Really dumb questions from an absolute beginner

[annapamela]

Hi! I just joined a barn, and I’m starting to help them care for the horses. I have a really silly question that I’m too embarrassed to ask at the barn:

Is grain the same as feed??

The way they talk about it, it sounds like it could be the same thing.

While I’m at it, I actually have some more questions:

When I refer to the place I ride, are barn/stable/stables interchangeable? Or do they mean different things?

And when I say trainer, that could mean both horse trainer and human trainer?

:o Thank you all in advance for your non-judgment!

[Denali6298]

Grain=feed, trainer=horse and rider and yes barn/stable/stables is interchangeable.

[ladyj79]

Yes, although I came from the West coast to the east coast, and I called grain grain, rather than feed. Most people I knew back east used feed where I used grain, even as a verb. Where I might say I grained, they would simply say fed, and I would early on be like did you also grain? Or feed…feed I suppose is often more apt these days with grain free and/or extruded feeds.

It’s not a silly question at all, and like many things there are regional language norms.

[ladyj79]

Generally when I say trainer I mean of either or both horses and riders but in recent years I try a bit more to distinguish between trainers (people who can or do get on) and instructors (ground only)

[annapamela]

Thank you all so much!

I had this really wild momentary confusion when one person said they “wormed” the horses, and I thought, “Why?! Waiiiit a minute…”.

I quickly realized worming = deworming.

[Lunabear1988]

Never feel dumb about asking a question there is a lot in the horse world that is second nature to many who have been in it forever. It’s like a new language to learn!

[luckymaverick]

also to add, feed is grain, but can also encompass pellets, cubes or supplemental feeds for different goals.
No questions are stupid- this is a safe place, mostly.

[Guilherme]

“Feed” is what horses eat. We often divide them into forage and fodder. Most of the time usage of local equine colloquialisms is not a problem but it can be.

G.

[SnortyPants]

@Guilherme

“Feed” is what horses eat. We often divide them into forage and fodder. Most of the time usage of local equine colloquialisms is not a problem but it can be.

G.

Fodder is NOT a widely used term in equine circles in the US. It’s more akin to silage, and that’s fed primarily to cows and other ruminants. There’s no reason to unnecessarily complicate a newbie query, unless to sound more knowledgeable than you are.

[hoopoe]

OP you may wish to look into the Pony Club manuals as a good resource for information on horses and horsemanship

[ladyj79]

I say wormed rather than dewormed and never use the word fodder in a horsey context.

I also say breeeeeeches and never britches outside of too big for my britches.

[retiredhorse]

@annapamela

I quickly realized worming = deworming.

It is confusing! I knew a vet who had a pet peeve with people saying “worming” when they mean “deworming”: “I hope you are not worming your horses!!” :lol:

Don’t feel embarrassed about not knowing the horse-jargon right away. It takes time to pick up (like any other lingo), and as others have said, varies from region to region.

[Beck]

Definitely regional.

[trubandloki]

I think these are great newbie questions and as the thread has shown, the answer does depend on the region.

I think the pony club manuals are a good source of information but just want to point out that like everything else, answers are regional. Lots of the terminology in the pony club manuals is English (England).

It is never wrong to clarify with the person who is giving you information. If someone asks you to go feed it is not wrong to ask if they want you to hay and grain or just do one or the other (and at this barn does the term feed include doing their water?).

[vxf111]

@Beck

Definitely regional.

Yes, some of this is absolutely regional. Another regional variation is whether it’s a farrier or a blacksmith. I had literally never heard someone say blacksmith until I moved to the Mid-Atlantic.

[chestnutmarebeware]

@vxf111

Yes, some of this is absolutely regional. Another regional variation is whether it’s a farrier or a blacksmith. I had literally never heard someone say blacksmith until I moved to the Mid-Atlantic.

I’ve noticed this as well—for years, apparently everyone at the PA company I worked for thought my ex was a furrier—not a farrier. :lol: If you didn’t say “blacksmith”, no one knew what you meant. Maybe the Mid-Atlantic accent is partially to blame.

[mmeqcenter]

Grain = feed, typically. However, I prefer to use the word “feed” because not every feed actually contains grain. There are plenty of pelleted horse feeds that contain no grain, and it annoys me when people call them “grain.” But, they’re basically interchangeable in most people’s vocabulary. I don’t personally know anyone who calls hay cubes or hay pellets “feed,” although that is technically what they are.

The “worming” thing annoys me too. You de-wormed your horse, you didn’t worm it.

Barn = stable = stables

Different regions have “standards” for their words, you’ll get used to it. I have one boarder who calls a flake of hay a “pad.” Literally never heard that one before.

The coach/trainer/instructor one is a bit more convoluted, and wildly discipline specific. “Instructor” to me is usually someone who predominantly teaches lessons, doesn’t do much horse training. A “trainer” usually mostly trains horses, but may also teach some lessons, and is usually more involved in care decisions too. “Coach” is mostly an easier term for instructor, at least for me. My dressage trainer is a trainer, she trains horses and teaches some lessons. I usually call her my coach, because I just take lessons from her, she’s not ridden my mare. I do have her do some training rides on a gelding I have in for a friend. So in regards to the gelding, I call her my trainer, even though I am still in charge of his feed/care decisions. In regards to my mare, I call her my coach.
But a racehorse trainer doesn’t ride the horse, the jockeys/exercise riders do. This trainer is usually in charge of feed decisions and exercise regimen, but doesn’t actually do the exercise.

[Viserion]

@ladyj79

I also say breeeeeeches and never britches outside of too big for my britches.

I just say riding pants or riding tights! LOL

I babysit two kids that I have been introducing to the horses/barn and I’m amazed how many times they ask me to clarify what I just said. It is a whole other language! No question is stupid if you really want to learn.

[flyingchange]

I love this thread. We really do have our own vocabulary. OP - it’s great that you are clarifying. Ask away. Don’t be afraid to ask for instructions/clarification on EVERYTHING. Everybody has to start somewhere.

[NancyM]

In my world (and obviously not in everyone’s world), a “trainer” trains horses. A “coach” trains people. A coach may or may not also train horses, they MAY depend on having horses who are already “trained” come into their program for the riders they coach. Some VERY successful coaches may not even be riders themselves, they just know what to tell riders in terms of gaining skills and techniques that improves their riding without actually being able to do it themselves. Such people often employ “professional riders” (riders who are paid to ride horses) to keep the horses tuned up, behaving as they are supposed to, responding to cues that are given accurately (which they may not be getting from their own riders). A coach may also be a trainer, but they are different jobs. Trainers may also not be riders, and may employ professional riders to actually DO the riding, but their focus is on the advancement of the horse rather thant that of the rider. These terms are often used interchangeably, but it can become apparent that they do not apply interchangeably. I hope that this has not been too confusing LOL!

In addition to coaches and trainers, we have “gurus”, who control the minds of both horses and riders in a manipulative fashion, to the exclusion and dismissal of all others. They attract clients who are looking for someone to worship, to give them all the answers, and to tell them what they want to hear. Don’t get me started.