Glossary: Horse Racing Terminology U-Z
U
ultrasound
1) Diagnostic ultrasound A technique which uses ultrasonic waves to image internal structures. 2) Therapeutic ultrasound a therapy to create heat and stimulate healing.
underlay
A horse racing at shorter odds than seems warranted by its past performances.
under wraps
Horse under stout restraint in a race or workout to keep it from pulling away from the competition by too large a margin.
untried
1) Not raced or tested for speed. 2) A stallion that has not been bred.
unwind
Gradually withdrawing a horse from intensive training.
V
valet
A person employed by a racing association to clean and care for a jockey's tack and other riding equipment.
VEE (Venezuelan Equine Encephalomyelitis)
A highly contagious disease affecting the central nervous system that can cause illness or death in horses and humans.
ventral
Down; toward the belly.
veterinarian
Commission The commission (or board) veterinarian, sometimes referred to as the state veterinarian, is usually appointed by the state racing commission. This person serves as professional adviser and consultant to the State Racing Commission on veterinary matters including all regulatory aspects of the application and practice of veterinary medicine at the track. Association Sometimes referred to as the track veterinarian, this person is employed by the racing association and serves as a professional adviser and consultant to the racing association and its operational staff at the track. Practicing Private practitioner employed by owners and trainers on an individual case or contract basis.
video endoscope
See endoscope.
V.M.D.
Veterinary Medical Doctor.
vocal folds
The membranes attached to the arytenoid cartilages in the larynx. Vibration produces vocalization.
W
walkover
A race in which only one horse competes.
washed out
A horse that becomes so nervous that it sweats profusely. Also known as "washy" or "lathered (up)."
weanling
A foal that is less than one-year-old that has been separated from its dam.
weigh in (out)
The certification, by the clerk of scales, of a rider's weight before (after) a race. A jockey weighs in fully dressed with all equipment except for his/her helmet, whip and (in many jurisdictions) flak jacket.
weight-for-age
An allowance condition in which each entrant is assigned a weight according to its age. Females usually receive a sex allowance as well. (Compare with a handicap race.)
wheel
Betting all possible combinations in an exotic wager using at least one horse as the key. See part wheel.
white
A horse color, extremely rare, in which all the hairs are white. The horse's eyes are brown, not pink, as would be the case for an albino.
white line
When looking at the sole of the foot, the thin area between the insensitive outer hoof wall (insensitive laminae) and the inner sensitive laminae.
wind gall
See arthritis.
wind puff
See arthritis.
wind sucker
See cribber.
wire
The finish line of a race.
withers
Area above the shoulder, where the neck meets the back.
wobbler syndrome
Neurological disease clinically associated with general incoordination and muscle weakness. Can be caused by an injury to the spinal cord in the area of the cervical (neck) vertebrae or is associated with malformation of the cervical vertebrae.
work
To exercise a horse by galloping a pre-determined distance.
X
Xeroradiography
A costly type of x-ray procedure using specially sensitized screens that give higher resolution on the edges of bone and better visualization of soft tissue structures.
Y
yearling
A horse in its second calendar year of life, beginning
Jan. 1 of the year following its birth.
yielding
Condition of a turf course with a great deal of moisture.
Horses sink into it noticeably.
Z
Zantac
Trade name for the drug ranitidine, a medication used to
treat ulcers.
Note: Information Provided by Thoroughbred Racing Communications, Inc.