- P
- Pace
- The pace is a two-beat gait where the horse moves both legs on the same side together.
- Pacifiers
- Head hood with gauze eye covers to calm nervous horses.
- Pacing
- Pacing is a 'lateral' gait in which the horse moves the legs on the same side back and forward together. Most pacers wear hopples - straps connecting the legs on the same side.
- Palomino
- A horse body colour in which the body coat is golden with flaxen or white mane and tail. White markings are permitted on the legs, but must not extend beyond the knees or hocks. A small amount of white is also permitted on the face.
- Parti-coloured
- Greyhounds with large areas of white and another colour. The can be further classified by the colour that they carry, eg a fawn parti-colour, black parti-colour.
- Partitions
- Dividers that separate animals in transport vehicles.
- Pecking order
- Similar to the term hierarchy, it refers to the way that animals will decide who the boss is and who are the followers in the herd; sometimes there will be a fight to decide who is higher up the ranking. See hierarchy.
- Pedal bone
- It is the third bone in the foot of the horse.
- Performance criteria
- The part of a competency standard specifying the required level of performance in terms of a set of outcomes which need to be achieved in order to be deemed competent.
- Permanent scar
-
An area, anywhere on the body, head or legs that has been damaged in such a way that the hair and or skin is no longer normal. Hair may no longer grow at all or it may lose the pigment and appear white, the skin may have a hard or raised area of tissue.
- Personal protective equipment (PPE)
- To protect yourself from injury or illness at work it is necessary in some tasks to wear personal protective equipment (PPE). This can include: boots, helmets or skull caps, safety vests, eye protection, ear protection, reflective vests, sun protection. PPE should be worn at all times - specific to the requirements of the job you are doing.
- Personal space
- Everyone has a distance around them that they feel comfortable for other people / horses / greyhounds to stand in. If a person or animal gets too close an animal or person may feel threatened or uncomfortable. This is known as personal space.
- Pied
- A coat colour that includes areas of white and another colour that is recognised by the Australian Trotting Stud Book.
- Pied / skewbald
- The horse's body coat shows large areas without pigment, alternating with areas showing any of the basic colours. Horses previously called piebald or skewbald can be described as pied black, pied brown, pied bay etc.
- Poll
- The top of a horse's skull which is a small bump between the horse's ears.
- Pony
- A small horse less than 14.2 hands. Lead ponies are used with young horses to help educate them.
- Portfolio of Evidence
- Is a physical or electronic collection of materials that demonstrate students' knowledge, skills and competencies. These materials are called evidence.
- Predators
- An animal that hunts another animal as a source of food is called a predator.
- Prerequisite
- In vocational education and training a requirement for admission to a particular course or module, eg satisfactory completion of a specific subject or course, at least five years in the workforce, etc.
- Pre-training
- The work done to prepare a horse prior to starting intensive training is known as pre-training. This is the initial legging-up work done to start the horse's fitness program.
- Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act
- This is the legislation that describes what is considered to be cruel treatment of animals. It includes descriptions on housing, work, feed and health care requirements for animals. It also outlines the penalties that can be imposed if a person is found guilty of cruelty.
- Prophet's thumb
-
An indentation in the muscle. It can occur anywhere on the body and neck of the horse. Many horses are born with these but they can sometimes occur due to an injury. They are permanent markings that can help to identify a particular horse.
It is called a prophet's thumb because it is often the size and shape of a thumbprint. Bedouins believed that the prophet Mohammed had identified certain horses a special by placing his mark on them before they were born.
- Q
- Qualification certificate
- Awarded to a person on successful completion of a course in recognition of having achieved particular knowledge, skills or competencies. See also competency.
- R
- Racebook
- The book prepared for each race day which provides information on the runners, their recent form, who the trainer / driver / rider is and the barrier or box drawn.
- Race kennel
- The area where a greyhound is housed at a racetrack prior to racing.
- Range of variables
- Also called range statement, are the part of a competency standard which specifies the range of contexts and conditions to which the performance criteria apply.
- Rearing bit
-
A piece of equipment used to restrain a horse. It is a bit used to discourage horses from rearing and for leading horses that get excited.
It is different from many other bits because it is designed for leading a horse rather than for riding / driving. The bit is roughly heart-shaped and is clipped to the headcollar to prevent the bit exerting too much leverage on the jaw.
- Recognition of Current Competencies (RCC)
- Recognition of Current Competencies (or RCC) means the acknowledgement of competencies currently held by a person, acquired through training, work or life experience. More commonly known as recognition of prior learning.
- Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
- Recognition of Prior Learning (or RPL) means the acknowledgement of a person's skills and knowledge acquired through previous training, work or life experience, which may be used to grant status or credit in a subject or course.
- Red fawn
- A greyhound body colour in which the body coat is fawn with a red tinge. This colour can be classified as red fawn or dark red fawn.
- Reef knot
- A flat knot that is designed not to slip. This means that the knot won't get looser or tighter.
- Registration
- In some racing codes people (owners, trainers, stable / kennel hands, bookmakers, bookmaker's clerks) and / or animals are registered to participate in racing. In other codes people may be licensed to participate.
- Registration certificate
- A registration certificate is provided as proof that a person or animal is entitled to participate in racing.
- Registered Training Organisation (or RTO)
-
Registered Training Organisation (or RTO) is an organisation registered by a state or territory recognition authority to deliver training and / or conduct assessments and issue nationally recognised qualifications in accordance with the Australian Quality Training Framework.
RTOs include:
- TAFE colleges and institutes
- adult and community education providers
- private providers
- community organisations
- schools
- higher education institutions
- commercial and enterprise training providers
- industry bodies and other organisations meeting the registration requirements.
- Regurgitate
- To bring up to the mouth (from the stomach) partly digested food. A mother may regurgitate food to feed puppies who are not yet ready to chew raw meat for instance.
- Reinsman
- Reinswoman
- Another term for driver.
- Respiratory disease
- Any disease that affects any part of body system that inhales or converts air. This includes the nose, trachea and lungs.
- Restraint
- A piece of equipment or method used to control or restrict the movement of the horse or greyhound.
- Rhabdomyolosis
-
Is a breakdown of striated muscles after exercise. Also known as tying-up disease. Rhabdomyolosis may result in soreness in the gluteal muscles, a painful and stiff gait, or simply a decrease in performance. The causes may include limited exercise combined with a high energy diet, nervousness or excitement or simply putting the horse in a stressful environment such as trailer loading, new locations or loading into a starting gate or chute.
- Rhodesian Ridgeback
- A breed of dog characterised by its golden colour and hair set down the centre of its back.
- Ringworm
- A fungal infection that affects the skin.
- Risk assessment matrix
-
A workplace health and safety risk management approach that helps to assess the likelihood and potential consequences of potential hazards in the workplace. Refer to the Safety Guidelines Manual in the Resources Centre for more information.
- Risk management
-
In OH&S risk management is the systematic application of management policies, procedures and practices to the tasks of identifying, analysing, evaluating, treating and monitoring risk.
- Roan
- A horse body colour in which the base coat colour is permanent, not changing with age and the body coat is a fairly even mixture of coloured and white hairs. The white hairs are not present to any extent on the face, lower parts of the leg or in the mane and tail. The colour of the mane, tail and points is that of the basic coat colour. As roan is superimposed on one of the basic colours it can be described as roan black, roan chestnut etc.
- Roman nose
- A nose that is convex or has a prominent outwards curve.
- Rope / chain across nose
- A chain or rope can be threaded over the noseband of the headcollar to provide extra control of the head. This is effective for horses that want to push past their strapper or if you need to keep the head still for treatment.
- Rug
- A cover used on horses for protection from the weather or to keep them warm.
- Rug
- A covering for a greyhound bearing a number and color corresponding to its starting box position. A rug is also a covering that can be used to provide extra warmth in the kennels or when travelling.
- Rules of Racing
- Official set of rules that govern racing nationally and locally for all codes.
