A

AGE
For purposes of race restrictions, every thoroughbred in the Northern Hemisphere has the same birthday, January 1. Therefore, a foal born in February and a foal born in June, even though separated by four months, both become one-year old (or yearlings) on the preceeding January 1. Foals born in the Southern Hemisphere become one-year old on July 1 or August 1 depending on the country.

B

BABY
Catch-all phrase to describe any horse two-years old or less. On breeding farms, commonly used to describe suckling foals. At racetracks and training centers, used to describe yearlings and young two-year olds going through breaking and initial stages of training.

BABY RACE
A race for two-year olds, usually a "trial race" or short sprint early in the year.

BARREN
A mare who has been bred but is not pregnant.

BIO-MECHANICS
See Bio-mechanics page.

BODY LENGTH
Length of the neck, plus length of shoulder to ischium.

BOTTOM LINE
A horse's maternal lineage - dam, granddam, great-granddam, etc. and families produced by these dams.

BRED
When referring to a stallion or mare, signifies participation in sexual intercourse. When referring to a horse, yearling, weanling, or foal, often combined with their location of birth (i.e. Florida-bred) to signify the state in which the horse was actually born.

BREEDER
With the exception of special arrangements, generally refers to a person who owns a mare at the time she foals.

BREEDERS' CUP
A series of special stake races funded through payments by breeders and stallion owners. Breeders' Cup Day usually occurs in early November and features 8 extremely high-quality races that frequently help determine American Championship honors.

BROODMARE
A female horse who has produced a foal.

BROODMARE SIRE
The maternal grandfather of a horse.

C

CLASSIC RACE
A race with a long tradition and of paramount importance for a country's three-year olds.

COLT
A male horse under five years of age who has not bred a mare and has two normal, descended testicles.

CONFORMATION
The physical structure of a thoroughbred.

CORRECT
Used to describe a thoroughbred of good conformation.

CROP
A set of foals born in a given year.

D

DAM'S SIRE
(See BROODMARE SIRE)

DERBY
A stakes race restricted to three-year olds.

DISTAFF
Female line of the family.

E

ECLIPSE AWARD
Year-end championship honors given in America to horses (and some people) of different divisions.

ELITE HORSE
A horse possessing Grade 1, Classic, or Champion potential.

EMPTY
Condition of a filly or mare who has been bred and failed to conceive.

F

FILLY
A female horse, four-years old or less that has not been bred.

FRESHMAN SIRE
A stallion the year in which his eldest crop is two-year olds.

FULL BROTHER (SISTER)
Siblings sharing the same sire and dam.

G

GELDING
A male horse who has been emasculated.

GENERAL COMBINING ABILITY
Horse's ability to cross (mate) with other thoroughbreds and be able to produce similar positive characteristics.

GENETIC ANALYSIS
Traces both Sire and Dam lineage using the 64-Horse pedigree to determine consistency, quality, and class of families.

H

HALF-BROTHER (SISTER)
Horses having the same dam but different sires.

HETEROGENOUS
Having an inconsistent characteristic and trait throughout.

HOMOGENOUS
Having a uniform (same), consistent characteristic, composition, or structure throughout (bio-mechanical in relation to GDT).

I

INBREEDING
Common ancestors within a horse's pedigree.

IN FOAL
A mare that is pregnant.

J

JUVENILE
A two-year old horse.

L

LEVERAGE
Mechanical advantage of a horse, which provides energy and power for the horse.

LINEAGE
Line of descent from an ancestor.

M

MAIDEN
In reference to a racing stock, a racehorse who has yet to win a race. In reference to breeding stock, a filly or mare who has yet to be bred.

MARE
A female horse who has been bred or is five-years old or older.

MATE
The cognitive act of planning to breed a stallion and a mare.

O

OAKS
A stakes race restricted to three-year old fillies.

P

PEDIGREE
The recorded lineage of a subject thoroughbred.

PINHOOK
To buy a horse with the intent of reselling it within a relatively short period of time (less than a year).

POINT OF GRAVITY
(Soundness) Balance of a horse in relation to gravity with its mass.

PROGENY
The offspring of a subject horse.

R

RIDGLING
A male horse with an undescended testicle.

S

SECOND DAM
A horse's maternal grandmother.

SCOPE
Endoscopic examination of a horse's trachea and upper respiratory tract, frequently done before purchasing horses at auction.

SIRE
A stallion who has had live offspring.

SOPHOMORE
A three-year old horse.

STAKES HORSE
A horse that is competitive running in stakes races.

STAKES RACE
Generally a higher-quality race for which nomination fees are frequently required.

STAKES PLACED
A horse which has finished first, second, or third in a stakes race.

STALLION
A male horse that has bred.

SUMMER SALES
Yearling sales which occur in July and August, most of which attract horses of exceptional pedigree and conformation.

SYMMETRY ANALYSIS
Exact correspondence between both sides of the family, Sire and Dam; to see uniform pattern on either side of the family.

T

THOROUGHBRED POPULATION
Total number of horses that make-up our database (more than 50,000).

U

ULTRASOUND
Sonographic examination frequently used for checking a mare reproductive status and heat cycle.

W

WEANLING
A young horse less than one-year old (see also age) who has been separated from its dam.

S

XRAY
Examination frequently done of joints of young horses being sold.

Y

YEARLING
A horse between its first and second birthdays (see also age).

Cecil Seaman & Co., LLC | PO Box 11370 | Lexington, KY 40575
Phone: 859-293-0561 | e-mail: office@cecilseaman.com