spavined

en-adj

spavined (comparative more spavined, superlative most spavined)

more spavined (comparative)
most spavined (superlative)

From Late Middle English spaueyned, from spavein, spaveine (“swelling on horse’s leg causing lameness; disease causing lameness in horses”) + -ed (suffix forming adjectives; and the past tense and past participle forms of weak verbs). By surface analysis, spavin + -ed (suffix forming possessional adjectives from nouns, denoting having the objects represented by the nouns; and forming past tenses of regular verbs).

surf

Coordinate term: foundered

[H]e […] made a present to Andrew of a broken-winded and spavined poney, in order to enable him to pursue his journey.

1817 December 31 (indicated as 1818), [Walter Scott], chapter VI, in Rob Roy. […], volume II, Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co. […]; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC, page 115:

A horse-giver, no more than a horse-seller, has a right to palm his spavined article upon us for good ware. An equivalent is expected in either case; and, with my own good will, I would no more be cheated out of my thanks, than out of my money.

1833, Elia [pseudonym; Charles Lamb], “[Popular Fallacies.] XI. That We Must Not Look a Gift-Horse in the Mouth, […].”, in The Last Essays of Elia. […], London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 250:

[…] Mr. Thumble, […] had ridden over to Hogglestock on a poor spavined brute belonging to the bishop's stable, and which had once been the bishop's cob.

1867, Anthony Trollope, “The Bishop’s Angel”, in The Last Chronicle of Barset. […], volume I, London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], →OCLC, page 106:

As for the wonderful feats of horsemanship one hears of or sees among the Arabs, they are due to sharp spurs like razors, and to bits strong enough to break an animal's jaw. […] The favourite feat at their fantasias or fêtes of suddenly pulling up their horses short while at a hand-gallop, ruins their legs, and there is in consequence scarcely a horse to be seen whose hind-legs are not spavined.

1868, Mrs. H. Lloyd Evans, “Across the Atlas”, in Last Winter in Algeria, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC, page 100:

The Whig party was supposed to be broken in 1842. It was likened to the man who wished to sell his horse. A by-stander asked if the horse was not spavined? "Spavined! I don't know what that is; but if the horse is any better for being spavined, then he is spavined!"

1876, Samuel S[ullivan] Cox, “Legislative Anecdote—Continued”, in Why We Laugh, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC, page 281:

Into the vale from the north rode a stranger. He was mounted on a mangy, shovel-headed horse so spavined that it should have been unable to support his improbable bulk.

2010, Stephen R[eeder] Donaldson, Against All Things Ending (The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant; 3), New York, N.Y.: G[eorge] P[almer] Putnam’s Sons, →ISBN, page 54:

(farriery, veterinary medicine) Of a horse: having spavin (“a disease of horses caused by a bony swelling which develops in a leg due to inflammation”).


grandsire

From Middle English graunsire; compare grand and sire.

paternal grandfather
paternal grandfather

(equestrianism) The sire of a sire, paternal grandfather


mochila

Borrowed from Spanish mochila. Doublet of macheer.

(equestrianism, US, especially Western US) A large leather flap that covers the saddle tree.


claiming race

In a claiming race, each horse is in a sense up for sale. That is, any owner who has raced a horse at the track during the meet in progress may put in a claim to buy any horse racing in a claiming race.

1968, Marvin B. Scott, The Racing Game, page 15:

(horse racing) A race in which the competing horse can be claimed by anyone at the specified claiming price for the race.


jump off

en-verb

jump off (third-person singular simple present jumps off, present participle jumping off, simple past and past participle jumped off)

jumps off (present singular third-person)
jumping off (participle present)
jumped off (participle past)
jumped off (past)

(sports, equestrianism) To participate in the final round of an equestrian showjumping event.


saddle tree

(equestrianism) The base on which the rest of the saddle is built, usually based on wood or a similar synthetic material, and is eventually covered in leather or a leatherlike synthetic.


reweight

reweight (third-person singular simple present reweights, present participle reweighting, simple past and past participle reweighted)

reweights (present singular third-person)
reweighting (participle present)
reweighted (participle past)
reweighted (past)

(horseracing) To adjust or reassign the handicap weight.


DSLD

suspensory ligament
suspensory ligament#English

(pathology, equestrianism) Initialism of degenerative suspensory ligament desmitis, an equine skeletal disorder characterized by a hyperabundance of a certain proteoglycan in equine connective tissue which causes degeneration and eventually death.

equine systemic proteoglycan accumulation


washed out

en-adj

washed out (comparative more washed out, superlative most washed out)

more washed out (comparative)
most washed out (superlative)

a washed out horse

(US, horse racing) Synonym of washy (“tending to sweat profusely”)


show jumper

show jumpers (plural)
showjumper (alternative)

(equestrianism) A (human or horse) participant in show jumping


breeching

en-noun

breeching (countable and uncountable, plural breechings)

/ˈbɹiːt͡ʃɪŋ/

/ˈbɹiːt͡ʃiːŋ/

Beside this, he has to learn to wear a collar, a crupper, and a breeching, and to stand still whilst they are put on; then to have a cart or a chaise fixed behind him, so that he cannot walk or trot without dragging it after him: and he must go fast or slow, just as his driver wishes.

[1877], Anna Sewell, “My Breaking In”, in Black Beauty: […], London: Jarrold and Sons, […], →OCLC, part I, pages 16–17:

(equestrianism) A component of horse harness or tack, enabling the horse to hold back a vehicle.


come to hand

en-verb

come to hand (third-person singular simple present comes to hand, present participle coming to hand, simple past came to hand, past participle come to hand)

comes to hand (present singular third-person)
coming to hand (participle present)
came to hand (past)
come to hand (participle past)

The horse came to hand, and won first prize.

(US, horse racing) To perform well, to come under control.


outride

(equestrianism) A trip on a horse outside an enclosed area, a trip on a horse in the open.


jumpout

The few who attended Tuesday's important Lightning Stakes jumpouts at Flemington on Tuesday may have been put off by Swick's lethargic display.

2009 January 31, Matt Stewart, “Bart Cummings ready to derail Lightning match race”, in Herald Sun, archived from the original on 2009-02-05:

I did get to ride in a couple of barrier jumpouts, but even that was sprung on me. I was riding a horse towards the track when Murty said it was going for a jumpout, a sprint about 400 metres from the barriers down the home straight.

2011, David Brasch, Peter Cook, Jockeying To The Top, unnumbered page:

(Australia, horse racing) An unofficial trial race.


trackwork

McDonald described Weekend Hussler's trackwork this preparation as "frightening".

2009 January 30, Tim Habel, “Short journey to suit Hussler”, in Herald Sun:

(horse racing) Practice in racing around a track


standardbred

From standard + bred. In this context, the word "standard" refers to the fact that in the early decades of the breed's development, all breeding stock had to meet a specific performance standard, namely ability to trot or pace a mile in no more than 2 minutes, 30 seconds.

"Jockeys waste and drivers don't and maybe the breed (standardbred) might be a bit more conducive to the conditions."

2009 January 30, Tim Habel, Matt Stewart, “Heat on VRC to delay Flemington meeting”, in Herald Sun:

(horse racing) A breed of horse bred specifically for harness racing


hit-out

hit-outs (plural)
hitout (alternative)
hit out (alternative)

(Australia, horse racing) A fast gallop.


bolter

trap

antonym(s) of “missed landing on an aircraft carrier”

(Australia, horseracing) A horse that wins at long odds.


unplaced

The Listed John Dillon Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Australia Day is an option for Rok Posta, who has only been unplaced four times in his 20 starts.

2009 January 18, Adrian Dunn, “Girls combine to Posta win at Flemington”, in Herald Sun:

(horse racing) Not among the first three horses to finish a race.


placegetter

2008, Mike Keenan, The Shadows of Horses, 2009 Large 24pt Edition, Read How You Want, page 96,
I was utterly unprepared for the reception I received when I trotted up towards the stall reserved for the second placegetter, in the Saddling Enclosure.

Last year's Caulfield Cup placegetter is rated a $6 chance and will be ridden by champion Irish jockey Michael Kinane.

2009 February 13, Tim Habel, “Time to put best foot forward”, in Herald Sun:

Essentially, punters who played the placecards — usually in a local pub — had to pick a placegetter in each of the four feature races on a Saturday. So, if it was races five, seven and eight, you had to correctly select just one of the three placegetters in each race to win.

2011, Nichola Garvey, Beating the Odds, unnumbered page:

(horse racing, Australia, New Zealand) A horse that finishes among the first three of a race, or in a specified place.


quaddie

From quadrella + -ie (“diminutive suffix”).

2003 March 22, Craig Sherborne, Footy′s Man of Passion, The Herald Sun, republished in 2003, Garrie Hutchinson (editor), The Best Australian Sports Writing 2003, page 82,
He was a footballer, hard-boned, smart-mouthed, with an eye on the quaddie at Flemington.

I had the quaddie in Melbourne if Alinghi won.

2004 November 21, Josh Button, “Cup tips”, in aus.sport.rugby-league (Usenet):

2006, Mike Dillon, From The Horses Mouth: The Keith Haub Story, 2010, HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand), unnumbered page,
With only the last race to run the trio each had a $1 quaddie unit if Brent Thomson managed to get over the line in front.

For the Fourth week in a row I have had 3 live legs of the Quaddie only to be dudded by West Coast the last two!

2007 July 16, gF, “Screw Fremantle”, in aus.sport.aussie-rules (Usenet):

(Australia, gambling, horse racing, colloquial) A quadrella, a type of bet requiring the bettor to pick the winners of four nominated races at the same track; a bet requiring the selection of four winners of specified matches in a given round of a sporting competition.


piaffe

(dressage) A calm, composed, elevated trot in place.


pick six

pick sixes (plural)
pick-six (alternative)

(horse racing) A wager in which the bettor must correctly predict the winners of six consecutive races.


plater

(horse-racing) A horse that runs chiefly in selling plates; hence, an inferior racehorse.


ride down

ride down (third-person singular simple present rides down, present participle riding down, simple past rode down, past participle ridden down)

rides down (present singular third-person)
riding down (participle present)
rode down (past)
ridden down (participle past)

(idiomatic, equestrianism, transitive) To cause (a horse) to fall when riding.


quadrella

2003 March 22, Craig Sherborne, Footy′s Man of Passion, The Herald Sun, republished in 2003, Garrie Hutchinson (editor), The Best Australian Sports Writing 2003, page 79,
Demetriou is an inveterate punter with a miraculous instinct for picking big quadrellas.

2009, H. G. Nelson (Greig Pickhaver), Sprays: A Collection of Verbal Touch-Ups, unnumbered page,
Imagine jagging a couple of nice trifectas or the quadrella and squaring the Christmas credit-card bill, with a little extra left for a three-week holiday at Victor Harbor. Magic!

2010, Stephen Barkoczy. Australian Tax Casebook, 10th Edition, CCH Australia, page 416,
Instead, the taxpayer relied on his own intuition, placed bets mainly on the totalisator or with on-course bookmakers and was more inclined to place “higher risk” bets such as trifectas and quadrellas.

(gambling, horse racing, Australia, New Zealand) A bet where the bettor must pick the winners of four nominated races at the same track.


Triple Crown

(horse racing, US) The three greatest thoroughbred races of the year restricted to three-year-olds: the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes

(horse racing, UK) The three greatest thoroughbred races of the year restricted to three-year-olds: the 2,000 Guineas Stakes, Derby Stakes (aka "Epsom Derby"), and St. Leger Stakes

(horse racing, Canada) The three greatest thoroughbred races of the year restricted to three-year-olds: the Queen's Plate, Prince of Wales Stakes, and Breeders' Stakes


quadfecta

He won the Superfecta and the Quadfecta all in the same day at Hollywood Park Casino in Los Angeles.

2010, George V. Bush, Magazine Man “A Slave To The Sale”, unnumbered page:

(gambling, horse racing) A bet in which the bettor must select the winners of the first four places (i.e., first, second, third, and fourth) of a race in the correct order.


bellyband

bellybands (plural)
belly band (alternative)
belly-band (alternative)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-bellyband.wav

From belly + band. As a Japanese article of clothing, a calque of Japanese 腹巻き (haramaki).

(equestrianism) A strap around the belly of a horse or other draft animal used to secure a saddle or the shafts of a cart.


Spanish walk

(equestrianism) A movement in which the horse raises the forelegs off the ground in an extreme upward and out manner, with much expression.


chalk out

chalk out (third-person singular simple present chalks out, present participle chalking out, simple past and past participle chalked out)

chalks out (present singular third-person)
chalking out (participle present)
chalked out (participle past)
chalked out (past)

A 25-1 shot won race 3, but the rest of the early pick 5 chalked out after that.

(US, intransitive, horse racing) In a multi-race wager, to lose to the favorite in all of the remaining races.


stall handler

(horse racing) Someone responsible for manoeuvring the horse between the gates before the start of a race.

pousseur

someone responsible for manoeuvring the horse between the gates


bloodstick

1831-1850, William Youatt, On the Structure and the Diseases of the Horse
A bloodstick - a piece of hard wood loaded at one end with lead — is used to strike the fleam into the vein

(farriery) A piece of hard wood loaded at one end with lead, used to strike the fleam into the vein.


butteris

butterises (plural)
buttrice (alternative)

Related to buttress (noun). From French bouter (“to push”).

(historical, farriery) A cutting instrument, with a long bent shank set in a handle which rests against the farrier's shoulder, used in paring the hoofs of horses.


anticor

anticors (plural)
anticoeur (alternative)
anticore (alternative)

From anti- + Latin cor (“heart”); compare French anticœur.

(obsolete, equestrianism) A dangerous inflammatory swelling of a horse's breast, just opposite the heart.


unbit

unbit (third-person singular simple present unbits, present participle unbitting, simple past and past participle unbitted)

unbits (present singular third-person)
unbitting (participle present)
unbitted (participle past)
unbitted (past)
unbitt (alternative)

(equestrianism, transitive) to remove the bit from (a horse's mouth)


gourdy

en-adj

gourdy (comparative more gourdy, superlative most gourdy)

more gourdy (comparative)
most gourdy (superlative)

Either from gourd, or less likely from French gourd (“benumbed”).

(farriery, of a horse, obsolete) Having swollen legs


countermark

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-countermark.wav

(farriery) An artificial cavity made in the teeth of horses that have outgrown their natural mark, to disguise their age.


countertime

en-noun

countertime (countable and uncountable, plural countertimes)

From counter- + time. Compare contretemps.

(equestrianism, obsolete) The resistance of a horse that interrupts its cadence and the measure of its manège, caused by bad horsemanship or the bad temper of the horse.


catchweight

They'll break from the gate in full tack with jockeys riding catchweight in silks.

1976 December 3, “Oldtimers race is well received”, in El Paso Herald-Post:

to ride catchweight

(horse racing) Without any weight restrictions; without being handicapped.


air jacket

air jackets (plural)
airjacket (alternative)

1765, George Alexander Stevens, The Celebrated Lecture on Heads, London: R. Richards, Part 3, p. 16,
[…] our army all should wear a new uniform; all our horse infantry should wear air jackets, and all our foot cavalry should wear cork waistcoats; and then ye know why they’d be all over the sea before you could say Jack Robinson.

Anna Sparks shrugged into her air jacket and slipped her bib over the top of it. There was a time when she'd have felt invincible in the lead-up to the cross-country, especially if she'd posted a personal best of 40.3 to lie third behind David Powell and Sam Tide after the dressage, but today nerves roared through her system like ocean waves, building and crashing.

2014, Lauren St John, The One Dollar Horse:

If a competitor chooses to wear an inflatable air jacket during the cross country phase it must be placed over the top of a body protector, whereas in the other phases/other disciplines the air jacket can be worn without a body protector.

2017, Guy N. Rutty, Essentials of Autopsy Practice, page 94:

(equestrianism) An inflatable vest worn to cushion falls.


thick wind

(archaic, equestrianism, pathology) A defect of respiration in a horse, not associated with noise in breathing or with the signs of emphysema.


put someone through their paces

en-verb

put<,,put> (someone) through (their) paces

put (someone) through (their) paces (third-person singular simple present puts (someone) through (their) paces, present participle putting (someone) through (their) paces, simple past and past participle put (someone) through (their) paces)

put through paces (canonical)
puts (someone) through (their) paces (present singular third-person)
putting (someone) through (their) paces (participle present)
put (someone) through (their) paces (participle past)
put (someone) through (their) paces (past)

She put Rosebud through his paces in the ring, and received her share of applause at the antics of the clever horse.

1916, Vance Barnum, Joe Strong on the Trapeze:

(literally, equestrianism) To direct a horse to walk, canter, trot, etc.


home and hosed

(Australia, New Zealand, horseracing, figurative) Assured of winning.


stoater

El Hakim's party won a mere trifle, but stood what poor Captain Scott was wont to term "a stoater" on Merlin, a good but uncertain horse, who had "lost" him in the trial at home.

1858, The Irish metropolitan magazine, page 117:

Owners back their horses for such “stoaters,” in short distance races, where a start is everything, that, in too many cases, woe betide the backs and pockets of the lads if they do not jump off in a twinkling.

1860, Sporting Magazine - Volume 36, page 306:

When it was known before starting the sum Lord Portsmouth stood on his filly, there was a perfect furore to back her, as a pony would be ' a perfect stoater ' for him ; and his commission, it was understood, considerably exceeded that sum.

1863, Baily's Magazine of Sports & Pastimes - Volume 5, page 96:

(Scotland, Ireland, horse racing) A horse that wins against the odds.


canon bone

From French canon, from Latin canon (“a rule”).

(equestrianism, anatomy) Alternative spelling of cannon bone


bridle path

bridle paths (plural)
bridle-path (alternative)

A party came round the angle of a rock, along the narrow bridle-path, in single file; two ladies on horseback, followed by as many gentlemen on foot, and preceded by the usual guide.

1835, James Fenimore Cooper, The Monikins, Introduction:

It was not a bridle-path—merely a pedestrian's track, and the boughs spread horizontally at a height not greater than seven feet above the ground, which made it impossible to ride erect beneath them.

1874, Thomas Hardy, chapter 3, in Far from the Madding Crowd:

Then in the evening, he came suddenly upon Sue riding a spirited black horse in a bridle path at the upper end of the park.

1916, Sherwood Anderson, chapter 5, in Windy McPherson's Son:

Some complaints about the Prospect Park trails seem to reflect the ever-present realities of urban horseback riding. Joggers and even bikers wander onto the bridle path.

2008 June 2, Kareem Fahin, “For Riders and Mounts, Rough Going in Prospect Park”, in New York Times, retrieved 2012-10-03:

(equestrianism) An established trail used by riders mounted on horses.


crib-biting

(equestrianism) A stereotypy in horses consisting of seizing the manger or other solid, usually wooden, object with the teeth and sucking in wind.


near side

(equestrianism) The left-hand side of a horse.


bridlewise

en-adj

bridlewise (comparative more bridlewise, superlative most bridlewise)

more bridlewise (comparative)
most bridlewise (superlative)

(equestrianism, of a horse) Responsive to the bridle.


starting price

(horse racing) The final odds on a horse when the race starts; also used to designate a system of fixed-odds betting using such prices. Abbreviation: SP.


half sibling

half siblings (plural)
half-sibling (alternative)
halfsibling (alternative)

(horse racing) Any of two or more horses having the same dam but different sires.

germà uterí

child of the same mother but a different father

腹違い

child of the same father but a different mother


back the field

en-verb

back the field (third-person singular simple present backs the field, present participle backing the field, simple past and past participle backed the field)

backs the field (present singular third-person)
backing the field (participle present)
backed the field (participle past)
backed the field (past)

(horse racing) To bet against a particular horse or horses, that some one of all the other horses, collectively designated "the field", will win.


bridle wrist

(equestrianism) The wrist of the left hand, in which a horseback rider holds the bridle.


make a book

make a book (third-person singular simple present makes a book, present participle making a book, simple past and past participle made a book)

makes a book (present singular third-person)
making a book (participle present)
made a book (participle past)
made a book (past)

it must be acknowledged that it is impossible to make a book on any important race without the security of Play or Pay

1866, Henry John Rous, On the Laws and Practice of Horse Racing:

(horseracing, archaic) To lay bets (recorded in a pocketbook) against the success of every horse, so that the bookmaker wins on all the unsuccessful horses and loses only on the winning horse or horses.


one-horse race

Since riding Harry Payne Whitney's Whiskery to victory in the Kentucky Derby, Jockey Linus ("Pony") McAtee has twice broken into the news in unconventional fashion. A fortnight ago, he won a one-horse race ("walkover") at Belmont Park, N. Y.

1927 June 13, “Sport: Again, McAtee”, in Time, retrieved 2014-07-26:

Sinister Minister . . . kept extending his lead and turned the stretch run into a one-horse race.

2006 April 16, Bill Finley, “Sinister Minister Joins Baffert's Derby Stable”, in New York Times, retrieved 2014-07-26:

(horse racing, informal) A horse race in which a single horse takes such a considerable lead that the other horses are no longer contenders to win.


faunch

faunch (third-person singular simple present faunches, present participle faunching, simple past and past participle faunched)

faunches (present singular third-person)
faunching (participle present)
faunched (participle past)
faunched (past)
fauch (alternative)
fawnch (alternative)

Uncertain. Used in Midland American English and Western American English. Entered the fanspeak body of slang after writer Noel Loomis used it in a review in Pro-Phile.

Instead of the fine faunching black mare he usually rode he was on a light grey today, a little slower if it came to a run from the Indians or a buffalo stampede, but much less conspicuous against the snow.

1954, Mari Sandoz, The Buffalo Hunters, published 2008, →ISBN, page 6:

Ecstatic, they faunched and gamboled and I could hardly get them in the traces.

1986, Jerry Bumpus, Heroes and Villains, →ISBN, The Outdoorsman, page 59:

(US, equestrianism) To bite the bit, especially when restless; to champ.


fistulous withers

It is now generally believed that fistulous withers are the result of a germ, probably picked up from the grass, although at one time they were thought to be caused by saddle or roller pressure.

1962, Catherine Harris, “Ailments”, in Practical Pony Keeping, London; Glagsow: Blackie, →OCLC, part 2 (Care of Your Pony), page 100:

The sooner fistulous withers is treated, the more likely that a cure is effected.

1997, Tony Pavord, Marcy Pavord, “Fistulous Withers”, in The Complete Equine Veterinary Manual: A Comprehensive and Instant Guide to Equine Health, Newton Abbot, Devon: David & Charles, published 1998, →ISBN, part III (A–Z of Diseases), page 154, column 2:

(veterinary medicine, pathology, equestrianism) Inflammation of the serous bursa of withers in horses which bursts outside, creating a fistula.


winner's circle

(horse racing) An enclosed area next to a racetrack where the winning horse and jockey are brought for photographs and awards.


Puissance

en-noun

Puissance (countable and uncountable, plural Puissances)

(equestrianism) Alternative letter-case form of puissance.


turn of foot

So myth number one is that horses who finish fast in the final furlong are horses to follow because they possess a turn of foot.

2004, Alan Potts, Against the Crowd, →ISBN, page 23:

He had a turn of foot that could see him outsprint many a staying horse over the 2400 metres, but that was his limit.

The squareish track was flat and suited horses with a turn of foot, which exactly described the two runners that Brewer was sending there on the day following Matt's return from Sedgefield.

2009, Lyndon Stacey, Murder in Mind, →ISBN, page 155:

Meanwhile Charlie Bell reported the stable's latest acquisition: a very good jumper but, as far as he could determine to date, 'without a great turn of foot'.

2014, Peter O'Sullevan, Calling The Horses: A Racing Autobiography, →ISBN:

(horse racing) The ability to accelerate quickly.

A good deal of a horse's efforts at acceleration are dissipated by the surface. On grass, a turn of foot is a powerful weapon. On dirt or the All-weather it counts for very little.

2002, Nick Mordin, Betting for a Living, →ISBN, page 51:

He had failed to match the lightening turn of foot of Desert Destination, but was now eating up the ground and was almost up-sides.

2003, Paddy Cummins, Green Lodge, →ISBN, page 94:

He felt that, as he put him in a gallop, the estimated speed they were travelling at was forty miles an hour and his turn of foot was breathtaking.

2013, B. J. Newing, The Rawlinson Family Story, →ISBN, page 102:

The winner then found an impressive and immediate turn of foot to accelerate away from Nichols Canyon after the second-last, and he was full value for his healthy winning margin at the line.

2016 December 29, Greg Wood, “Petit Mouchoir on course for Champion Hurdle after Leopardstown victory”, in The Guardian:

(horse racing) A burst of speed in a horse race.


short head

Red Rum won by a short head.

(horse racing) A distance of less than the length of a horse's head


half-length

(horse racing) Half the length of a horse.


point-to-point

From point (“individual element in a larger whole; specific location or place; topic of discussion or debate”) + to + point.

(horse racing, also attributively) A kind of horse race involving a direct cross-country course with obstacles for hunting horses and amateur riders.


scratch race

(horse racing) A catchweight horse race.


weight for age

[H]e would merely have remarked on its elegant hocks and golden horn and suggested that she enter it weight for age at Flemington.

2016, Kerry Greenwood, Murder and Mendelssohn, Sydney: Allen and Unwin, page 243:

(horse racing) Handicapped according to the age of the racehorse competing (and certain other factors).


weight for age

"What did I say about Nightcap last week? Here he's won the Weight for Age at twelve to one."

1938, Norman Lindsay, Age of Consent, 1st Australian edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1962, →OCLC, page 140:


frontstretch

frontstretches (plural)
front stretch (alternative)
front-stretch (alternative)

The new track will be built of a sandy loam running surface providing improved turns and a layout with new spirals to ease entry into the turns. The frontstretch and backstretch will be lengthened by 660 feet.

1991, Harness Horse - Volume 56, Issues 27-34, page 11:

D-shaped ovals are modified ovals that have one long sweeping arc of a turn for a frontstretch instead of a straightaway.

2009, Mark Martin, NASCAR For Dummies, →ISBN:

In addition to often scheduling the autograph sessions, speedway officials would open the frontstretch gate and allow fans to come onto the track and the grassy frontstretch apron after an event.

2017, Deb Williams, Charlotte Motor Speedway, →ISBN, page 24:

(athletics, horse racing, car racing) The straight (or gently curved) part of a racetrack, running track, etc. where the race begins.


hit the board

en-verb

hit the board (third-person singular simple present hits the board, present participle hitting the board, simple past and past participle hit the board)

hits the board (present singular third-person)
hitting the board (participle present)
hit the board (participle past)
hit the board (past)

(horse racing) To finish in first, second, third or fourth place, thus appearing on the winners' board.


on the muscle

Tallhato was "on the muscle" going down the backside, attempting to run out. That's not the formula to beat a filly like Windy's Daughter.

1973, Chronicle of the Horse, volume 36, numbers 1-13, page 5:

I really wasn't able to rest him too much because he was on the muscle more than usual tonight.

1990, Harness Horse, volume 56, numbers 5-8, page 22:

(horse-racing) Of a horse: frisky and energetic, seeming keen to race.


counter-canter

She used to come to the indoor riding school at Knightsbridge and ride my charger, Foxhunter, which I taught to do counter-canters, extended trots, half-passes and other dressage movements.

2005, James Hewitt, Moving On, →ISBN, page 11:

Before you start teaching your horse to do a flying change, you need to be able to perform counter-canter.

2012, William Micklem, Complete Horse Riding Manual, →ISBN, page 151:

Because it challenges your horse's balance and strengthens his outside hind leg, the counter-canter is an excellent gymnastic exercise for improving balance and collection.

2012, Jennifer O. Bryant, The USDF Guide to Dressage, →ISBN:

(dressage) A canter that is performed in a circle, leading with the leg opposite to the direction of the canter.


stakeswinner

stakeswinners (plural)
stakes-winner (alternative)
stakes winner (alternative)
stakewinner (alternative)

(horse racing) A winner of a stakes race


stakeswinning

(horse racing) Having won a stakes race.


winter book

(horse racing) A bookmaker's guide to the likely performance of racehorses in the upcoming season.


break one's maiden

break one's maiden (third-person singular simple present breaks one's maiden, present participle breaking one's maiden, simple past broke one's maiden, past participle broken one's maiden)

breaks one's maiden (present singular third-person)
breaking one's maiden (participle present)
broke one's maiden (past)
broken one's maiden (participle past)

(horse racing) Of a racehorse or jockey: to achieve victory in a race for the first time.


on the rails

(horse racing) Racing toward the inside, near the fence that bounds the track.


barrier rogue

(Australia, horse racing) A racehorse that is difficult to control when being put into the starting gates.


change the leg

change the leg (third-person singular simple present changes the leg, present participle changing the leg, simple past and past participle changed the leg)

changes the leg (present singular third-person)
changing the leg (participle present)
changed the leg (participle past)
changed the leg (past)

(equestrianism) To change the gait of a horse while riding.


running rail

(horse racing) A fence which marks the inside edge of a racecourse track.


flagfall

Boyce took him ahead at the flagfall , with the Hughes horse in pursuit

June 22, 2020, David Milnes, The Lir Jet swoops late to deny Wesley Ward's Golden Pal in Norfolk in The Racing Post
The result looked unlikely soon after flagfall when Wesley Ward's Golden Pal blazed a trail down the centre of the track under Andrea Atzeni

(horse racing) The start of a horse race


add to the list

add to the list (third-person singular simple present adds to the list, present participle adding to the list, simple past and past participle added to the list)

adds to the list (present singular third-person)
adding to the list (participle present)
added to the list (participle past)
added to the list (past)

Sabinus has been added to the list.

(transitive, slang, dated, horse racing) To geld (a horse).


chalk-eating weasel

en-noun

chalk-eating weasel (plural chalk-eating weasels)

(horse racing) A bettor who regularly wagers on the favorite.


market horse

[N]othing is easier than to make sure […] that the horse selected, in the event of the public fancying him, shall be made a market horse, and be “milked” for the benefit of those interested: the losing of a race may at any time be ensured, and there are scores of “turf dairymen” who are reputed adepts in the use of the milking pail.

1892, James Glass Bertram, A Mirror of the Turf, page 271:

(horse racing, slang, obsolete) A horse kept in the betting-lists for the sole purpose of being betted against.


dead amiss

At the mention of the increased amount of odds, the snob took the youngster aside, and said to him, "Look now, by the book, we have the old man done brown; my horse is dead amiss, your cousin's horse you can beat easy, […]

1840, John William Carleton, The Sporting Review, page 286:

Sunshine ran gamely, but was clearly out of condition; and Gamos, who was dead amiss at Bath, having got round, beat her from the superiority of her training, […]

1870, Tresham Gilbey, Baily's Magazine of Sports and Pastimes, volume 18, page 320:

(horse racing) Of a horse: too ill to compete.


call a cab

en-verb

call a cab (third-person singular simple present calls a cab, present participle calling a cab, simple past and past participle called a cab)

calls a cab (present singular third-person)
calling a cab (participle present)
called a cab (participle past)
called a cab (past)

(raise arm while riding): From the similarity to the raised-arm gesture used to summon a taxi.

An habitually raised arm, termed 'calling a cab', was the trademark of amateurism.

1994, Dick Francis, Wild Horses, page 137:

Drawings of races sixty years ago show the riders trying to avoid catching their horses in the mouth by stretching forward with one arm and lifting the other hand backwards off the reins into the position known as 'calling a cab'.
Although it is no longer the normal and recognized thing to do, 'calling a cab' is still occasionally seen when a jockey finds himself in difficulties over a fence.

2002, Frank R. Scatoni, Finished Lines, page 181:

(horse racing) To raise one's arm to maintain balance while riding.


Captain Armstrong

A pun on the name Armstrong, referring to the use of a strong arm.

"Poor child," he said to himself, all his angry feelings changing, "she seems to have set her heart so upon winning, it would be sad if she were disappointed. No one has much on it: shall I try Captain Armstrong for once? It would make her very happy. Bar accidents, I must win. They don't know that the chestnut has not extended himself yet."

1860, George Alfred Lawrence, Guy Livingstone, page 70:

He had practised “Captain Armstrong” so palpably as to be banished from the Turf.

1886, Baily's Magazine of Sports & Pastimes, volume 46, page 413:

We have not an iota of belief in this or any other "Captain Armstrong" insinuation against high-class jockeys, who have far too comfortable incomes, and too much proper pride, to place their characters in any man's power, […]

(horse racing, archaic, slang) A form of cheating in which the jockey deliberately pulls his horse back so that it does not win.


half-pass

(equestrianism) In dressage, a movement in which the horse moves forward and sideways at the same time


blow up the tote

blow up the tote (third-person singular simple present blows up the tote, present participle blowing up the tote, simple past blew up the tote, past participle blown up the tote)

blows up the tote (present singular third-person)
blowing up the tote (participle present)
blew up the tote (past)
blown up the tote (participle past)
light up the tote (alternative)

From the whimsical notion that the payout on a particularly high-priced longshot might be a larger number than the tote board is capable of computing and/or displaying.

Giacomo blew up the tote by winning the 2005 Kentucky Derby at odds of 50-1.

(horse racing, of a horse) To win a race as a long shot.


gate-to-wire

Authentic led the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Classic at every point of call en route to a gate-to-wire victory.

(US, horse racing) From start to finish. (Usually used to describe a horse that wins a race by leading throughout.)


raceday

racedays (plural)
race day (alternative)

(horse racing) A day on which a race is held


draw bridle

draw bridle (third-person singular simple present draws bridle, present participle drawing bridle, simple past drew bridle, past participle drawn bridle)

draws bridle (present singular third-person)
drawing bridle (participle present)
drew bridle (past)
drawn bridle (participle past)

When he was within a small distance of this inn, which to him seemed a castle, he drew bridle, and stopt Rozinante […].

1755, Miguel de Cervantes, translated by Tobias Smollett, Don Quixote, Volume 1, I.2:

Surrey […] rode, without drawing bridle, to Berwick.

1828, Patrick Fraser Tytler, History of Scotland:

(equestrianism) To pull on the reins (of a horse etc.) in order to slow it down or bring it to a stop; hence, to stop, draw up.


on the rail

(horse racing) Alternative form of on the rails


jock off

jock off (third-person singular simple present jocks off, present participle jocking off, simple past and past participle jocked off)

jocks off (present singular third-person)
jocking off (participle present)
jocked off (participle past)
jocked off (past)

Dawn Run's owner, Charmian Hill, who had insisted on trainer Paddy Mullins 'jocking off' his son Tony and putting up Jonjo O'Neill to ride her in the Gold Cup, was an awkward cuss too.

2012, Robin Oakley, Britain and Ireland's Top 100 Racehorses of All Time:

(transitive, informal, horse racing) To replace (a jockey) with another.


distaffer

(horse racing) A horse that races in a distaff (race for female horses only).


britchen

(equestrianism) Alternative form of breeching (“component of horse harness or tack, to hold back a vehicle”)


starting gate

Mobile starting-gates and horse-boxes stand parked along the kerbs, and behind every large house, it seems, is a red brick stableyard, gleaming with fresh black-and-white paint and polished steel.

1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 164:

(equestrianism, dog racing) A machine used to ensure a fair start in horse or dog racing by opening doors to allow all the racing animals out at the same time.


chewing ball

chewing balls (plural)
chewing-ball (alternative)

CHEWING-BALLS, a kind of balls made of aſafœtida, liver of antimony, bay-wood, juniper-wood, and pellitory of Spain; which being dried in the ſun, and wrapped in a linen-cloth, are tied to the bit of the bridle for the horſe to chew: they create an appetite; and it is ſaid, that balls of Venice treacle may be uſed in the ſame manner with good ſucceſs.

1771, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1st ed., volume II, page 183:

(equestrianism) A medicinal ball attached to a horse's bit so that the chewing will improve its appetite.


run nowhere

run nowhere (third-person singular simple present runs nowhere, present participle running nowhere, simple past ran nowhere, past participle run nowhere)

runs nowhere (present singular third-person)
running nowhere (participle present)
ran nowhere (past)
run nowhere (participle past)

(horse racing, slang) To finish the race unplaced.


rollkur

(equestrianism) A horse riding technique particularly in dressage where the neck is bended forward, banned by multiple riding organizations because it is classified as ruining the health of equines by various means.


rein-back

rein-backs (plural)
reinback (alternative)

(equestrianism) The two-beat movement in which a horse is asked to back up. The horse picks up and sets down its feet almost in diagonal pairs, and moves straight backwards with the line of the forelegs following those of the hind legs.


pencil fever

(horse racing, slang, obsolete) The situation where punters discover that a horse is almost certain to lose, and so become eager to lay bets against it.


chart caller

chart callers (plural)
chart-caller (alternative)
chartcaller (alternative)

The chartcallers' routine goes something like this: When the horses come onto the track, chartcallers jot down equipment information -- which runners are wearing blinkers, bandages on their forelegs, special horse shoes. While this is going on, they memorize and match the color of each jockey's silks to his mount's name. Or, as is the case with Feustle and most newer chartcallers, the number on the saddle cloth.

2003 May 16, John Scheinman, “Chartcallers, Setting the Track Record”, in The Washington Post, Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-08-18:

When Jim Bishop was an Equibase chartcaller himself several seasons back, he would sometimes stray from the pre-programmed database comments and get creative with his past performance charts. For sorry horses such as Regal Bishop, he liked to utilize his favorite selfcoined disparity: Appeared to dislike racing.

2007, T. D. Thornton, Not by a Long Shot: A Season at a Hard Luck Horse Track, New York, N.Y.: PublicAffairs, →ISBN, page 42:

The technology has been sufficiently accurate that Equibase has changed its method of charting races at tracks using the system. Historically, the details of every race have been gathered by a chart-caller who watches the action through binoculars and calls out numbers to a partner. Now Trakus produces the charts, though the data still requires oversight and tweaking by Equibase personnel.

2012 February 8, Andrew Beyer, “New racing technology could offer vast amounts of data to handicappers”, in The Washington Post, Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-08-18:

Another, Jamie Zoeller, was a Pavement superfan. He met Nastanovich at a bar in Chicago in the '90s, and Nastanovich told him about his Derby house. Nastanovich (now a chart caller at Prairie Meadows racetrack in Altoona, Iowa) wrote down the address on a bar napkin, and Zoeller carried it around in his wallet until one day he made it, in 1999.

2021 May 1, Melissa Hoppert, “At This Kentucky Derby Party House, Everyone Is ’Like Family’”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-04-28:

(horse racing) A person who is responsible for systemically recording the performance of the racehorses throughout a horse race.


clerk of the course

en-noun

clerk of the course (plural clerks of the course or clerks of courses)

clerks of the course (plural)
clerks of courses (plural)

(horse racing) An official responsible for track management and raceday preparation at a racecourse.


time fault

For instance, a refusal was three points, but as it generally took the rider precious seconds to get his horse over the refused fence, a time fault of four points could be expected.

2001, Laura Moore, Ride a Dark Horse, page 286:

If the rider is over the time allowed he or she is penalized 1⁄4 time fault for every second over the limit.

2010, Bradley Berner, Blood on the Irons:

If I went over by a tenth of a second, I got a time fault and some other horse would be the last qualifier for the Grand Prix.

(equestrianism) A penalty given in which a rider does not complete the course in the time allowed that is set by the course designer.


selling-plater

(horse-racing) Synonym of plater (“a horse that runs chiefly in selling plates”)


seat out

en-verb

seat out (third-person singular simple present seats out, present participle seating out, simple past and past participle seated out)

seats out (present singular third-person)
seating out (participle present)
seated out (participle past)
seated out (past)

(equestrianism, veterinary medicine) To modify a horseshoe to relieve pressure from the sole.


collar up

collar up (third-person singular simple present collars up, present participle collaring up, simple past and past participle collared up)

collars up (present singular third-person)
collaring up (participle present)
collared up (participle past)
collared up (past)

(transitive, equestrianism) To apply a harness to a horse.


tree-maker

In making saddles to run and try in, the trees of them are occasionally leaded by the tree-maker or saddler, agreeably to the directions either may receive from his employer; and a four-pound saddle in this way is made to weigh seven pounds.

1828, Richard Darvill (V.S. 7th Hussars.), A Treatise on the Care, Treatment and Training of the English Racehorse, page 219:

This instrument was procured and the Investigating Officer was easily convinced of the accuracy of the wood-carver's statements, and, on the result being communicated to the victim of the theft, the thief was easily found: in fact the last servant whom the banker had dismissed had formerly been a tree maker, and indeed went back to that trade whenever he was out of a place .

1907, Hans Gross, John Adam, John Collyer Adam, Criminal Investigation, page 153:

It takes Hill from a week to at least a month to make a saddle, figuring drying time for the dampened leather and depending on the type of saddle. He starts with the tree, which he acquired from a tree maker.

1985, Oklahoma Today - Volumes 35-36, page 11:

(equestrianism) One who makes or constructs saddle trees.


eighth pole

(horse racing) A pole indicating that the finish line is one eighth of a mile away.


nom de course

(horse racing) A name, usually a pseudonym, used by a racehorse owner under which their horse is registered to compete.


quarter pole

Coordinate term: eighth pole

(horse racing) A pole indicating that the finish line is one quarter of a mile away.


clubhouse turn

When the horses reached the clubhouse turn the sport-shirted man and his housedressed wife and his blue-jeaned son were all on their feet.

1956 July 30, Humphrey S. Finney, “Horse Racing”, in Sports Illustrated, volume 5, number 5, page 40:

(horse racing) The turn to the right of the grandstand.


far turn

(horse racing) The turn off the backstretch into the home stretch (and furthest from the finish line).


circle the field

circle the field (third-person singular simple present circles the field, present participle circling the field, simple past and past participle circled the field)

circles the field (present singular third-person)
circling the field (participle present)
circled the field (participle past)
circled the field (past)

(horse racing) To go very wide around other horses in order to move into a winning position.


pinhook

pinhook (third-person singular simple present pinhooks, present participle pinhooking, simple past and past participle pinhooked)

pinhooks (present singular third-person)
pinhooking (participle present)
pinhooked (participle past)
pinhooked (past)

(horse racing) To buy young racehorses in order to resell them later for profit.


blue hen

(horse racing, slang) A mare who benefits a breed by producing many high-quality offspring.


post parade

(horse racing) The movement of the horses from the paddock to the starting gate ("post"), past the grandstands.


new shooter

(horse racing, Canada, US) A horse that has skipped the Kentucky Derby to run in the Preakness Stakes or Belmont Stakes.


minus pool

(horse racing, gambling) A pool of money made up (usually by the racing association) to pay the legally required minimum on each winning bet, when there is not enough left in the pari-mutuel pool.


post time

(horse racing) The time of day when a race is scheduled to begin.


hand-ride

hand-ride (third-person singular simple present hand-rides, present participle hand-riding, simple past hand-rode, past participle hand-ridden)

hand-rides (present singular third-person)
hand-riding (participle present)
hand-rode (past)
hand-ridden (participle past)

(horse racing) To urge the horse on with one's hands, without using the whip.


hand-ride

(horse racing) The urging of the horse with one's hands, without using the whip.


grueller

gruellers (plural)
grueler (alternative)


Garrison finish

en-noun

Garrison finish (plural Garrison finishes)

After Edward H. Garrison (1868–1930), American jockey known for such finishes.

(horse racing) The situation where a competitor in a race pulls ahead at the last moment to score a dramatic victory.


conditions race

conditions race (plural conditions races)

(horse racing) A horse race in which the weights carried by the runners are allocated according to sex, age, and prior racing performance.


post position

(horse racing, dog racing) An individual horse's or dog's stall at the starting gate from which the race is begun.