Identifying a horse
Our horse is a bay gelding. But what does this really mean?
- The horse's colour is bay
- The term gelding means that the horse is a castrated male.
You may need to know more information such as:
- The points of a horse
- Descriptions of the common colours of horses
- Any other distinguishing features that could be used to identify the horse if there is more than one bay horse in the stable. For example heights, brands, markings.
For more information about general racing terminology go to the Resource Centre.
Did you know?
The terms used to describe the side of the horse near side and off side are believed to come from old English when riders carried a sword to protect themselves.
As most people were right-handed they carried their sword on their left hip. It was easier then to mount their horse from the horse's left side (or in horse terminology the near side) rather than from the horse's right side (or off-side).
Click NEXT to learn about points of a horse.
