| Term
or Phrase |
Translation |
| 15.2HH |
14.3HH — Just a bit
too big to qualify for a pony card |
| 16.0HH |
15.2HH (with shoes on) |
| All offers considered |
I’ll be in traction
for the next six months, and my spouse has just left home and taken the
kids |
| Always in the ribbons |
(1) As long as there are no
more than six horses in the class. (2) The shows we attended gave away
complimentary rosettes to everyone who entered. |
| Anyone can ride |
Dead lame |
| Athletic |
(1) Likes to run around the
pasture, but hasn’t done a thing. (2) Runaway. See also
“Bold” and “Good mover.” |
| Attention-getting |
No
one will miss you with this horse’s stunning bad habits |
| Barrel prospect |
Runs in circles —
fast |
| Big boned |
Without a mane and tail, this
horse could easily be mistaken for a cow |
| Big stride |
Whoa, dammit, whoa!! |
| Big trot |
Can’t canter within
a two-mile straightaway |
| Black |
Brown |
| Bold |
Runaway. See also
“Good mover” and “Athletic.” |
| Bombproof |
(1) Won’t move,
under any circumstances, without a crop AND spurs. (2) Lame on all four
legs, deaf and blind. |
| Breathtaking |
Spectators gasp when they see
this horse buck, rear, etc. |
| Broodmare prospect |
Not sound or broke, but might
be fertile |
| Can be registered |
Owner may remember which stud
got loose |
| Can be stubborn at times |
Mule |
| Children’s hunter |
14.2HH |
| Clips, hauls and loads |
Clippity cloppity is the
sound his hooves make as he hauls butt across the parking lot when
you're
trying to load him |
| Coursing 3’ |
When drugged to the eyeballs
and lunged for six hours immediately beforehand |
| Cow bred |
Too bad the horse is afraid
of cows |
| Cutting prospect |
Cuts and runs when startled |
| Dead quiet |
Lame in all four legs. See
also “Quiet.” |
| Draft type |
Exceedingly big, coarse and
hairy. See also “Warm blood type.” |
| Dressage prospect |
He’s a
fire-breathing dragon over fences |
| Easy breeder |
For stallions, will mount
anything that stands still long enough. For mares, always seems to be
in heat. |
| Easy keeper |
Fat |
| Easy to catch |
Ancient and dead lame |
| Elegant |
Skinny |
| Endurance prospect |
Keeps going and going and
going, just the like the Energizer bunny |
| Eventing prospect |
Big and fast with no brakes |
| Excellent disposition |
Has never left the stable |
| Finances force sale |
Horse drove owner to the poor
house |
| Flashy |
Your life will flash before
your eyes when you ride him |
| Free jumps |
Jumps out of his paddock and
jumps on the longe line, but does not jump under saddle |
| Fun trail mount |
You’ll never be
bored, but you might have to walk back to the barn on your own two feet |
| Gaited |
Make that
“gated” — has run through the arena gate,
the pasture gate… |
| Good ground manners |
But don’t try to
ride him |
| Good mother |
Thank goodness, because
it’s the only thing she’s good at! |
| Good mover |
(1) Runaway. See also
“Athletic” and “Bold.” (2) Only
stumbles occasionally these days |
| Great for the farrier |
Owner was reaching trying to
find good qualities to advertise |
| Great project |
Has big-time issues (see also
“lots of potential”) |
| Green |
Anything from “has
had a rider on — once — and bucked him
off” to “only jumping 2'6"” |
| Gymkhana prospect |
Hyper and needs a tie down |
| Halter prospect |
Not broke to ride. Probably
not halter broken, either |
| Hand raised |
And spoiled rotten! See also
“Home bred” |
| Has been shown |
But didn’t win
anything |
| Health forces sale |
Horse made current owner crazy |
| Home bred |
Has never left home |
| Hunter prospect |
(1) Won’t go slow
enough for Western Pleasure. (2) Should be on the track |
| Imprinted at birth |
See “hand
raised” |
| In training |
Horse needs professional help |
| Jumper prospect |
Jumps out of his pasture
regularly |
| Kid safe/Kid broke |
As long as your kid has a
Velcro butt! |
| Lack of time forces sale |
Owner can’t afford
to spend any more time in the hospital |
| Light cribber |
We couldn’t afford
to build any more stalls and fences for this equine Chainsaw |
| Lots of potential |
Hasn’t done a thing |
| Loves children |
Especially for breakfast! |
| Loves to cuddle |
Will knock you over when she
tries to use you as a scratching post |
| Loves people |
Especially when they are
feeding him and not asking him to do anything that resembles work |
| Loves to work |
If he doesn’t get
out every day, he’ll tear down the barn. Get your longe line
ready… |
| Must sell |
Price negotiable. See also
"Any offers considered" |
| Needs a bit of finishing work |
See
“green” and "great project” |
| Needs advanced rider |
Such as a professional bronc
rider |
| Needs a strong rider |
Preferably with nerves of
steel |
| Needs quiet rider |
Will run off at the slightest
provocation |
| Never stops at fences |
Including the arena fence,
the paddock fence, the neighbors’ fences… |
| Nicely started |
Lunges, but we
don’t have enough insurance to ride him |
| No time for him |
Horse is lucky to be fed |
| No vices |
(1) No attributes, either.
(2) Especially when he wears his muzzle |
| Parelli trained |
Owner bought a rope halter
and some videos |
| Pony type |
Small and hairy |
| Price available upon request |
If you have to ask, you
can’t afford him |
| Priced to sell |
Owner can’t get rid
of this horse fast enough |
| Private treaty |
See "price
available upon request” |
| Professionally trained |
Owner shelled out big bucks,
regardless of how little the horse knows now |
| Protective mother |
Will attack anyone who comes
within a three-stall radius |
| Proven broodmare |
As long you care more about
quantity than quality |
| Quarter Horse type |
Stout |
| Quiet |
Lame in both front legs. See
also "Dead Quiet” |
| Pasture horse |
Will kick a new door in his
stall to get outside |
| Ready to start |
Riding age, but
hasn’t done a thing |
| Recent vet check/X-rays |
Some other poor buyer paid
big bucks to find out what is wrong with this horse |
| Reining prospect |
(1) Skids to a stop right
before running into the fence. (2) Spins and runs when startled. |
| Sacrifice |
Family won’t come
back home until he’s gone |
| Sadly outgrown |
Owner traded up |
| Schoolmaster |
Been there, done that,
annoyed at having to do it again and again |
| Serious inquiries only |
Overpriced |
| Service ably sound |
Even with very expensive
care, almost always lame |
| Show quality |
But has never been to a show |
| Shown successfully |
(1) Horse and rider got in
and out of the arena in one piece (mostly). (2) Won a reserve
championship five years ago at a show with unusually low entries due to
a hurricane |
| Sound |
Sound today… |
| Spirited |
Psychotic |
| Sport horse |
Cross-breed, probably with
draft blood |
| Stallion prospect |
Rank stud colt that owner
doesn’t want to spend the money to geld |
| Started on cows |
Turned out in pasture with
cows |
| Started over fences |
Walked over ground poles.
Tripped |
| Started under saddle |
Has had saddle on (but no
rider) |
| Still growing |
14.2HH now, but hope springs
eternal |
| To good home only |
Not really for sale unless
you will pay twice what he is worth and sign a 10-page legal document
allowing current owner to tuck in beddy-bye every night |
| To loving home only |
Expensive |
| To show home only |
Very expensive |
| Trail horse |
(1) Ring sour (2) Current
owner is a good enough rider to keep this horse between him and ground
for most rides. You may not be so skilled/lucky |
| Vet checks welcome |
Please help us figure out
what the heck is wrong with this horse |
| Warm blood type |
Big, coarse and hairy. See
also "Draft type” |
| Well-bred |
(1) Too bad he
didn’t inherit any of his forebears’ good traits.
(2) Sire and dam are also brother and sister |
| Well-mannered |
Hasn’t stepped on,
run over, bitten or kicked anyone in almost a week |
| Western pleasure prospect |
Too slow for gymkhana |
| Will mature to 15.2H |
14HH now at the age of four |
| Will mature to 16HH |
Currently 14 hands, dam is
14.2HH, sire is 14.3HH |
