Medical Terminology

Front 1

a means for measuring height of horses; one hand equals 4 inches.

Back 1

Hands

Front 2

base of the neck

Back 2

Withers

Front 3

small breeds usually less than 8.2 hands

Back 3

Miniature breeds

Front 4

small breeds of horses usually between 8.2 and 14.2 hands, a horse for a child

Back 4

Pony

Front 5

breeds of horses intermediate in size and stature, usually more than 14.2 hands

Back 5

Light

Front 6

large breed usually over 17 hands, also a body type such as draft pony or draft mule

Back 6

Draft

Front 7

large breeds of horses that usually have slower physiological functions than light breeds

Back 7

Cold blooded

Front 8

group of horses with faster physiological functions that others

Back 8

Hot blooded

Front 9

group of horses exhibiting some characteristics of both cold and hot blooded horses.

Back 9

Warm blooded

Front 10

the term for a young male horse; sometimes used for a newborn of either sex.

Back 10

Colt

Front 11

a young female horse

Back 11

Filly

Front 12

a mature female horse >2 yrs

Back 12

Mare

Front 13

uncastrated male >3yrs

Back 13

Stallion

Front 14

castrated male

Back 14

Gelding

Front 15

a mare that has not had a foal, or a race horse of either sex that has not won a race.

Back 15

Maiden

Front 16

equipment and saddlery used with horses

Back 16

Tack

Front 17

a horse rider

Back 17

Equestrian

Front 18

indicator of success in competition, as in riding or driving

Back 18

Performance

Front 19

the basic headgear used for restraint, also used in confirmation competition classes

Back 19

Halter

Front 20

equine competitive events that are judged primarily on the rider’s abilities

Back 20

Equitation

Front 21

three activities (dressage, cross-country, jumping) completed in 1 to 3 days

Back 21

3-day eventing –

Front 22

an equestrian sport that originated in Persia, probably the most ancient goal game

Back 22

Polo

Front 23

exhibition of cowboy skills

Back 23

Rodeo

Front 24

equestrian events emphasizing speed, action, and activity; games on horseback

Back 24

Gymkhana

Front 25

an accumulation of sweat on the horse’s body

Back 25

Lathered

Front 26

elevated body temperature

Back 26

Hyperthermia

Front 27

a 4 beat gait with equal intervals between the beats, slowest gait and the one the horse uses most often

Back 27

Walk

Front 28

a medium fast 2 beat gait in which the diagonal feet strike the ground at the same time

Back 28

Trot

Front 29

medium 2 beat gait in which the legs on the same side of the body strike the ground at the same time

Back 29

Pace

Front 30

the horse’s fastest gait

Back 30

Gallop

Front 31

progeny, offspring

Back 31

Get

Front 32

a stallion being used primarily for breeding is said to sand at stud

Back 32

Stand at stud –

Front 33

mare used primarily for reproductive purposes

Back 33

Broodmare

Front 34

horse used to determine which mares are in estrus (heat)

Back 34

Teaser

Front 35

act of determining which mares are in estrus (heat)

Back 35

Teasing

Front 36

normal mating, as opposed to artificial insemination

Back 36

Natural cover –

Front 37

swelling of the mammary glands or udder before foaling

Back 37

Bagging up –

Front 38

first estrus after foaling, usually in 7 to 12 days after foaling

Back 38

Foal heat –

Front 39

estrus that occurs approximately 30 days after foaling

Back 39

30-day heat –

Front 40

area used for holding, exercising, or enclosing horses (paddock)

Back 40

Corral

Front 41

area used for holding, exercising, or enclosing horses (corral)

Back 41

Paddock

Front 42

barn or groups of barns where horses are stabled at the racetrack

Back 42

Shedrow

Front 43

enclosure in a stable or barn where the horse can move freely without being tied in one place.

Back 43

Box stall –

Front 44

a stall in which the horse is tied in place and cannot move about

Back 44

Tie, slip, or standing stall –

Front 45

large enclosed area used for exhibitions or exercise (indoor or outdoor)

Back 45

Arena

Front 46

cheek side of the teeth

Back 46

Buccal

Front 47

tongue side of the teeth

Back 47

Lingual

Front 48

filing or removing the points on the teeth

Back 48

Floating

Front 49

a strap, rope, or chain attached to the halter and used to lead the horse

Back 49

Lead shank –

Front 50

left side of the horse, usually the side from which the horse is led or mounted.

Back 50

Near side –

Front 51

right side of the horse, the side not usually used for leading the horse or mounting into the saddle

Back 51

Far side –

Front 52

means of restraint in horses, often by using a device twisted on the upper lip or muzzle

Back 52

Twitch

Front 53

the part of the horse’s tack that is placed on its head for riding or driving

Back 53

Bridle

Front 54

the part of the bridle that goes in the horse’s mouth

Back 54

Bit

Front 55

equipment used to attach a horse or horses to carts, wagons, sulkies, or sleighs

Back 55

Harness

Front 56

a person who has been trained to trim hooves and make horseshoes, commonly called a blacksmith, smithy, or horseshoer

Back 56

Farriers

Front 57

soft portion of the underside of the hoof

Back 57

Frog

Front 58

bacterial infection of the frog in the hoof

Back 58

Thrush

Front 59

bacteria caused neurologic disease leading to muscle rigidity; often called lockjaw

Back 59

Tetanus

Front 60

life threatening, virus caused brain and spinal cord infection often called sleeping sickness

Back 60

Eastern or western encephalomyelitis –

Front 61

herpes virus caused respiratory disease or abortion

Back 61

Rhinopneumonitis

Front 62

common virus caused respiratory disease

Back 62

Influenza

Front 63

fatal virus-caused neurologic disease

Back 63

Rabies

Front 64

fever and diarrheal disease with bacterial origin

Back 64

Potomac horse fever –

Front 65

virus caused vascular inflammation with multisystemic clinical signs

Back 65

Equine viral arthritis –

Front 66

life-threatening viral anemia, sometimes called swamp fever

Back 66

Equine infectious anemia –

Front 67

federally recognized serum test for equine infectious anemia

Back 67

Coggins test –

Front 68

abdominal pain

Back 68

Colic

Front 69

asthma like disease commonly called heaves

Back 69

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) –

Front 70

increased abdominal musculature associated with the extra effort of expiration in horses with heaves or COPD

Back 70

Heave line –

Front 71

inflammation of the in the foot

Back 71

Laminitis

Front 72

fingers of tissue that attach the hoof to the underlying structures of the foot

Back 72

Laminae

Front 73

common term for chronic laminitis

Back 73

Founder

Front 74

veterinarians whose practice is limited primarily to the horse

Back 74

Equine practitioners –

Front 75

progeny resulting from mating two different species

Back 75

Hybrids

Front 76

increase in vitality resulting from mating of unrelated animals; hybrid offspring usually perform better than either parent

Back 76

Hybrid vigor –

Front 77

dairy and beef cattle that are bred and used for both milk and meat production

Back 77

Dual purpose –

Front 78

heart girth and barrel; large heart girth means larger heart and lung and greater feed capacity

Back 78

Body capacity –

Front 79

circumference around thoracic cavity; measurement of heart and lung capacity; also used as indicator of animal’s weight

Back 79

Heart girth –

Front 80

circumference of abdominal region; used as indication of feed capacity

Back 80

Barrel

Front 81

organ of milk production of cow; made up of two mammary glands and four teats

Back 81

Udder

Front 82

after slaughter, dressed (head, blood, hide, and offal removed) body of beef animal

Back 82

Carcass

Front 83

uncastrated male

Back 83

Bull

Front 84

young bovine, male or female less then 1 year of age

Back 84

Calf

Front 85

mature female that has given birth and is lactating

Back 85

Cow

Front 86

female that is old enough to breed but has not yet calved

Back 86

Heifer

Front 87

castrated male

Back 87

Steer

Front 88

profuse diarrhea, most commonly seen in young calves

Back 88

Scours

Front 89

open stall system of rearing beef cattle

Back 89

Free stall –

Front 90

restraint device that secures cattle around neck

Back 90

Stanchion

Front 91

feeding beef cattle high-quality feed before slaughter to increase carcass quality and yield

Back 91

Finishing

Front 92

Cud-chewing animal with four-compartment stomach

Back 92

Ruminant

Front 93

ball of food or large pill

Back 93

Bolus

Front 94

process of regurgitating food (bolus) from rumen for remastication

Back 94

Rumination

Front 95

open area of grazing land where beef cattle harvest natural feed

Back 95

Range

Front 96

amount of food animal eats in 24-hour period

Back 96

Ration

Front 97

feedstuffs that are high in fiber and low in total digestible nutrients

Back 97

Roughage

Front 98

cattle feed (roughage) produced by fermenting chopped whole corn plants or mixed pasture grasses

Back 98

Silage

Front 99

removal of calf from cow so it can no longer nurse

Back 99

Wean

Front 100

restraint device used to effectively restrain cattle so that procedures can be performed

Back 100

Squeeze chute –

Front 101

distal part of bovine tail, consisting of long, coarse hairs

Back 101

Switch

Front 102

specialized cells that form horns of cattle

Back 102

Corium

Front 103

surgical castration instrument that both crushes and cuts spermatic cord

Back 103

Emasculator

Front 104

bloodless castration device that crushes spermatic cord without breaking skin

Back 104

Burdizzo emasculatome –

Front 105

bloodless castration device using small bands

Back 105

Elastrator

Front 106

mechanical device, either metal or plastic, used to pill large animals

Back 106

Balling gun –

Front 107

those in excess of regular number of four teats

Back 107

Supernumerary teats –

Front 108

infectious and contagious inflammation of mammary gland (udder)

Back 108

Mastitis

Front 109

period of time cow is producing milk

Back 109

Lactation

Front 110

period between conception and parturition

Back 110

Gestation

Front 111

act of introducing semen into female’s genital tract by use of mechanical methods

Back 111

Artificial insemination (AI) –

Front 112

cow or heifer in estrus that will stand to be mounted by bull or another female

Back 112

Standing heat –

Front 113

cow that is not lactating; usually last 60 days of gestation in dairy cows

Back 113

Dry period –

Front 114

beginning of lactating cycle immediately after parturition

Back 114

Freshen

Front 115

paralytic disease following parturition associated with lack of calcium in blood

Back 115

Milk fever –

Front 116

metal cup with a black or screened lid; used for detection mastitis

Back 116

Strip cup –

Front 117

hormone produced by pituitary gland ; responsible for milk letdown and uterine contractions

Back 117

Oxytocin

Front 118

contagious disease of bovine causing abortion late in pregnancy

Back 118

Brucellosis

Front 119

test for bovine mastitis; measures number of somatic cells and leukocytes

Back 119

California mastitis test –

Front 120

infectious disease of young cattle causing profuse diarrhea

Back 120

Bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) –

Front 121

bacterial disease of cattle causing abortion and infertility; also called vibriosis

Back 121

Campylobacteriosis

Front 122

acute infectious disease that causes abortion storms and subacute febrile illness

Back 122

Leptospirosis

Front 123

viruses that cause diarrhea in young calves

Back 123

Rotavirus and Corona virus –

Front 124

normal inhabitant of intestinal flora; pathogenic form causes epidemic diarrhea in newborn calves

Back 124

E. coli –

Front 125

genus of spore-forming, anaerobic bacteria; can cause tetanus, blackleg, and enterotoxemia in cattle

Back 125

Clostridium –

Front 126

Disease of newly calved cows in which abomasum assumes abnormal position resulting in abdominal distension and loss of appetite

Back 126

Abomasal displacement (right) –

Front 127

caused by perforation of reticulum wall by sharp foreign object such as a nail, screw, or baling wire; also called Hardware disease

Back 127

Traumatic reticulitis –

Front 128

accumulation of gas in rumen of cattle; excess gas is removed y stomach tubing or puncturing abdomen and rumen with trocar and cannula

Back 128

Bloat

Front 129

disease characterized by accumulation of ketones in blood and tissue; cow has sweet-smelling breath and urine (acetonemia)

Back 129

Ketosis

Front 130

contagious disease of cattle caused by Moraxella bovis; characterized by conjunctivitis, lacrimation, and corneal ulceration and opacity

Back 130

Pinkeye

Front 131

fungal infection of skin and hair; characterized by thick, round, gray crusted patches over skin surface; hair that is in infected areas falls out or breaks off

Back 131

Ringworm

Front 132

caused by viruses, multiple papillomas are located usually on head, neck, shoulders, and back

Back 132

Warts

Front 133

disease of young calves caused selenium and vitamin E deficiency; usually result of selenium-deficient diet fed to cow or heifer during or before gestation

Back 133

White muscle disease –

Front 134

most common malignant lymphoid tumor found in cattle; also called bovine leukosis

Back 134

Lymphosarcoma