Horsey French Vocabulary
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Equestrianism, more commonly referred to as horseback riding or horse riding, refers to the use of horses for work, transportation, and sport. There are many equestrian sports, from racing to show jumping, and some have been part of the Olympics for over 100 years.
Whether you like riding, racing, or watching, here’s some French vocabulary to help you make sense of everything.
| equestrianism | équitation | (f) | ||
| le sport équestre le sport hippique |
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| equestrian | (adj) | équestre hippique |
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| horseback rider | un cavalier une cavalière |
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| horse | le cheval | |||
| racehorse | le cheval de course | |||
| hand (measurement) | une paume | |||
| chest | le poitrail | |||
| chin | le menton | |||
| coronet | la couronne | |||
| fetlock | le boulet | |||
| flank | le flanc | |||
| forefoot | le pied antérieur le pied de devant |
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| forehead | le front | |||
| foreleg | la jambe antérieure la jambe de devant |
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| hind foot | le pied postérieur le pied de derrière |
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| hind leg | la jambe postérieure la jambe de derrière |
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| hock | le jarret | |||
| hoof | le sabot | |||
| jaw | la mâchoire | |||
| mane | la crinière | |||
| tail | la queue | |||
| withers | le garrot | |||
| Clothing + Equipment | Vêtements + équipement | |||
| bit | le mors | |||
| browband | le frontail | |||
| halter | le licou, le collier | |||
| headband | le bandeau | |||
| helmet | le casque | |||
| horseshoe | le fer à cheval | |||
| girth | la sangle | |||
| jodhpurs (riding pants) |
les jodhpurs | |||
| noseband | la muserolle | |||
| reins | les rênes, les guides | |||
| riding boot | la botte | |||
| riding crop | la cravache | |||
| riding hat | la bombe | |||
| saddle | la selle | |||
| side-saddle | la selle de femme | |||
| stirrup | l’étrier | (m) | ||
| Gaits, Events, Races | Allures, évènements, courses | |||
| canter | le petit galop | |||
| carriage race | la course attelée | |||
| dressage | le dressage | |||
| eventing | le concours complet | |||
| flat race | la course de plat | |||
| gait | l’allure | (f) | ||
| gallop | le galop | |||
| harness race | la course de trot | |||
| horse race | la course de chevaux | |||
| hurdles | les haies | (f) | ||
| jump | le saut | |||
| mount | la monture | |||
| polo | le polo | |||
| rodeo | le rodéo | |||
| show jumping | le jumping | |||
| steeplechase | le steeple | |||
| trekking | la randonnée | |||
| trot | le trot | |||
| Places | Endroits | |||
| arena | l’arène | (f) | ||
| indoor riding ring | le manège | |||
| paddock | l’enclos | (m) | ||
| racecourse | le champ de courses | |||
| racetrack | l’hippodrome | (m) | ||
| stable | l’écurie | (f) | ||
| Verbs | Verbes | |||
| to ride a horse | faire du cheval monter à cheval |
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| to canter | aller au petit galop | |||
| to dismount | démonter | |||
| to gallop | galoper | |||
| to jump | sauter | |||
| to mount | monter | |||
| to prance | caracoler | |||
| to rein in | ramener au pas serrer la bride |
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| to trot | trotter | |||
| to walk | marcher | |||
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Verb conjugation tables for more than 1,600 French verbs in all the simple and compound tenses and moods.
In English, we say that the vowels are “a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y.” The last couple of words hint at one of the keys to understanding pronunciation: a vowel is not so much a letter as the sound represented by a letter or combination of letters.
