P

Pace
A two beat lateral gait. The legs on each side move together as opposed to diagonal. Found in harness horses on the track.

Pacing
A horse that walks the stall or pen due to confinement and anxiety.

Paddock
A small outside enclosure.

Paint
A quarter horse with pinto markings. They have strict bloodline requirements and a distinctive stock-horse body type. Each horse has a particular combination of white and any color of the equine spectrum: black, bay brown, chestnut, dun, grullo, sorrel, palomino, buckskin, gray or roan. Markings can be any shape or size, and located virtually anywhere on the horse's body. There are three specific coat patterns: overo, tobiano and tovero.

Palomino
A golden color with white mane and tail. Their color can be found on many breeds, particularly: the Quarter Horse, half Arabians, Warmbloods, Morgans, Saddlebreds, Thoroughbreds and the Tennessee Walking Horse.

Parasite.
An organism living inside the host: worms, bots. An organism living on the outside of it's host: bots, fly larvae.

Park horse
An animated show horse, usually Arabian.

Parrot mouth
An extreme overbite of the mouth.

Paso Fino
Originally from Spain, this 'chance mix of breeds' became one of the finest riding horses, known for it's lateral four-beat gait. The Paso Fino has 5 natural gaits: paso fino, paso corto, paso largo, walk and canter.

Passage.
A slow trot characterized by elevation, cadence and engagement of the hindquarters, with the exaggeration of knees and hocks.

Pastern
The joint and area between the fetlock and hoof.

Pattern
An order of maneuvers: trail, games, reining classes.

Pawing
When a horse stamps their front legs from nervousness, anxiety or stomach/colic upset.

Pecking order
The social order of the herd. The heirarchy between 2 or more horses (or one horse and one human).

Pedigree
The ancestral chart or lineage. Denotes quality.

Pelham
A bit that combines the leverage of a curb and the straight pull of the snaffle. English bit, using two reins.

Pen
The show ring: show pen.
A corral for cattle used in team penning events.

Percheron
A draft horse standing between 15 and 16 hands high. He is noted for his signature gray color and lively gaits. They have good temperaments and are useful on farms, for logging, and pulling sleighride and carriages.

Performance horse
A well broke/trained horse in show events.

Periople
The external covering of the hoof wall.

Peruvian Paso
Originating in Peru, these smooth gaited horses were at one time the only horse considered worth riding. His unique natural gaits are handed down to every foal. They come in all basic colors aw well as grey and roan, and grow between 14 and 15 hands high.

Physitis
Physitis involves swelling around growth plates of certain long bones in young horses.
When excess Carbs create problems - Kathryn Watts

Piaffe
A highly collected and cadenced trot in place.

Pigrooting
A term used to describe a horse that executes a series of small, still-legged bucks that primarily start from the shoulder, usually standing still.
Why Horses Pigroot - April Reeves

Piggin string
A short, narrow rope used to hogtie a calf or steer.

Pin
A slang term used to describe winning a ribbon - "Did you pin in that class?". Originated from having to use a pin to hang the ribbon.

Pinto
The pinto is a color breed found in many of the saddle horses today. They are not Paint Horses. There are two recognized Pinto color patterns: Tobiano (white with large spots of color) and Overo (white jagged spots all over the body, with a dark mane, legs and backline, and often white or bald faces).

Pinworms
Oxyuris equi: this is the nasty little worm that causes the itching around the anus. They are not considered harmful and have a short lifespan. They inhabit the large and small colon, laying their sticky eggs around the opening of the anus, and being pushed out with each bowel movement, only to enter the horse again during feeding. They can be as long as 10cm and are white in color.

Pirouette
Dressage term for a circle in cadence of the gait used.

Pitch
Western term to throw away the reins; to throw the rope. 

Pivot
A turn on the hindquarters.

Pleasure
A rail class designed to showcase flat work in english and western horses. The horses must appear to be comfortable and a pleasure to ride. 

Points
The coloring on the legs, mane, and tail.

Poll
The junction of the vertebrae with the skull located between and below a horse's ears.

Pommel
The front of the saddle that lifts up, to clear the withers.

Pony
A breed of equines, not horses, that are generally shorter. Most ponies are 14.2 hands and under. Breeds: Shetland, Connemara, Welsh, Pony Of The Americas, Dale, Fell.

Post
To rise from the saddle in rhythm with the horse's trot.

Presence
The essence or personality of a horse: proud, alert carriage.

Professional
Definition for a trainer, coach or clinician who makes their living from the Horse Industry.

Proud flesh
Tissue from a wound that will not heal quickly.
Proud flesh: Too much of a good thing? Dr. J. Hamilton

Prewalski
An Asiatic Wild Horse, and the last remaining wild species of horses. There is much discussion of the Przewalski being the ancestor of all modern breeds, however he has 66 chromosomes as compared to 64 in domestic modern breeds. They are basically untamable. Their build is solid and thrifty, with an upright black mane and low set tail. The body colors are sandy tan, dun and a reddish bay. They have a distinct dorsal stripe, shoulder stripe and light colored muzzles and bellies.

Purebred
A horse whose sire and dam are of the same breed.   

Put down
To euthanize.