The words of the yard, the arena and the tack room — as we use them in the field notes.
The unit of height: one hand is four inches, measured from the ground to the withers. 15.2 hh reads “fifteen-two” — 15 hands and 2 inches.
The horse’s four natural gaits — the four-beat walk, two-beat trot, three-beat canter, and the flat-out gallop.
The Icelandic’s four-beat running walk — fast, smooth, and famously spill-proof.
The front arch of the saddle. It clears the withers — or should.
The back rim of the saddle; the seat’s rear boundary.
The open channel under the saddle that keeps the rider’s weight off the spine.
The simplest family of bits — direct action, no leverage, one rein.
A leverage bit: shanks and a chin chain multiply and redirect rein pressure.
The point just behind the ears — one of the horse’s most sensitive spots.
The ridge between the shoulder blades; the fixed point height is measured to.
A broad white stripe running the length of the face.
A small white marking on the forehead.
A white leg marking ending below the knee or hock.
A sandy coat with dark points, a dorsal stripe, and primitive markings.
The physical structure and proportions of a horse — the frame everything else depends on.
The horse working into an elastic rein contact — back lifted, hindquarters engaged, poll near the highest point.