The white horse of Diaz de Bivar (d. 1099) the Spanish El Cid. Made famous in verse, legend and in a Hollywood film.
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Jan
Back at the knee
A fault in the forelegs, in which the lower limbs below the knee, when viewed from the side, tends to be concave. Also known as calf-knee and buck-knee. Unfavourable because the limb would be of little use in absorbing concussion.
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Contributors:
Jan
Back Blood or Back-Breeding
An old term applied to a hereditary trait in any particular family of horses, which is liable to influence constitution and conformation of following generations.
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Contributors:
Jan
Back Strap
The term sometimes used to denote the Backband. Strips of leather covering the back seams of a pair of boots.
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Contributors:
Jan
Backband
A strap going over or through the pad and carrying the weight of the shafts or traces.
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Contributors:
Jan
Backgammon Board
An old term for a seat on the roof at the rear of a coach.
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Contributors:
Jan
Backhander
Old term for hitting a horse with the whip in the carrying position.
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Jan
Backing
A stage in the breaking of a horse, where a rider sits on the horse for the first time, to accustom him to the weight of a rider.
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Contributors:
Jan
Badminton
(Badminton House, Gloucestershire, the ancestral home of the Dukes of Beaufort). The name is synonymous with the very soul of three-day eventing. It was here in 1949, that the first three-day Olympic horse-trials took place in Great Britain.
Winners from 1949 - 1959.
1949 - Mr J Shedden riding Golden Willow
1950 - Capt. J A Collings riding Remus
1951 - Capt. H Schwarzenbach riding Vae Victus (Switzerland) * 1952 - Capt. M A Q Darley riding Emily Little
1953 - Maj. L Rook riding Starlight
1954 - Miss M Hough riding Bambi
1955 - Maj. F W C Weldon riding Kilbarry
1956 - Lt. Col F W C Weldon riding Kilbarry
1957 - Miss Sheila Wilcox riding High and Mighty
1958 - Miss Sheila Wilcox riding High and Mighty
1959 - Mrs Sheila Waddington riding Airs and Graces
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Contributors:
Jan
Bag
Before foaling the mammary glands of a mare enlarge.
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Jan
Baghide
Old word given to cowhide which has an imprint or pattern on it to cover the imperfections of the hide. It is used for three fold (baghide) girths.
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Contributors:
Jan
Baily's Hunting Directory
The annual directory of the hunts on the British Isles and overseas.
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Contributors:
Jan
Bainconi Car
A public passenger vehicle of large capacity, used in place of stagecoaches in Ireland before the advent of the railways. It was a four wheeled vehicle with sideways facing seating and drawn by a team or unicorn. Introduced and popularised by an Italian who gave it his name.
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Maisie
Bait
Old word - when a horse is stood in a stable for a period during the day, and provided with food, it is said to be 'at bait'.
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Contributors:
Jan
Balance
Distribution of weight between horse and rider. A horse is said to be balanced when his own weight and that of his rider is equally distributed over all four feet.
