Raja, Story of a Racehorse

by Anne Hambleton

  Gymnastic: A series of jumps set in a line, usually at one- or two-stride increments, used to teach a horse how to jump, and for honing jumping skills.

  On the Flat: A horse’s work at the walk, trot and canter.

  Dressage: An equestrian discipline that develops, through progressive training, a horse’s natural athletic ability. Dressage horses compete by performing a series of movements in an arena, and are judged on the quality of the horse’s movement, precision and harmony with the rider. See www.usdf.org.

  Aids: The means by which a rider communicates with the horse. Natural aids include hands, seat, legs and voice; artificial aids include spurs and crops.

  In-and-Out: Two or more fences that are placed one, two or more strides apart from one another. Also called a “combination.”

  Jumping faults: Penalty points that are accrued in competition when a horse knocks down a rail or refuses to jump a fence.

  Braiding: Horses’ manes and tails are braided for hunter and equitation classes or other formal events, such as three-phase events, dressage shows or foxhunting.

  Vertical: A jump consisting of one set of standards and a pole or poles.

  On deck: Next to go.

  Half-Halt: A barely visible, almost simultaneous coordinated action of the seat, legs and hand of the rider in order to increase the attention and balance of the horse.

  Jump-off: In jumper classes, when two or more horses do not incur jumping or time faults, they then complete a timed jump-off of a shorter course to determine the winner of the class.

  Chicken Coop: A triangular-shaped obstacle that is built on an A-frame. It is a common obstacle in the hunt field and is usually an inviting, natural jump.

  Figure-eight noseband: A type of noseband that prevents the horse from opening his mouth. The noseband crosses over the nose and attaches in two places, resembling a figure eight.

  Timothy: A type of hay commonly fed to horses.

  Withers: The ridge between the shoulder blades of a four-legged animal. In horses and dogs it is the standard place to measure the animal’s height.

  Timber: Steeplechase races over solid wood fences, usually post-and-rail. The Maryland Hunt Cup and the Virginia Gold Cup are famous timber races.

  Grand Prix: The highest level of show jumping and dressage, typically drawing international-caliber horses and riders.

  Wellington: A major winter showing center for hunter/jumpers (and dressage and polo) in Florida. Wellington hosts a number of Grand Prix jumper events.

  Pull a rail: To knock down a rail.

  Chapter 5: The “A” Circuit

  “A” Circuit: A series of hunter/jumper shows that are rated “A” and sanctioned by the United States Equestrian Federation (see www.usef.org). Shows recognized by the USEF are rated C, B, or A, with A shows most competitive.

  Dropping a horse: To suddenly release rein contact with a horse’s mouth right in front of a fence, thereby throwing the horse off balance.

  Getting left behind: A rider failing to follow the horse in the air as he jumps, throwing the horse off balance and jerking him in the mouth with the reins.

  Hoof dressing: An oil-based liquid that is brushed onto horses’ hooves both to promote hoof health and improve appearance.

  Thrush: A bacteria infection characterized by a foul odor, thrush, or hoof rot, is a condition that develops when the hooves are not cleaned out.

  Medal/Maclay: The USEF Medal and ASPCA Maclay Championships are two prestigious and highly

  competitive national equitation awards for junior riders.

  Big Eq: Slang for horse show equitation classes in which riders show to qualify for national championships, especially USEF Medal and ASPCA Maclay Championships.

  Bowed tendon: An equine leg injury that tears the fibers that make up a horse’s tendon. When the tendon is damaged, it thickens, giving it a bowed appearance.

  Chapter 6: Change of Fortune

  Belgian: A Draft breed. See Draft horse.

  Fetlock: Technically, the term for joints on a horse’s lower leg, often referred to as the “ankle.” The tuft of hair growing near the joint is also called the fetlock.

  Draft horse: Large, strong, heavy-boned horses bred for pulling wagons or farming equipment or logging. Typically characterized as “coldbloods,” draft breeds have been cross-bred to produce sport horses. Draft breeds include Percherons, Belgians, Clydesdales and Shires.

  Chapter 7: The Man in the Cowboy Hat

  Palomino: Palominos have golden coats and light manes and tails.

  Percheron: A Draft breed. See Draft horse.

  Registered Paint: The American Paint Horse is a breed that combines both the conformational characteristics of a stock horse with a spotted Pinto coat pattern of white and dark colors.

  Run for a tag: To enter a horse in a claiming race.

  Claiming race: A type of race in which the horses entered are subject to being purchased, or “claimed,” for a specified price determined in advance of the race.

  Bran mash: An easily digested mixture of bran and other feed, moistened with hot water, often given to horses after a long work or travel day.

  Rolex: Ranked Four stars in difficulty (the most difficult) and held in Kentucky every April, Rolex is the most prestigious three-day event in the United States, typically drawing top international competitors. See Eventing.

  Cross ties: Two ties used to secure a horse for grooming while standing in a stable aisle.

  Steeplechase: A race for Thoroughbred horses requiring them to jump over fences. Steeplechase races are run over hurdles, brush obstacles, or wooden timber fence. See www.nationalsteeplechase.com.

  Grand National: A famous steeplechase race held at Aintree in England each March. The most difficult steeplechase in the world, the race was featured in the 1944 film “National Velvet” starring 12-year-old Elizabeth Taylor.

  Yoke: A neck strap often used while riding racehorses.

  Leg yield: A movement in which a rider uses their leg to move the horse in lateral direction while maintaining forward motion.

  Cross rail: A small X-shaped jump.

  Rain rot: A skin condition caused by bacteria often as a result of improper grooming, or damp conditions.

  Scratches: Also called “mud fever,” scratches is a condition caused by bacteria often as a result of standing in mud. Horses’ lower legs become scabby and inflamed.

  Eventing: A three-phase competition that consists of dressage, stadium jumping (a course over fences in an arena) and cross-country (a course over natural obstacles outside of a ring, including water, ditches and banks). See www.useventing.com

  Northern Dancer: One of the most influential sires in Thoroughbred history, Northern Dancer has produced multiple champion racehorses and outstanding sires.

  Secretariat: Nicknamed “Big Red,” Secretariat won the Triple Crown in 1973, the first to do so in 25 years. Secretariat set course records in the Kentucky Derby and The Belmont Stakes, winning the latter by 31 lengths.

  Hand gallop: A slow gallop.

  Chapter 8: Ten-Foot Cop

  Morgan: An American breed known for their versatility

  and toughness. Morgans were used as cavalry horses during the American Civil war. Morgans are used under saddle for multiple disciplines and for driving.

  Quarter Horse: Originally bred for racing short, quarter-mile distances, the American Quarter Horse is used for all Western disciplines (roping, ranching, barrel racing, reining) and most English ones (eventing, hunter/jumper, foxhunting).

  Clydesdale: A Draft breed. See Draft horse. The Budweiser Clydesdales are famous for pulling the Budweiser wagon in parades, shows and Super Bowl commercials.

  Shoulder-in: A movement in which a horse bends around the riders inside leg, resulting in the horse’s front legs moving on a more inside track than the hindquarters. A shoulder-in encourages suppleness and engagement of the horse’s hind end.

  Cossack: A Slavic people from southern Europe, Russia and Ukrain
e noted for their horsemanship and military skill; Cossacks formed an elite cavalry corps in Czarist Russia.

  Quarter sheet: A wool or fleece horse blanket used while riding in cold weather to protect the horse’s flanks or hindquarters.

  Tying-up: The common term for azoturia, a condition characterized by muscle cramping in a horse’s hindquarters — often caused by not properly cooling a horse down in cold weather.

  Flying-lead changes: Changing the leading leg at the canter without breaking the gait. Lead changes require the horse to balance on its hindquarters and rearrange the order of its front legs.

  Part Three

  Chapter 9: The Ice Storm

  Pony Club: An international youth organization teaching riding, mounted sports, and the care of horses and ponies. Pony Club organizations exist in over thirty countries worldwide. See www.ponyclub.org.

  Racing plates: Light aluminum horse shoes used for racing.

  Chapter 10: The Murphys

  Piebald: A horse with black-and-white coloring.

  Maryland Hunt Cup: An historic and very difficult timber race known for its big fences.

  See: www.marylandsteeplechasing.com.

  Gone to ground: A term describing a fox returning to a den or fox hole.

  Pick-up hounds: Signaling to the hounds that it is time to go home after a day’s hunting.

  Cubbing: The period of the foxhunting season before the formal season. Cubbing usually takes place early in the morning from August to early November.

  Master of Foxhounds (MFH): Masters are typically appointed or elected by the members of a hunt club to lead the club and make the decisions regarding the proper care and handling of hounds, relations with landowners and hunt members and the hunt staff.

  The Meet: The location from which a hunt is set to convene.

  Wool cooler: A light wool blanket used in cold weather to keep a horse warm as it is cooled out after exercising, or dries after being bathed.

  Hurdle race: A steeplechase race over hurdles — fences comprised of a padded roll-top fence topped with plastic “brush” that allows horses to “brush through” while jumping at speed.

  Outrider: A specially trained, mounted race assistant. Outriders lead horses to the start of a race and catch loose, riderless horses.

  Point-to-Point: An early season steeplechase race, typically without purses and organized by a hunt as a fundraiser and community event.

  Judges’ stand: A tower where race officials and judges manage a race meet.

  Turn of foot: An expression describing a sudden burst of speed in a horse.

  Win picture: It is typical to take an official “win picture” after winning a race.

  Chapter 11: Timber!

  To break (in): To train a horse for riding or driving. In company: With other horses.

  Cross/Double bridge: Two terms for holding both reins together in a “bridge” with both hands.

  Hurdle fence: A fence used for hurdle races consisting of a steel frame stuffed with plastic “brush” standing about 4 feet, 6 inches high. A foam-rubber roll, covered with green canvas, is placed on the take-off side. Hurdle fences are more forgiving than timber fences.

  Wing: White plastic “breakaway” or wooden panels on either side of a steeplechase fence.

  Timber fence: Wooden fences constructed of boards, logs or posts and rails. Timber fences are five- to six-panels wide and 3’6” to 4’6” high (Maryland Hunt Cup fences are 4’11”).

  Chapter 12: The Big Sticks

  Timber bandages: Stiff bandages that protect the horse’s hind legs from hitting timber fences.

  Beacon: A flag or cone or other marker designating the race course. Failing to “honor” a beacon will result in elimination and fining for going off-course.

  Cover up: Placing a horse directly behind another horse while racing or galloping in order to slow it down.

  Clipping heels: Galloping so close to a horse in front of you that you interfere with the other horse’s movement. Clipping heels can be very dangerous in a race.

  Sanctioned/Under Rules: Races that are sanctioned by the National Steeplechase Association and run under their regulations.

  Chapter 13: Last Saturday in April

  Mikey Smithwick: Hall-of-Fame steeplechase trainer and winner of a dozen National Steeplechase Association championships. Before becoming a trainer, Smithwick was a top amateur steeplechase jockey and won the Maryland Hunt Cup a record six times.

  Ride through a wing: To intentionally swerve in front of another horse or push the horse over in the air so that the horse is forced to go through the wing.

  To Quarter or “Put someone down”: To intentionally adjust your horse’s speed so that he jumps with another horse next to his hindquarters, causing the other horse to take off early and fall, or be “put down.”

  Colic: Technically, “colic” is a term for any equine stomach/intestinal disorder and can range from impactions, to gas, to intestinal twists. Colic is the number one natural killer of horses.

  Mudder: A racehorse that performs well in muddy conditions.

  Weigh out: To officially weigh for the assigned weight before the race with tack and the correct lead weights if needed.

  Post time: The official assigned time for a race to begin.

  Weigh in: To officially cross the scales after a race in order to ensure that correct weight was carried in the race.

  Steeplechase Times: The leading newspaper covering Steeplechase Racing in the United States.

  See www.st-publishing.com.

  Anne Hambleton Author

  Lifelong horsewoman, retired amateur steeplechase jockey and USPC graduate “A,” Anne Hambleton has been active in a number of equestrian disciplines including Eventing, Jumpers, Polo and Foxhunting. A renewable energy and corporate sustainability consultant, Anne graduated from Middlebury College and The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies. She lives on a farm in Vermont with her family and several ex-racehorses she actively trains and competes. Raja is her first novel.

  Margaret (Peggy) Kauffman Illustrator

  A fine art bronze and pastel sculptor, Peggy Kauffman is internationally known for her portraits of both animals and people. She has completed over seventy-five bronze commissioned portraits. A lifelong horsewoman, Peggy has competed in Eventing at the intermediate level and has spent many years working with Hunter/Jumpers. Peggy has illustrated two published books: The Fox’s Morning by Anne McIntosh and Clayton in the Moonlight by Jessi McQuilkin. Her work has received awards from the American Academy of Equine Art and the Kentucky Derby Museum and has been featured in Spur, Equine Images and Country and Abroad magazines. Peggy studied at Bennett College and at the Maryland Institute in Baltimore. She lives on a farm in Millerton, New York with several ex-racehorses. peggykauffman.com

  Cappy Jackson Cover Photo

  A lifelong horsewoman and USPC graduate “A,” Cappy Jackson has been a professional photographer for more than 40 years. She is best known for award-winning equestrian photography. Her work regularly appears in the pages of Western Horseman, Horse & Rider Magazine and Practical Horseman. Her most recent awards include the 2002 AQHA Photo of the Year and the 2002 Photo of the Year from US Equestrian, Inc. Cappy has a BA from Middlebury College. She lives in Glencoe, MD, where she rides as much as she can. cappyjacksonphotos.com

  Sally Stetson Book Designer

  A graphic designer focusing on print communication and packaging, patterns for fabric and rugs, interior color consulting and print making. Sally is a lifelong animal lover and currently owns three rescue dogs and three event horses in various stages! She and her husband live on a ranch in Stowe, Vermont and spend as much time as possible working from Southern Pines, NC when the snow starts to fly so she can continue training. sallystetson.com

 

 

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