Centered in the Saddle

News: I have started a new job! Now I am surrounded by people who don’t yet know that I’m a horse person. And that’s inevitably going to lead to some confusing conversations. I can’t tell you how many times in the past that I’ve said, “I’m going to the barn tomorrow morning,” only to have someone respond, “you’re going to the bar?” Now I find myself enunciating the “n” at the end of the word: “bar-NNN.” I still get funny looks sometimes, so I might even go so far as to specify that I’m going to the bar-NNN to ride horses.

This morning, I came across this awesomely hilarious video from Smartpak:

It was just perfect timing. I’ve been thinking about a lot of things that have meaning to horse people, but may earn some strange looks when spoken outside the barNNN.

When talking about jumping

Horse speak: We worked on gymnastics yesterday.
Non-horsey response: Like on a pommel horse?

On equipment

Horse speak: I need to have my panels flocked.
Response: You need to have…what? That’s just TMI.

Horse speak: Charles Owens give me a bubble head.
Response: Who is Charles Owens, and what is he doing to your head?

When evaluating horses

Horse speak: She has nice knees.
Response: Well, that’s a very specific compliment.

Horse speak: He’s really moving through himself.
Response: What is he, a ghost?

Horse speak: Her topline is a little underdeveloped.
Response: Whoa, that’s kind of rude.

What are some other things that horse people say that sound strange in the real world?