A leg that looks like it has a backward arc, with the center of the arc at the knee when viewed from the side.

The areas of a racetrack where the stable area, dormitories, track kitchen, chapel, and recreation area for stable employees are generally located.  Also known as "backstretch."

1) Straight portion of the far side of the racing surface between the turns; or, 2) See "backside."

Wrappings utilized on a horse’s legs to protect them from injury or to provide support to the leg.

Used to describe a filly or mare that was bred but did not conceive during a stated breeding season.

A horseshoe closed at the back to help support the frog and heel of the foot.  It is often worn by horses with quarter cracks or bruised feet.

A term to describe the color of a horse that varies from a yellow-tan to a bright auburn.  The mane, tail and lower portion of the legs are always black, unless white markings are present.

Deviating from a straight course, in relationship to the rail, often due to fatigue, inexperience, physical distress, or fault of the jockey.

A stainless steel, rubber, or aluminum bar attached to the bridle which fits in the horse’s mouth, providing one of the means by which a jockey exerts guidance and control.

A term to describe the color of a horse that is black.  The entire coat is black, including the muzzle, the flanks, the mane, the tail and legs, unless white markings are present.

Boldface type, used in sales catalogues, to distinguish horses that have won (upper case) or placed in a stakes race.  In accordance with the International Cataloguing Standards Committee, all black-type races are stakes races, but not all stakes races qualify for black type.

Horses finishing so closely together they could be covered by a single blanket.

The term commonly used to describe "exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage" (EIPH).  A horse that bleeds internally or through the nostrils during or after a workout or race due to ruptured blood vessels.  The condition is often evidenced by the horse stopping or slowing suddenly.

A cup-shaped device designed to restrict a horse’s lateral vision to prevent swerving or erratic running.

A counter-irritant administered to ease pain or to treat an ailment.

A person who advises and/or represents the buyer or seller of Thoroughbreds at public auction or private sale.

A means to verify a horse’s parentage.  Blood-typing is usually completed within the first year of a horse’s life, and is required before registration papers will be issued by The Jockey Club.

A short, timed workout, usually 3/8 or 1/2 of a mile in distance, given a day or two before a race to sharpen a horse’s speed.

A bad step away from the starting gate, usually caused by the track surface breaking away under a horse’s hooves, causing it to duck its head or nearly go to its knees.

A condition marked by puffy swelling on the inside and slightly in front of the hock, usually caused by overwork or strain.

The sudden veering from a straight course, usually toward the outside rail.

1) The group of mares bred to a stallion in a given year.  If a stallion attracts the maximum number of mares allowed by the farm manager, he is said to have a "full book."  2) A term used to describe a jockey’s riding commitments with his agent

A Thoroughbred’s breeding or pedigree on the female side; the lower half of an extended pedigree diagram.

A type of tendonitis.  The most common injury to the tendon is a strain or "bowed" tendon, so named because of the appearance of a bow shape due to swelling.

Rubdown liniment used on a horse after a race or workout.

1) To train a young horse, usually beginning late in its yearling year, to wear a bridle and saddle, carry a rider, and to respond to a rider’s commands.  2) To leave from the starting gate.

When a horse suffers a potentially career-ending injury, usually to the leg

A horse is considered to have been bred in the state or country of its birth: "SECRETARIAT was a Virginia-bred."

To work a horse at a moderate speed.

A piece of equipment, usually made of leather or nylon, which fits on a horse’s head and is where the bit and the reins are attached.

A filly or mare that has been bred or has produced foals.

Painful inflammation of the front of the cannon bones to which young horses are particularly susceptible, usually due to stress.

An apprentice rider; see "apprentice."

The best workout time for a particular distance on a given day at a track.  Also known as a "black-letter" work in some parts of the country.

A sac of lubricant fluid which pads, cushions, and facilitates motion between soft tissue and bones, often where tendons and bones meet.

Inflammation of the bursa, due to excess fluid.

Short for phenylbutazone, a non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory medication that is legal in many racing jurisdictions.

A horse put through a public auction that did not reach a minimum (reserve) price set by the consignor and so was retained by the consignor.  Often referred to as RNA (Reserve Not Attained).