt, filly or gelding up to one year of age.
Foundation
Foundation Quarter Horses are Quarter Horses whose bloodlines have not had any Thoroughbred
blood added since 1940. Must be registered with the American Quarter Horse Association
and have less than 10%
Thoroughbred blood.
Friesian
Elegant breed of horse originating in the Netherlands. Always black in color with
wavy mane and feathering at the fetlocks.
Futurity
Incentive breeding and evaluation program to improve a breed or type of horse or
pony.
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G
Gelding
Castrated male horse.
Green
A horse that is in the early learning stage of his particular discipline is said
to be green.
Grey
Coat color ranging from pure white to dark grey. Further described by terms such
as "dappled" (small iron-grey circles on a lighter background) and "flea-bitten"
(flecks of dark grey on a white background).
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H
Hack
(i) A type rather than a breed, hacks are elegant riding horses, popular in the
show ring in England.
(ii) "to hack" i.e. to go for a ride.
Hackney
Breed of horse exhibiting a disctinctive high-stepping action. Popular as a light
harness horse.
Haflinger
Attractive breed of horse originating in Austria. Always chestnut in color, with
light colored mane and tail.
Hand
Unit of measure used to describe a horse. One hand equals 4 inches, partial measurements
being described as 14.1, 14.2, 14.3.
Hanoverian
Popular sport horse derived from the breeding of German horses with Thoroughbred
horses. Bred originally to refine the quality of cavalry and farm horses , but has
evolved into a versatile horse which excels at many equestrian sports, including
dressage, showjumping and eventing. See also Warmblood.
Heavy Horse
Any large draft horse, such as the Shire, the Clydsdale, the Belgian Draft.
Highland Pony
One of the nine native breeds of Great Britain. Sturdy pony originating in the highlands
of Scotland.
Horsemanship
The art of equitation or riding.
Hotblood
Term describing horses of Arabian or Thoroughbred blood.
Hunter
In England, a type of horse, rather than a breed, suitable for being ridden to hounds.
In the US, a well mannered, smooth gaited jumping horse shown in Hunter Under Saddle
and Hunter Over Fences classes.
Hybrid
A cross between a horse and one of the other equids, such as an ass or a zebra.
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I
Icelandic Horse
Ancient breed of horse originating in Iceland. Known as versatile riding horses,
exhibiting a unique gait, the tolt, or running walk.
ID Only
An organisation that issues passports for any breed of equine, e.g. Pet ID UK Ltd.
The breed information contained in an ID only passport is not verified and is not
shown on NED.
Inbreeding
The mating of brother/sister, sire/daughter, son/dam, to fix or accentuate a particular
trait or character.
Irish Draught Horse
Breed of draught/draft horse originating in Ireland. Popular for crossing with lighter
breeds to produce the Irish Sport Horse.
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J
Jack
Male donkey.
Jennet/Jenny
Female donkey.
Jumper
Type of horse suited to jumping and which competes in jumping classes
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K
Knackers
Slang word for slaughterhouse, abbatoir. Someone who buys horses at auction for
purposes of taking to slaughter.
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L
Light Bay
Coat color - light brown with black or dark brown mane and tail. (See also
Dark Bay and Bay)
Light Horse
Horse, other than a heavy horse or pony, which is suitable for riding or carriage
work.
Line-breeding
The mating of horses having a common ancestor some generations removed, to accentuate
particular traits or characteristics.
Lippizan/Lippizaner
Elegant breed of horse from Europe. Most famous for their performances in the Spanish
Riding School in Austria.
Lusitano
An elegant breed of horse native to Portugal .
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M
Mare
Female horse aged four and over.
Morab Horse
Breed of horse derived from crossing Morgan horses with Arabians.
Morgan Horse
Gentle and elegant breed of horse developed in the 1780's. The founding stallion
was a bay colt named Figure, owned by Justin Morgan, from whom the breed gets its
name.
Mountain and Moorland
Name given collectively to the native breeds of Britain. See also native
ponies.
Mule
Offspring of a male donkey and a female horse.
Mustang
Wild horse of the American West.
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N
Native Ponies
Another name for the Mountain and Moorland breeds of the UK - i.e. New Forest, Exmoor,
Dartmoor, Highland, Fell, Dale, Shetland, Connemara and Welsh.
NEDLink
A NEDLink is a code used by the NEDOnline site to allow users to link directly to a specific
horse's passport record in NED without any searching taking place. Each NEDLink is unique
and refers to only one horse in NED.
New Forest Pony
One of the native breeds of Great Britain, originating in the New Forest area of
Hampshire.
Norwegian Fjord Horse
Ancient breed of horse originating in Norway. See also Fjord Horse.
NPI
NED Performance Index - a performance score given to an equine based on its results
in a given discipline. Across the range of equine disciplines there are a number
ways in which horses can be ranked - e.g. amount of prize money won or number of
points scored. NPI values in NED are calculated in a way that allows an interested
party to quickly compare the success of an equine for any discipline in which it
has participated.
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O
Overo
Coat pattern seen in Paint Horses. Uneven splashes of white over the horse's belly,
legs, neck and head. See also Paint Horse and Tobiano.
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P
Paint Horse
Breed of horse exhibiting pinto coloring. See also Tobiano and
Overo.
Palomino
Coat color in which the body can be varying shades of gold, with a silver or white
mane and tail.
Part-bred
Result of breeding any pure bred horse or pony with another horse or pony which
is not a pure bred of the same breed eg Welsh part bred.
Paso Fino
Breed of horse, originally from Spain, known for it's comfort and endurance.
Pedigree
Information on Ancestors, progeny and/or siblings recorded in a studbook or registry.
Percheron
Breed of draft horse, originally bred in the Normandy region of France, but popular
throughout the world.
Performance Discipline
An organisation that provides performance, evaluation or grading data to NED, e.g.
British Breeding. See also Competition discipline.
Peruvian Paso
Breed of horse originating from breeding stock brought from Spain during the Conquest
period, displaying a comfortable ambling gait. National horse of Peru.
Piebald
Term for body color of white with black patches.
PIN
Unique passport reference number used for identification of equines. This sytem
of numbering has been superceded by the UELN system.
Pinto
Term for coat color of white with patches of another color. See also piebald
and skewbald.
PIO
Passport Issuing Organisation
Pony
An equine standing 14.2 or less.
PPEG
Pedigree, Performance, Evaluation and Grading data is gathered by NED and linked
to the relevant equine. This is then made available to view in the form of a report.
Purebred
A horse with both parents being of the same breed.
Pure Bred Spanish Horse
See Andalusian
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Q
Quarter Horse
Breed of horse, originating in the United States and popular for ranch work, racing
and riding in all equestrian disciplines.
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R
Racehorse
Horse bred for racing. Can be Thoroughred, Quarter Horse, Arabian, Standardbred.
Reining
Type of Western riding in which advanced movements such as spins and slides are
executed in various patterns.
Riding Horse
Horse suitable for riding, with the conformation associated with comfortable riding
action (as opposed to draft or carriage horses)
Roan
Coat color in which white hairs are mixed with the base coat color. A strawberry
roan is where chestnut and white hairs are mixed to give an overall reddish effect.
A blue roan refers to a coat in which black and white hairs are mixed, giving an
overall blue effect.
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S
Saddlebred
Flashy breed of horse, originating in the US, known for its spectacular gaits.
Shetland Pony
Small breed of pony originating from the Shetland Isles, north of Scotland. One
of the British native breeds. Known for its hardiness.
Shire Horse
Breed of draft horse, originating in northern England. Once used as a war horse
and later as farm and draft animals.
Sire
A horse's male parent.
Skewbald
Term for body color of irregular white and color patches other than black (i.e.
brown, chestnut) Called pinto in the US.
Sorrel
See Chestnut.
Sport horse
A type of horse generally taken as having been bred to compete in eventing, show
jumping or dressage. A sport horse is a type of horse rather than a breed of horse
Stallion
Uncastrated male horse.
Standardbred
Breed of horse popular as a harness racer.
Stud
Breeding establishment - stud farm.
Studbook
A book kept by a breed society or registry in which the pedigrees of horses eligible
for registration are recorded. A studbook usually has several sections for pure
bred and part bred horses
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T
Tack
Refers to the equipment of a riding horse - saddle, bridle etc. Short for "tackle."
Thoroughbred
Breed of horse, originating in England, used as a race horse and also to add refinement
to other breeds of horse.
Tobiano
Coat pattern - commonly referred to as Piebald.
Trakehner
Breed of warmblood horse, popular in a variety of equestrian sports.
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U
UELN
Unique Equine Life Number - A unique passport reference number given to an equine
consisting of 15 digits e.g. 826051123456789
The first three digits denote the country - 826 = Great Britain
The second three digits are the PIO
code - 051 = British Equestrian Federation
The next 9 digits are a reference number unique within the organisation that issued
the passport.
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V
Vaulting
Equestrian sport involving gymnastic exercises done on the back of a moving horse.
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W
Warmblood
Generally taken to mean a type of horse, originating on the European Continent which
is a result of crossing native draught horses with thoroughbred, arabian and other
blood to produce a more refined,
but athletically strong and capable horse, such as the Swedish Warmblood, the Dutch
Warmblood etc. Most warmblood horses are
sport horses
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X
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Y
Yearling
Colt or filly between one and two years of age.
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Z
Zony
Hybrid cross between a zebra and a pony.
Zorse
Hybrid cross between a zebra and a horse.
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