Category:Horse

Horse, n. Etym: [AS. hors; akin to OS. hros, D. & OHG. ros, G. ross, Icel. hross; and perh. to L. currere to run, E. course, current Cf. Walrus.]

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A hoofed quadruped of the genus Equus; especially, the domestic horse (E. caballus), which was domesticated in Egypt and Asia at a very early period. It has six broad molars, on each side of each jaw, with six incisors, and two canine teeth, both above and below. The mares usually have the canine teeth rudimentary or wanting. The horse differs from the true asses, in having a long, flowing mane, and the tail bushy to the base. Unlike the asses it has callosities, or chestnuts, on all its legs. The horse excels in strength, speed, docility, courage, and nobleness of character, and is used for drawing, carrying, bearing a rider, and like purposes.

Note: Many varieties, differing in form, size, color, gait, speed, etc., are known, but all are believed to have been derived from the same original species. It is supposed to have been a native of the plains of Central Asia, but the wild species from which it was derived is not certainly known. The feral horses of America are domestic horses that have run wild; and it is probably true that most of those of Asia have a similar origin. Some of the true wild Asiatic horses do, however, approach the domestic horse in several characteristics. Several species of fossil (Equus) are known from the later Tertiary formations of Europe and America. The fossil species of other genera of the family Equidæ are also often called horses, in general sense.

2. The male of the genus horse, in distinction from the female or male; usually, a castrated male.

3. Mounted soldiery; cavalry; -- used without the plural termination; as, a regiment of horse; -- distinguished from foot. The armies were appointed, consisting of twenty-five thousand horse and foot. Bacon.

4. A frame with legs, used to support something; as, a clotheshorse, a sawhorse, etc.

5. A frame of timber, shaped like a horse, on which soldiers were made to ride for punishment.

6. Anything, actual or figurative, on which one rides as on a horse; a hobby.

7. (Mining)

Defn: A mass of earthy matter, or rock of the same character as the wall rock, occurring in the course of a vein, as of coal or ore; hence, to take horse -- said of a vein -- is to divide into branches for a distance.

8. (Naut.) (a) See Footrope, a. (b) A breastband for a leadsman. (c) An iron bar for a sheet traveler to slide upon. (d) A jackstay. W. C. Russell. Totten.

Note: Horse is much used adjectively and in composition to signify of, or having to do with, a horse or horses, like a horse, etc.; as, horse collar, horse dealer or horsehorsehoe, horse jockey; and hence, often in the sense of strong, loud, coarse, etc.; as, horselaugh, horse nettle or horse-nettle, horseplay, horse ant, etc. Black horse, Blood horse, etc. See under Black, etc. -- Horse aloes, caballine aloes. -- Horse ant (Zoöl.), a large ant (Formica rufa); -- called also horse emmet. -- Horse artillery, that portion of the artillery in which the cannoneers are mounted, and which usually serves with the cavalry; flying artillery. -- Horse balm (Bot.), a strong-scented labiate plant (Collinsonia Canadensis), having large leaves and yellowish flowers. -- Horse bean (Bot.), a variety of the English or Windsor bean (Faba vulgaris), grown for feeding horses. -- Horse boat, a boat for conveying horses and cattle, or a boat propelled by horses. -- Horse bot. (Zoöl.) See Botfly, and Bots. -- Horse box, a railroad car for transporting valuable horses, as hunters. [Eng.] -- Horse breaker or trainer, one employed in subduing or training horses for use. -- Horse car. (a) A railroad car drawn by horses. See under Car. (b) A car fitted for transporting horses. -- Horse cassia (Bot.), a leguminous plant (Cassia Javanica), bearing long pods, which contain a black, catharic pulp, much used in the East Indies as a horse medicine. -- Horse cloth, a cloth to cover a horse. -- Horse conch (Zoöl.), a large, spiral, marine shell of the genus Triton. See Triton. -- Horse courser. (a) One that runs horses, or keeps horses for racing. Johnson. (b) A dealer in horses. [Obs.] Wiseman. -- Horse crab (Zoöl.), the Limulus; -- called also horsefoot, horsehoe crab, and king crab. -- Horse crevallé (Zoöl.), the cavally. -- Horse emmet (Zoöl.), the horse ant. -- Horse finch (Zoöl.), the chaffinch. [Prov. Eng.] -- Horse gentian (Bot.), fever root. -- Horse iron (Naut.), a large calking iron. -- Horse latitudes, a space in the North Atlantic famous for calms and baffling winds, being between the westerly winds of higher latitudes and the trade winds. Ham. Nav. Encyc. -- Horse mackrel. (Zoöl.) (a) The common tunny (Orcynus thunnus), found on the Atlantic coast of Europe and America, and in the Mediterranean. (b) The bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix). (c) The scad. (d) The name is locally applied to various other fishes, as the California hake, the black candlefish, the jurel, the bluefish, etc. -- Horse marine (Naut.), an awkward, lubbery person; one of a mythical body of marine cavalry. [Slang] -- Horse mussel (Zoöl.), a large, marine mussel (Modiola modiolus), found on the northern shores of Europe and America. -- Horse nettle (Bot.), a coarse, prickly, American herb, the Solanum Carolinense. -- Horse parsley. (Bot.) See Alexanders. -- Horse purslain (Bot.), a coarse fleshy weed of tropical America (Trianthema monogymnum). -- Horse race, a race by horses; a match of horses in running or trotting. -- Horse racing, the practice of racing with horses. -- Horse railroad, a railroad on which the cars are drawn by horses; -- in England, and sometimes in the United States, called a tramway. -- Horse run (Civil Engin.), a device for drawing loaded wheelbarrows up an inclined plane by horse power. -- Horse sense, strong common sense. [Colloq. U.S.] -- Horse soldier, a cavalryman. -- Horse sponge (Zoöl.), a large, coarse, commercial sponge (Spongia equina). -- Horse stinger (Zoöl.), a large dragon fly. [Prov. Eng.] -- Horse sugar (Bot.), a shrub of the southern part of the United States (Symplocos tinctoria), whose leaves are sweet, and good for fodder. -- Horse tick (Zoöl.), a winged, dipterous insect (Hippobosca equina), which troubles horses by biting them, and sucking their blood; -- called also horsefly, horse louse, and forest fly. -- Horse vetch (Bot.), a plant of the genus Hippocrepis (H. comosa), cultivated for the beauty of its flowers; -- called also horsehoe vetch, from the peculiar shape of its pods. -- Iron horse, a locomotive. [Colloq.] -- Salt horse, the sailor's name for salt beef. -- To look a gift horse in the mouth, to examine the mouth of a horse which has been received as a gift, in order to ascertain his age; -- hence, to accept favors in a critical and thankless spirit. Lowell. -- To take horse. (a) To set out on horseback. Macaulay. (b) To be covered, as a mare. (c) See definition 7 (above).

horse Horse, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Horsed; p. pr. & vb. n. Horsing.] Etym: [AS. horsion.]

1. To provide with a horse, or with horses; to mount on, or as on, a horse. "Being better horsed, outrode me." Shak.

2. To sit astride of; to bestride. Shak.

3. To cover, as a mare; -- said of the male.

4. To take or carry on the back; as, the keeper, horsing a deer. S. Butler.

5. To place on the back of another, or on a wooden horse, etc., to be flogged; to subject to such punishment.

horse Horse, v. i.

Defn: To get on horseback. [Obs.] Shelton.

Horses (Equus Caballus) are herbivorous creatures which can be feral or domesticated. They can live in a wide variety of climates. They are often seen as a symbol of power and elegance. There are many breeds, most having a specialized field for use, such as speed, hauling, or jumping.

---excerpt from the Illustrated Bible Dictionary

Horse - Always referred to in the Bible in connection with warlike operations, except Isaiah 28:28. The war-horse is described Job 39:19. For a long period after their settlement in Canaan the Israelites made no use of horses, according to the prohibition, Deuteronomy 17:16. David was the first to form a force of cavalry (2 Samuel 8:4). But Solomon, from his connection with Egypt, greatly multiplied their number (1 Kings 4:26; 1 Kings 10:26, 1 Kings 10:29). After this, horses were freely used in Israel (1 Kings 22:4; 2 Kings 3:7; 2 Kings 9:21, 2 Kings 9:33; 2 Kings 11:16). The furniture of the horse consisted simply of a bridle (Isaiah 30:28) and a curb (Psalms 32:9).

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Vocabulary
These words and phrases may be used to describe horses, donkeys, zebras, and other equines.

radiant amazing noble bold outrageous wonderful lying intense lightning

swing in the saddle from side to side

came back into the ring or left the ring

smooth saddle gait

lovely head and long arched neck

walk, jog, trot, and lope

a horse is mounted by a rider

rider lightly squeezes with legs to make the horse go faster

push into a faster walk, trot, or canter by the rider's leg pressure or tapping with the heels

American Walking Pony speeds - pleasure walk, merry walk, (figurative speech - dream walk), canter

until the horse calmed down

Performing well smaller circles

slow the horse's pace, canter, trot, gallop

rider experiences a feeling of lightness and smoothness

Balanced or unbalanced

wobbly sure-footed long flaming ir flowing mane and tail very rare liver chestnut roan stallion extreme dished head most classically beautiful daughter classic dappled gray most agile colt-just stops and turns on a dime great hunt seat or jumper – loves to jump goes well under saddle extremely long and thick flaxen mane spirited good hock action stunning golden chestnut with light flaxen mane produces excellent halter quality foals long fine neck and level top line, perfect legs shows top endurance trained prettiest palomino spotted saddle horse raised tail carriage

Actions
taking a sand bath to rid itself of fleas taking a mud bath nicker migrate run feed leisurely kick bite prance shake its head arch its neck picked up its ears stomp its hooves yawning greeting gesture showing its teeth angrily mutually grooming each other resorted to a physical contest head motions characteristic of. . . gather in a circle to. . . gave a defense display of both hind feet kicked high into the air gave a display of teeth just before biting employed the strategy of a kicking display to defend itself from predators brown and white striped foal stood shyly behind a bush the newborn foal stood wobbily on its slender legs the rambunctious foal was spunky--kicking its hind legs up as it darted about the mare tenderly nuzzled her newborn's nose defended itself by biting and kicking with great agility, it leaped over rubbing itself against a tree to clean its skin putting one hoof forward grazing startled dozing hot steaming petrified prancing plodding unwilling vicious docile spirited maniacal restive straining stalking sweating drooping foam-lipped plunging champs at the bit capers balks at bolts bucks dances hurdles neighs paws plods prances quivers races rears shies shivers snorts tramples vaults veers wheels whinnies meandered sauntered wandered aimlessly hauls pulls

Color
Appaloosa

Bay (black-brown)

Black

Chestnut (reddish-brown)

Cremello

Dun Grey

Gray (light gray, brownish-gray)

Palomino (pale yellow, sandy-yellow, brown-yellow, golden palomino)

Perlino

Pinto

Roan (red roan, strawberry roan, blue roan)

White (milk white)

Gait
slower gait bouncy gait springy gait regulated gait swift gait relaxed gait staid swinging rolling stooping shuffling awkward majestical unremitted slinking haggard lofty shambling weary gentle traveling unnatural pacing common ponderous rapid stately princely habitual heavy feeble swaggering musing measured lumbering walking gaits running or trotting gaits leaping gaits

Walk


A four-beat gait that averages at 4 mph

sequence: left hind leg, left front leg, right hind leg, right front leg, in a regular 1-2-3-4 beat.

one foot raised and the other three feet on the ground,

head and neck move in a slight up and down motion that helps maintain balance

rider experiences gentle side-to-side motion in the horse's hips as each hind leg moves forward

relaxed and supple forward walk the mind of the horse focusing on the rider and the walk or trot running-walk ambling-gait single-foot gait

Trot
trot- rider can be jolted, jostled, bounced upwards a rider posts to the trot (rising up and down in rhythm with the horse Piaffe (horse trots in place and the Passage (rhymes with "massage")-and is exaggerated slow motion trot

trot is a two-beat gait that has a wide variation in possible speeds, but averages about 8 miles per hour (13 km/h). horse moves its legs in unison in diagonal pairs trot is the working gait for a horse can maintain a working trot for hours travel quickly from one place to the next

highly collected and cadenced trot calm and composed elevated trot like trotting under water rhythm of the trot trots in place doggedly obediently faithfully listlessly monotonously diligently jubilantly jog fast trot

Canter
controlled, three-beat gait that usually is a bit faster than the average trot, but slower than the gallop.(10–17 mph or 16–27 km/h)

It is like hearing three drum beats in a row, and then a rest, three drum beats in a row, rest, etc.

clumsy brisk undeniable preliminary

counter-canter awkward rolling movement, called a cross-canter left lead

one of the horse's rear legs – the right rear leg, for example – propels the horse forward, meanwhile, the horse is supported only on that single leg while the remaining three legs are moving forward

2nd beat- horse catches itself on the left rear and right front legs while the other hind leg is still momentarily on the ground

third beat, the horse catches itself on the left front leg while the diagonal pair is momentarily still in contact with the ground

Gallop


thunderous perilous false rapid soundless clattering breathless

horse's gymnastic development

performing the requested movement

relaxed movement

appearing effortless

horse ballet in a calm and elegant manner

equestrian pageantry

great elevation of stride

a moment of suspension between the foot falls

lengthened its stride

great forward thrust and reach

shortened its stride

highly mobile, free, and light

pirouette - a 360 degree turn in place

half-pass - diagonal, moving sideways and forward at the same time, while bent slightly in the direction of movement

even and level stride

clear, even, and regular rhythm, gait, and tempo which causes the tail to swing like a pendulum

uneven and irregular rhythm, gait, and tempo

impulsion - the horse's pushing power or the horse's thrust

the horse's fore legs move backwards toward his hind legs

the horse's fore legs are perpendicular to the ground

short, jerky steps

straightness of the horse - the hind legs follow the path of the front legs

the stride length shortened or lengthened

the stride increased or decreased in energy and strength

the horse's weight moved to its hind quarters

the horse's joints of the hind limbs showed greater or lesser flexion

the horse raised or lowered its hindquarters brought the hind legs further under the body

the horse moved its center of gravity to the rear or toward its shoulders

Jumps
jumps - airs above the ground, left the ground

pesade - the horse's forehand is raised off the ground and the forelegs are evenly tucked, all weight is carried on the hindquarters. (The horse forms a 45 degree angle with the ground.)

levade - the horse holds a position of approximately 30-35 degrees from the ground; extreme tucking of the hindquarters and coiling of the loins (This is a more strenuous position than the pesade.)

piaffe - the hindquarters are increasingly engaged, being lowered toward the ground while bringing the hind legs more toward the center of gravity (The horse appears to sink down in the back and rise in the front. The horse almost appears to be trotting in place.)

capriole - (meaning leap of a goat), the horse jumps from a raised position of the forehand straight up into the air, kicks out with the hind legs, and lands more or less on all four legs at the same time (This is considered the most difficult jump.)

croupade - the horse keeps hind legs tucked tightly under and remains parallel to the ground as it leaps (There is no kick out at the height of the jump.)

ballotade - the horse's hind hooves are positioned so one can see its shoes if watching from behind (There is no kick out at the height of the jump.)

courbette - the horse's forehand is raised off the ground, the forelegs are tucked up evenly, then the horse jumps forward on the hind legs in a series of "hops" (The forelegs do not touch the ground, but remain elevated during the "hops".

mezair - the horse rears up and strikes out with its forelegs, gradually bringing its legs further under itself while progressing forward and lightly touching the ground with the front legs before pushing up again (The

levade

due to the horse's powerfully conformed hindquarters, allowing the strength to perform such difficult maneuvers

precise control

excellent balance

a great deal of strength

is the product of good training

Habitat
mountain valleys

cold winter storms

arid

arid and semi-arid habitats

desert

plains

scrubland

woods

forest glades

Markings
dorsal stripe

snip

star

stripe

stocking

Sounds
bray

neigh

squeal

whinny

Other
great endurance and stamina

herbivore

sleek coat

hoofed mammal

coarse coat

dominant terrestrial herbivore

elegant stance

solitary

eyes at the side of the head

herd

striking black and white stripes

finely divided stripe pattern

big and bold stripe pattern

well defined stripe pattern

can withstand extreme heat conditions

teeth highly specialized for eating grasses and shrubs

incisors that clip vegetation

complex ridged teeth for grinding

bearing weight on a single toe on each foot

mare

stallion

foal

useful

lively

inhabit

live

dwell

watchful

strong

sure-footed

keen sense of smell

beast of burden

keen sense of hearing

powerful

slender

larger than. ..

large

fast