Hack Class: a flat class

Hackamore: a device to guide a horse without a bit, in effect a bitless bridle. A bridle featuring a nosepiece, instead of a bit to control the horse.Americanization of jaquima, which is Spanish for the composite of a bosal, fiador, headstall, and mecate

Half-bred: the progeny of two different breeds of horse, for example: a Thoroughbred crossed with an Irish horse would be a half-bred

Half Hitch: a knot, also called a "hooey"

Half-Pass: variation of travers, executed on the diagonal instead of along the wall. The horse should be nearly parallel to the long sides of the arena, with the forehand slightly in advance of the haunches

Halter Class: conformation class

Halter Pulling: a bad habit in which a horse pulls violently backward on the halter rope when tied

Halter: harness that fits over the horse's head by which it may be tied or handled

Hame Strap: a short strap which connects the right and left hames together on top and bottom

Hame: metal or wooden curved piece to fit the collar on a draft harness

Hand Breeding: breeding a mare to a stallion under controlled conditions

Handicap: race where the racing secretary or track handicapper assigns the weights to be carried

Handily: working or racing with moderate effort, but more effort than breezing

Handily: the total amount of money wagered. This term could refer to a particular race, day or season

Hand Ride: the jockey urges a horse with the hands and arms without using the whip

Hands: the unit of measuring a horse. One hand is equal to 4 inches. Horses are measured in hands and inches, so, for example, a horse that is 15.2 hh is 15 hands and two inches high

Hand-Twitch: using your hand to hold the horse's nose (as a twitch)

Handy: prompt and athletic in response to the rider

Hard Keeper: an animal that requires more than the usual amount of food to stay in good condition

Hard Trot: slang term referring to all of the mutations of the fox trot or another gait that result in a rough ride for the rider i.e., long trot, cow trot, and square trot

Harem: a band of a few mares that a stallion presides over in the wild

Harness Horse: a horse used for driving in harness rather than under saddle

Haunches: hindquarters

Haylage: silage made from hay or grass, often referred to as "grass silage"

Head of the Stretch: beginning of the straight run for the finish

Head Shy: description of a horse who shies away from having his head touched

Header: in team roping, this rider ropes the steer's horns

Headstalls: another name for bridles

Heart Girth: the measurement taken around the horse's barrel just behind the front legs

Heat: the time in the mare's breeding cycle when she is "hot" or receptive to the stallion

Heating: temperature rises as hay or fodder ferments, dries, or cures

Heaves: damage to the lungs, resulting in labored breathing

Heavy: condition of track when wet similar to muddy but slower

Heavy Horse: a horse of big, muscular build, often tall, very strong, and best suited to heavy transportation, forestry, or agricultural work

Herbivorous: plant-eating

Heeler: in team roping, this rider ropes the steer's heels

Herd-Bound: when a horse is too dependent on being with other horses and doesn't want to be separated from them

High Lope: a gallop

High School/Haute Ecole: advanced dressage movements; the art of classical equitation

High-Set Tail: a horse with a tail starting high on the hindquarters; they tend to often carry the tail high and this can often be quite eye-catching

Hindquarters: the area of the body from the flank backward to the start of the tail

Hobbles: rope, cloth, or leather loops that fasten the forelegs together

Hock: tarsal joint between the tibia and cannon, corresponding to human heel

Hogback: three-rail jump with the center element the highest

Hogged: referring to the mane, when it has been removed by clipping or shaving

Hogtie: to tie three legs with a narrow rope

Hollow Back: a back which is unduly dipped

Homestretch: the stretch of track from the final turn to the finish line

Hondo: the eye on the end of a rope that forms the loop. Also called "honda"

Honest: a quality in a horse which makes him dependable and predictable

Hooey: a half-hitch knot

Hoof Dressing: a preparation designed to be applied to the hoof either for conditioning or for appearance

Hoof Horn: hard, slightly elastic horny material which forms the protective outer wall of the foot

Hoof Packing: material, usually claylike, to be applied to the bottom of the horse's hoof

Hoof Pick: a metal one-tined "rake" to clean debris from a horse's hoof

Hoof Testers: plier-like pincers, designed for applying local pressure to various areas of the horse's hoof

Hoof: the hard horny covering of the horse's foot

Horn: the highest part of the pommel, of the western saddle, around which the rider can dally a rope

Horse: an equine usually over 14.2 hands in height; the term applied to an un-castrated horse that is five years old or more

Horse Birthday: all horses become one year older on January 1 of each year for purposes of competition

Horse Identifier: the person who checks the lip tattoo of each horse as they enter the paddock to make sure the correct horses are running in the race

Horsemanship: exhibition of a rider's skill, usually referring to the Western style of riding

Horsing: a filly or mare in heat

Hot Horse: a horse sweaty, warm, and puffing from a recent workout; also a slang term for a horse who may be hard to handle or temperamental

Hot Blood: hot bloods are horses of desert or steppe ancestry, that evolved in hot, dry climates. Normally taken as being the pure Thoroughbred or Arabian breeds

Hot Walker: someone who walks horses to cool them out after workouts or races

Humane Twitch: a clamp-type twitch

Hung: a horse holding the same position, unable to make up distance on the winner

Hunter: a type of horse, not a breed, which is suitable for field hunting or show hunting

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