Horse Tack Terms
halter - a bitless headstall with or without a lead rope
headstall - the part of a bridle or halter that fits over the head of a horse
bridle - a head harness used for guiding a horse, consisting of a headstall, bit, and reins
reins - a leather strap (or other material such as nylon), that attaches to each end of the bit of a bridle, by which the rider or driver controls a horse by putting pressure on the bit
bit - the part of the bridle that goes into the horse's mouth, with fittings at each end to which the reins are attached and is used to control the horse
curb bit - consists of a mouthpiece which works on the bars, tongue and roof of the horse's mouth, a curb chain that adds pressure to the chin groove and may act on the sides of the mouth and jaw, and a shank that adds leverage and places pressure on the poll. Curb bits have one ring per side on the top of the shank and one ring per side on the bottom of the shank. These bits act on leverage and are generally more severe than a snaffle bit
snaffle bit - consists of a mouthpiece which is usually jointed in the middle, that works on the tongue and bars. A ring on either side of the bit acts on the sides of the mouth and depending on the design, the sides of the jawbone. The lips also feel pressure from both the mouthpice and the rings. Snaffle bits create direct pressure without leverage on the mouth and are the most common type of bit used
hackamore - a type of bridle that does not have a bit. Hackamore's work on pressure points on the horse's face, nose and chin
bosal - a noseband, usually made of braided rawhide that is used with a hackamore. A bosal acts upon the horse's nose and jaw when the rider uses the reins to give a signal
riding crop - a short riding whip without a lash
whip - a stick-like device, usually slightly flexible with a small bit of leather called a "popper" on the end
lash - the flexible part of a whip; the section forming the extremity of a whip
popper - leather pieces attached to the end of reins, whips, or quirt that make a popping noise when you crack the whip. The whip's pop is a result of the tip of the whip (the "popper") moving beyond the speed of sound and creating a vacuum in space. The air rushing back into the vacuum makes the pop sound
quirt - a riding whip made of braided leather consisting of a short, stout stock which usually has two falls at the end
hobble - to fasten together two legs of a horse or mule by short lengths of rope to prevent movement
harness - the combination of leather straps, bands, and various metal pieces by which the animal is fastened to the working gear such as a plow or buggy
yoke - a wooden frame or bar used for joining together a pair of draft animals, usually consisting of a crosspiece with two bow-shaped pieces that fit around the animals neck
collar - the part of the harness that fits around the base of the neck of a draft animal and is designed to distribute the pressure of the load drawn
hame - either of the two rigid pieces of a harness that fits around the neck of a draft animal and to which the traces are attached
trace - either of the two straps, chains, etc. connecting a draft animal's harness to the vehicle drawn
britchin - leather strap arrangement fitting over an animal's hind quarters to keep a saddle from slipping forward. Essential on mules because of their slim shoulders
drive - to control the movement of an animal by using the reins
gee and haw - used as words of command to a horse, mule or draft animal. "Gee" directs the animal to turn to the right, while "haw" directs the animal to turn to the left
bell - to trim an animal's tail (usually a mule) into a distinctive bell shaped pattern. Normally mules will have one, two or three bells and this is used for identification purposes
morral - a feed bag for a horse that fits over its nose that is also called a nose bag
twitch - A device, usually a chain at the end of a wooden handle, applied to the top lip that is used to temporarily restrain a horse
chaps - a pair of joined leather leggings, often widely flared and without a seat worn over trousers by cowboys to protect their legs
spurs - a spiked wheel or various pointed devices that attaches to the heel of a rider's boot and is used to urge a horse forward
lariat - a long rope of braided rawhide (or other materials such as nylon) that has a loop or eye attached at one end through which the other end runs
honda or hondo - an eyelet at the end of a lariat rope through which the other end runs through to make a loop
lasso - a loop of rope that is designed so that it can be tightened when thrown over the head of a steer or horse
dally - used when roping by wrapping the tail end of the rope counter-clockwise around the saddle horn to hold the animal or object roped
riata -braided or twisted rawhide rope
saddle - a seat for a rider on the back of a horse, usually made of leather and padded
saddle blanket - a saddle-shaped pad, made of felt or sheepskin that is placed beneath the saddle to prevent it from irritating the horse's skin
girth - a band with buckles at each end that passes underneath a horse and fastens to straps under the flaps to hold the saddle in place
cinch - a strong girth used on stock saddles, with a ring at each end to which a strap running from the saddle is secured
latigo - a leather strap on a saddle used to tighten and secure the cinch
breast collar - strap, often made of leather, that passes around the animal's chest and is attached to the saddle. This is used to keep the saddle from sliding back
crupper - a padded leather strap that is passed around the base of a horse's tail and is fastened to the saddle or harness to prevent it from slipping forward
martingale - consists of a yoke that goes around the horse's neck and two adjustable straps that attach to the bottom of the yoke, where the horse's neck meets his chest. One of these straps runs between the horse's forelegs and attaches to the girth, and the other strap runs up and attaches to the noseband of the bridle. Martingale's are used to control the horse's head, and to prevent the horse from throwing his head so high that the rider gets hit in the face. When the horse's head gets too high, the martingale places pressure on the head so the horse cannot raise it higher
tiedown - a tiedown is adjusted much shorter than a martingale and is intended to prevent the horse from flipping its head up when coming to an abrupt stop. It consists of an adjustable strap that is attached at one end to the horse's breastplate and the other end is attached to a noseband on the bridle. The slack is taken up out of the strap when the horse raises its head above the desired point, and pressure is placed on the horse's nose
saddletree - the frame of a saddle, often of wood covered with rawhide, consisting of two side-boards connected by two forks for the pommel and cantle
pommel - arched front portion of a saddle
gullet - inside cutout of the pommel that rides over the horse's withers
cantle - arched rear portion of a saddle
fender - long vertical pieces of leather that lie underneath the rider's legs for protection
skirts - large leather panels stitched to the seat of the saddle to protect the rigging and give form to the saddle
stirrups - a ring with a flat bottom that can be made of wood, metal or leather that is suspended with an adjustable leather strap from the sides of the saddle to support the foot of the rider
tapaderos - stirrup covers to protect the rider's feet from brush and weather