Word of the week
In our “Gallop into Summer Reading” program, the “Word of the Week” is a designated horse-themed vocabulary term introduced at the start of each week. This concept encourages participants to actively engage with new words by looking for them in their reading, understanding their definitions, and using them in context. It’s a structured yet fun way to expand their lexicon, reinforce reading comprehension, and deepen their connection to the world of horses, all while making vocabulary acquisition a playful part of their summer learning adventure.
Here’s our previous word of the week entries:
Agistment (agist·ment) noun – The taking in of livestock for feeding at a specified rate. It also refers to the opening of a forest to livestock for a specified period. This was a new word for me last year when I was reading participating author Christine Meunier’s book Free Rein. I came across it again yesterday in Elizabeth Alexander’s book Team Up. Both are authors from Australia. In the US we refer to the first definition as boarding.
Blue Hen – a mare who is known for producing high-quality foals, regardless of which stallion might be the sire.
Cavalcade – Pronounced: cav-al-cade /ˌkavəlˈkād/ A procession of people walking, on horseback, or riding in carriages or vehicles. The word cavalcade comes from the classical Latin word caballus, meaning a strong workhorse. The word evolved to caballicare (to ride horseback), and in Italian, the word is cavalcare. One of the oldest recurring cavalcades in the United States is held in conjunction with the Houston Livestock Rodeo and was started in 1951. Additionally, a 110-mile cavalcade is held annually on the Chishom Trail Cuero to San Antonio. Cavalcades are also popular in Hispanic cultures. In New Zealand, the annual Otago Goldfields Cavalcade is held. Each year, the Goldfields Cavalcade brings riders together to connect and learn about the history of the gold rush in the area
Cavaletti (cav·al·let·ti) – Small jumps originally made of wood, used for basic horse training. Most consist of rails that are about 4 inches (10 cm) wide and 10 feet (3.0 m) long. Cavaletti comes from Italian, meaning “Little Horse”. Cavaletti were invented by Federico Caprilli and designed to help a horse improve its balance, adjust its length of stride, and loosen and strengthen its muscles.
Cuddy – Our word of the week comes from a suggestion by participating author Cressida Burton Books. Cuddy (or cuddie) – (cud-dy) Noun. Scottish slang for a horse or donkey. Its English version refers to a small room or a compartment, especially on a boat. An area to carry something. This is interesting in that, from some Scottish references, it is related to a beast of burden, hence the horse or donkey definition. Historical references also indicate it is a form of the last name Cuthbert. For those looking for pronunciation. It’s Cud (as a cow chews it’s cud) and the Y sounds like saying the letter “e”.
Daisy Cutter is a term for a horse with long, low strides, basically no knee lift. Favored by show ring hunters here in the United States.
Dally( also spelled as Dalley) – Pronounced: da-lee. To wrap a rope around a saddle horn especially when roping a cow; when the header catches the steer, then wraps the rope around its saddle horn. The word Dally comes from the Spanish dale veulta.
Frog – the tissue found on a horse’s hoof in the shape of a triangle. It helps with traction and circulation. The word was given to this part of a horse due to its resemblance to the outline of the amphibian. A study in 2018 on horse evolution indicates that the frog is a remnant of digits II and IV. (https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.171782)
In-hand is a type of horse show competition, where the horse is led, rather than ridden, and judged on its conformation and movement.
Gaskin (gas-kin) noun – The large muscle on the hind leg of a horse between the stifle and the hock. An obsolete definition of the word, gaskins, was hose or breeches. According to Merrimack Webster, the first known use of the word was in 1573.
Hack (Hak) – This is an interesting word with many definitions. We are of course, interested in its meaning related to horses. The verb form “to hack” or “hacking” is often associated with a group of riders out for a short, relatively easy ride. This term is more often found in the eastern United States, Canada, or the United Kingdom. The western United States refers to this as trail riding. In Australia, the UK, and Canada, hack is sometimes used interchangeably with the word show. Plus, in these areas and parts of the US, equestrians can sometimes show in hack classes – an English class where they are judged in manners, quality, conformation, etc. Often these classes are divided by horse size. A “hack” can also be referred to as a horse used as a mode of transportation from the stable to the hunting fields, where the rider would dismount the hack and mount their Hunter (Ranvet.com/au/show-hack-or-show-Hunter what-is-the-difference).
Hands – Before measuring tools were available, horses were measured by the width of a man’s hand (approximately 4 inches). Measurement was done by stacking hands from the ground to the withers. Measurements are listed as 14 HH with the leftovers listed in inches. In USEF licensed competitions where height is a factor, measurements are taken with an official USEF measuring stick.
Jibbah (jib-bah)- Jibbah is the word used for the forehead of an Arabian horse. It is distinctly different from other breeds, and it adds additional sinus capacity, believed to have helped the Arabian horse in its native dry desert climate. The word comes from the Bedouin language, as does the mitbah – the throatlatch of the Arabian horse, which is the characteristically arched neck. According to Merriam Webster, a jibbah is also a long loose cloth outer garment usually with long sleeves worn especially by Muslims.
Latigo is a strap used on western saddles to connect the cinch to the rigging. They are predominantly leather,r but some are made of nylon webbing. The latigo is generally found on the on-side while an off-billet is on the off-side. For those of you fans of Garth Brooks and need a bit of useless trivia, he mentions latigo in his song Rodeo.
Levade – a show-ring movement in which a horse raises the forequarters, brings the hindquarters under him, and balances with haunches deeply bent and forelegs drawn up. Movements in haute ecolé or “high school” classical dressage, where the horse leaves the ground with two or four feet in response to the rider’s commands, include levade and were made famous by the Lipizzan horses. Levade is a German term, but also comes from French lever, to raise (from Latin levare).
Lunge or Longe – A technique for training or exercising a horse and is typically done on a long line in a round pen. Lunge is the British spelling, while longe is the American spelling. Both are pronounced the same, Lun-ge. The word is derived from the French word along, meaning “to lengthen.” The use of the word lungeing related to horsemanship dates back to the 1800s and is still in use today, most recently added in 2009 by the FEI into their equestrian vaulting rules.
Mitbah – the throatlatch of the Arabian horse.
Single Foot– The term “single-foot” comes from the fact that only one foot strikes the ground at a time, as opposed to two feet landing together (as in the trot). The gait is common in breeds such as the Rocky Mountain Horse, Tennessee Walking Horse, and the Racking Horse. You can watch a video at https://youtu.be/W4tRlWOGSlo?si=PldNu6vSrH8NmOPR.
Swooper – A horse whose style of racing is to race near the back of the field before unleashing a fast-finishing burst towards the finish line and often down the outside portion of the track.
Swooper is most commonly used in Australian and New Zealand horse racing.
Tobiano – A spotted horse color pattern commonly seen in Pinto horses, produced by a dominant gene. The tobiano gene produces white-haired, pink-skinned patches on base coat color.
Tölt – Pronounced: tolt Is a four-beat gait common in Icelandic horses. The footfall sequence is left hind leg – left foreleg – right hind leg – right foreleg. Ideally, it should have a regular rhythm with an even time interval between ground contacts of each limb. If you are interested, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV9P0w8vZi8 shows the gait in action!
Warmblood (warm-blood) – A warmblood is a horse of a breed that is a cross between an Arabian or similar breed and another breed of the draft or pony type. The most critical characteristic of a warmblood is its use as a sport horse. The most commonly known warmbloods are Hanoverians, Dutch Warmbloods, and Trakehner. But there are others.