Equine Anatomy & Breeds Vocabulary

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering equine terminology, blood types, draft breeds, light breeds, ponies, donkeys, mules, and anatomical structure diagrams.

Mare

Female horse after her 3rd birthday.

Broodmare

Female horse being used for breeding.

Stallion

Adult intact male horse, especially over the age of 3 years.

Gelding

Castrated male horse of any age.

Foal

Young horse, from birth to weaning (usually 4 – 7 months old).

Weanling

Young horse, from weaning to 1st birthday.

Yearling

Horse 1 to 1 %1/2% years old.

Long yearling

Horse 1 %1/2% to 2 years old.

Colt

A young intact male horse, < 3 years.

Filly

Female horse between 2 and 3 years of age.

Hot Blood

Lightly built and highly spirited horses used for riding and racing; serves as the basis for many modern breeds.

Cold Blood

Heavy made working horses used for plowing fields and pulling loads.

Warm Blood

Combination of both hot/cold blood; originally used to carry knights into battle as war horses, and in recent times used for jumping, dressage, and events.

Blue horn

Hooves that are slate blue-black in color, denser and stronger than white hooves, seen on breeds like the Percheron.

Brabant

Draft horse breed also known as the Belgian Heavy Draft horse, standing 16.2 – 17 hh and weighing ~ 2000lbs; short-backed, compact, with short sturdily built legs with ample feathering.

Clydesdale

Draft horse breed originating in Clyde Valley, Scotland, standing 16.2 – 18 hh and weighing 1600 – 2400lbs; legs are long with abundant silky feathering, and cow hocks are normal.

Percheron

Draft horse breed originating in the Perche region of Normandy in France, standing 16.2 – 17.3 hh and weighing 1600 – 2600lbs; usually black or gray with prominent withers and hard blue horn hooves.

Shire

Draft horse breed from the English counties of Leicestershire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, and Lincolnshire, standing 16.2 – 19 hh and weighing 1800 – 220lbs; one of the biggest horses in the world.

Suffolk Punch

Chestnut draft horse breed from East Anglia, standing 16.1 – 16.3 hh and weighing 1980 – 220lbs; every Suffolk can trace its descent to a single stallion, Thomas Crisp's Horse of Ufford.

American Paint

Light horse breed standing 15 – 16 hh and weighing ~ 1100lbs, featuring combination of white and any color of the equine spectrum with 3 coat patterns: overo, tobiano, and tovero.

Andalusian

Light horse breed centered in Andalusia in southern Spain, standing ~ 15.2 hh and weighing ~ 1130lbs, known for a commanding presence, lofty paces, natural balance, and sloped croup.

Appaloosa

Light horse breed originating in the Palouse region (Washington and Idaho), standing ~ 16 hh and weighing ~ 1250lbs; recognized by coat color, mottled skin, white sclera, and striped hooves.

Arabian

Light horse breed existing on the Arabian Peninsula around 2500BC, standing 14.1 – 15.1 hh and weighing 800 – 1100lbs; features a compact body, dished forehead, small muzzle, and high arched tail carriage.

Cleveland Bay

Oldest native light draft breed of England, standing 16 – 16.2 hh and weighing 850 – 1200lbs; characterized by solid bay color, large ears, blue/black hooves, clean legs, and calm personality.

Missouri Fox Trotter

Light horse breed developed in the Ozark Hills of Missouri, standing 14 – 16 hh and weighing 900 – 1200lbs; predominant coloration is chestnut, well-muscled with a wide chest and strong shoulders.

Morgan

First American horse breed, originating in Springfield, Massachusetts, and named after the stallion Figure (later Justin Morgan); stands 14.1 – 15.2 hh and weighs ~ 1000lbs.

Tennessee Walking

Light horse breed evolved in Tennessee in the mid-19th century, standing 15 – 16 hh and weighing 900 – 1200lbs; predominant colors include black and all shades of chestnut.

American Saddlebred

Light horse breed originating in the United States, originally called the 'Kentucky Saddler'; stands 15 – 16 hh and weighs 1000 – 1200lbs.

American Standardbred

Powerfully built light horse breed established in the eastern United States, standing 15 – 17 hh and weighing 800 – 1200lbs, with bay color predominating.

Thoroughbred

Racehorse breed evolved in England during the 17th and 18th centuries with long proportions, standing 15 – 17 hh and weighing ~ 1000lbs; registered with The Jockey Club.

American Quarter Horse

Popular breed developed in colonial America for racing the quarter mile, standing 14.3 – 16 hh and weighing ~ 1000lbs; maintains the largest breed registry in the world.

Pony of America

Pony breed originating in Mason City, Iowa by Leslie Boomhower, standing 11.2 – 13.2 hh and weighing 500 – 800lbs; appears as a miniature Quarter horse/Arabian cross with Appaloosa coloring.

American Shetland Pony

Pony breed centered in Indiana following importations from the Scottish Shetland Islands, standing 11.2 – 13.2 hh and weighing 500 – 800lbs; features prominent withers and longer legs.

Welsh Pony

Pony breed native to Wales categorized into 4 sections (A, B, C, & D), standing 12 – 15 hh and weighing 500 – 750lbs, showing Arabian head influence.

Miniature Horse

Small horse breed standing less than 34 inches and weighing 150 – 250lbs, strongly influenced by the Falabella breed of South America.

Jack

A male donkey.

Jenny

A female donkey.

Mule

Cross between a male donkey and a female horse.

Hinny

Cross between a female donkey and a male horse.

Molly

Female mule that has an estrous cycle, occurring naturally or through hormone manipulation.

Equine External Anatomy

Diagram labeling major external anatomy landmarks of the horse including poll, crest, withers, heart-girth, barrel, stifle, gaskin, hock, fetlock joint, pastern, coronet, and hoof.

Equine Skeletal Anatomy

Diagram depicting internal skeletal anatomy including 7 cervical vertebrae, 18 thoracic vertebrae, 6 lumbar vertebrae, 5 fused sacral vertebrae, and lower leg bones.

Equine Blood Type Classifications

Diagram illustrating structural body types corresponding to Hot Blood, Warm Blood, and Cold Blood horse classifications.