Vocabulary for the Year of the Horse

Horses on duty with the NYPD in Midtown Manhattan

The Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year, began on Jan. 31, and according to the Chinese zodiac, it's the Year of the Horse. The horse is supposed to signify energy, adventure, and decisiveness. In addition, events are expected to move fast because it's a horse year. Perhaps, we should minimize horsing around (playing around) and get to work, right? :-)

The horse is a beautiful animal, but whether you are into astrology or not, what does the horse mean to you? While you think about that question? Here are some vocabulary associated with horses. Do you know what the list of words below mean? 

MANE, HOOVES, GAIT, SADDLE, REINS, STIRRUPS, TROT, GALLOP, BIT, SPURS

Check your knowledge and fill in the blanks with the words above. Don't look now, but you'll find the answers below the exercise.

1. A horse's _____ is the way or manner in which it moves.
2. When a horse _____, it runs fast.
3. A horse usually _____ on parades. This is when it moves at a speed between walking and running.
4. The hair on a horse's neck is its _____. It's also the hair on a giraffe's, a zebras, a lion's, et. al., and it can also refer to a person's hair usually when it's long and thick. 
5. A horse's feet are called _____.
6. When you ride a horse, you sit on a _____.
7. To control and tell a horse which way to go, you pull on the _____.
8. The ______ is the piece that goes in the horse's mouth when you put a harness on a horse.
9. Riders wear _____ on their boot heels to make horses move faster.
10. When riding a horse, you put your feet on _____, so they don't just hang on the sides.

ANSWERS: 1. GAIT  2. GALLOPS  3. TROTS  4. MANE  5. HOOVES (HOOF in the singular)   6. SADDLE  7. REINS  8. BIT  9. SPURS  10. STIRRUPS

How did you do? Let us know and tell us how easy or difficult the exercise was on Facebook, on Twitter @NYLangCenter, or in the comment section below! Take care.

-- Joe Yu, ESL instructor