Amateur:  One who rides or drives for the love of the sport and not as a profession or for profit.

Appointments:  Correct saddles, bridles, harnesses, vehicles, and equipment, standardized by custom and used with different types of horses.

Posting:  Most riders move up and down in the saddle when riding at a trot, making for a more comfortable ride for both horse and rider.

Quarter Boots:  The white protective boots worn by five-gaited horses to prevent injury to the front feet due to overreaching by the hind feet. Historically, fine harness horses were also five-gaited but now wear quarter boots because of tradition.

Bike:  The modern racing sulky with two bicycle-type wheels to which a roadster horse is driven at trotting or pacing gaits, though only the trot is acceptable at most horse shows.

Habit:  Refers to the clothing worn by the rider or driver, standardized by custom according to the time of day and type of horse.

Conformation:  The physical characteristics of a horse as compared to an ideal perfect specimen of a particular breed.

Hand:  The unit by which the height of a horse is measured. A hand is equal to four inches.

Gait:  A gait is the manner of locomotion of an animal, the way it moves. Most horses walk, trot, canter. American Saddlebreds have inherited the ability to learn the lateral gaits, the slow gait and the rack.

Slow Gait:  One of the gaits of the five-gaited horse, the slow gait is sometimes called a "stepping pace" which means that two legs on the same side of the animal move simultaneously, but the hind foot contacts the ground slightly before the front foot. The slow gait is the precursor to the rack.

Road Gait:  A moderately rapid trot performed by the road horse (roadster) at a speed designed to cover long distance without unduly tiring the horse.

Rack: The ability to learn the most exciting gait of the five-gaited horse was inherited by the American Saddlebred from its ancestor, the Naragansett Pacer. Each foot hits the ground separately in a four-beat cadence. The rack should be performed at speed and is comfortable for the rider.

Canter:  A three-beat gait; a slow, collected gallop, natural to the American Saddlebred.

Square:  Referring to the gaits of the horse which must be even, natural, balanced, and true.

Walk-Trot: Another term for the three-gaited Saddlebred as distinguished from the five-gaited horse; walk-trot horses must perform the canter.

Seat and Hands:  A term referring to the ability of a rider to sit in the saddle with grace and control of the mount; described as "good seat" and/or "good hands."

In-Hand:  Horses which are led in competition rather than ridden or driven are shown "in-hand." They are judged for conformation standing still and are then led at a trot to show way of going and action.

Ribbon Colors:  First place, blue; second, red; third, yellow; fourth, white; fifth, pink; sixth, green; seventh, purple; eighth, brown.

Recognized Show:  Refers to the official recognition of a horse show by the American Horse Shows Association, the governing body for U.S. horse shows.

Stake:  A class which is preliminary to a championship class or may be a championship class itself.

Strip:  Removing the saddle from the horse, to allow the judge to check the conformation.

Tie:  The rating given to the horse by the judge in a class as first, second, etc.

Junior Horse:  Any horse four years old and under.

Junior Exhibitor:  Any rider 17 years older or younger.

Ladies' Class:  Any event in a horse show in which the horses are exhibited only by ladies riding mares or geldings. Stallions are not allowed.

Open Class:  A class in which any horse or a specified breed is eligible, regardless of age, sex, number of first place ribbons, or the amateur or professional status of the rider or driver.

CH:  The prefix CH added to a horse's name indicates the animal has been certified an official Champion by the American Saddlebred Horse Association. CH means "champion" and becomes an actual part of the horse's registered name after 15 points have been earned in recognized competition. This is a part of ASHA's Saddlebred Record program, established to identify successful breeding combinations.

Reserve Champion:  In a championship class, the second place winner is designated as "reserve champion."

GN:  Used as a suffix following the name of the horse, indicating the horse has been recorded in the Grand National program and is eligible to receive added money in Grand National classes.