What in the world does that mean? How to decipher equestrian language

Equestrians say some strange things. We have our own language that often doesn’t make any sense to anyone except us. Cold backs? Husband horses? Clean legs aren’t the opposite of dirty legs? What the heck does all of this nonsense mean? Too bad Rosetta Stone doesn’t have a “learn to speak equestrian” program. 

If you’re a new equestrian, have no fear, we’re here to help you out. Hearing these strange phrases around the barn can be confusing and really misleading. All in good fun, here are a couple phrases that you had no idea what they were referring to until today: 

“Cold-backed”
You may be thinking- Did someone just ice the horse’s back? 
- Displaying signs of a sore or painful back until muscles warm up with exercise, especially when being saddled or girthed. 
Used in a sentence: He hasn’t been ridden in a while and seemed to avoid the saddle, he is cold-backed”. 

“Made”
You may be thinking- SImilar to the “birds and the bees”? 
- A horse that has been trained for and performs correctly in a certain discipline. 
Used in a sentence: It can be so fun riding a made horse after training inexperienced horses.

“Chrome” 
You may be thinking- Like on a new shiny car?
- White markings on either the legs or face that enhance the movement and initial appearance of the horse. 
Used in a sentence: The horse with 4 socks and a blaze has lots of chrome to get you noticed by the judge at the show. 

“Husband horse”
You may be thinking- Is the horse the husband or...?
- A horse that is not easily spooked and is safe enough to bring your non-equestrian boyfriend or husband out on a trail ride. Not necessarily a school master, but is not spooky.
Used in a sentence: The old gelding in the barn is the husband horse- anyone can hop on and poke around.

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