H

Hack

English term: to ride about on trails.

Hack Class
A flat class, usually English.

Hackamore
A bitless bridle that uses nose pressure for control as opposed to the bit.

Hairworms
Trichostrongylus axel: hairworms live in cows, sheep and pigs as well as horses. They live in the stomach and feed on blood. They migrate through the bloodstream to parts of the body tissues and mature in the intestine. They can move through the mammary tissue and be ingested through the mare’s milk to her foal. They are very tiny, 7cm, and difficult to see with the human eye.

Half hitch
A particular syle of knot.

Half-Pass
A movement where the horse moves both forward and sideways.

Halter
A bitless head gear used for leading, tying and general groundwork.

Halter class
Conformation classes that are breed specific.

Hame strap
On a harness a short strap which connects the right
and left hames together on top and bottom.

Hame
A metal or wooden curved piece to fit the collar
on a draft harness.

Hand
Four inches. Used in measuring a horse. A 14 hand horse stands 56 inches from the ground to the highest point of the withers. A 14.2 hand horse adds 2 inces to the 56, making the horse 58 inches tall.

Hard keeper
A horse that requires more than the maintenance amont of feed.

Haunches
The hindquarters.

Head
The front part of the horse with the mouth, eyes, ears and nose.

Head Collar
British term for halter.

Head shy
A horse that is sensitive or evasive to touching his head.

Header
A term in team roping for the rider that ropes the steer's horns.  

Heart girth
The measurement taken around the horse's
barrel just behind the front legs.

Heat
The point in a mare's breeding cycle when
she is receptive to the stallion.

Heaves
Damage to the lungs, often from dusty hay and molds, where the horse labors in breathing.

Heeler
In team roping, this rider ropes the steer's
heels.

Herd-bound
A horse who is too dependant on the herd. Often can be hard to handle or dangerous. 

Hobbles
A device that fastens 2 or more legs together. Most common are front leg hobbles. 

Hock
The large joint between the gaskin and cannon bone.

Hogback
A three-rail jump with the center being
the highest.

Hogtie
To tie three legs with a narrow rope, usually used in team roping.

Hollow back
A horse whose back is down. Either a conformation fault or incorrect riding style.

Hondo / Honda
The eye on the end of a rope that forms
the loop.

Hoof pick
A plastic or metal single-tined tool to clean a horse's hoof.

Hoof
The hard, dense, horny covering of the horse's foot.

Horn
In western saddles, the high knob that sits center on the pommel.

Horse
A horse that stands over 14.2 hands.   

Horsemanship
The skill of a horse owner and rider. Usually refers to someone with greater than average knowledge, and abilities in multiple disciplines. 

Hot
Refers to a horse with an energetic temperament. 

Hot-blooded
Horses of energetic breeding, such as Thoroughbreds and Arabians. Their hotter temperaments give these horses less hair growth and finer anatomies. Suitable for speed and long distances. Has NO reference to the temperature of the blood. 

Hunter
A non-breed of horse whose style over fences is clean, even and comfortable. They are not judged on time.