Zenyatta-Rachel Alexandra Match Race Proposed

[Tuxtin]

Per Jockey Club

Colt: An entire male horse four years old or younger
Horse: When reference is made to gender, a "horse" is an entire male five years old or older.

http://www.jockeyclub.com/registry.asp? ... 3#glossary

edited to add that this is just for thoroughbreds, AQHA is different.

AQHA

Colt: An un-castrated male horse less than three years old that can still sire offspring. Also listed in racing glossary as a male horse at the ages of two or three.

Horse: Any equine regardless of sex; specifically, an entire male 4 years of age or older

[Risen Star]

Now I'm really dazed and confused. I've figuratively googled over 17,000 web sites and exactly 8,500 of them say a colt is under 4 and 8,500 of them say a colt is 4 and under.

The question of the day is: (I'm sure we all agree on the filly/mare definition)

Is a full 4 year old male horse a "colt" or a "horse?"

I vote horse - I'm sticking to my intuition and will say a colt is UNDER 4 years old.

If I'm wrong I'll buy everyone in here an In 'N Out dinner at Santa Anita in early November.

Vince P

Vince,

I just sent a rather lengthy explanation, however, because of the time it took to write it, apparently the site rejected it.

Let me just say that it doesn't make sense to me that a filly would become a mare at age five, but a colt would already be a horse at age four. Both male and female are reclassified so to speak according to their age at five, becoming a horse and mare respectively. A gelding, at the age which he became so, is referred as a "gelding" no matter what his age at the time.

I've often heard even experts refer to an older female (five or up) as a filly, but this is probably more an oversight because of the frequent use of the word "filly" than from ignorance. I've probably also heard the same in reference to the male, referring to them as colts when in fact they're five-years-old or older and should be referred to as horses. Historically, if one is discussing a horse under the age of five, you would call him a colt, even if he raced later as a horse and retired, and is now or had become a horse. After age four, he is always a horse. The same is true for the female. You oftentimes hear older female runners referred to as racemares, but under five, they are fillies.

For referring to the animal as a species, consisting of many breeds, they are all horses; however, for our purposes we have these differences and classifications.

[Kermit]

5

[Vince P]

Thanx Tuxtin and RisenStar (and Kim too) for clarifying,

All my 27 years here on this planet, I always thought a colt was meant as a 2-3yo full boy horse, and I've ridden plenty of them. But I stand corrected - at least for thoroughbreds which we were talking about.

Now back to Rachel, etc, lol.

Vince P

[Rosethorn2]

All ya gotta do is just LOOK at your next DRF/Program......it will list the animal, name, blah blah and will SAY...for example:

4 F (Roar - Miss Free Bird CA)......then look at the 5 yo's in this fictional stakes race for FILLIES & MARES 4 and UP.....it says 5 M (In Excess - Lester), ......b-)

[Moonwalker]

I'm looking forward to this famous In and Out Burger... will you pay my gas money to Santa Anita, too?
LOL

Mary MMM

[MaryS]

Now I'm really dazed and confused. I've figuratively googled over 17,000 web sites and exactly 8,500 of them say a colt is under 4 and 8,500 of them say a colt is 4 and under.

The question of the day is: (I'm sure we all agree on the filly/mare definition)

Is a full 4 year old male horse a "colt" or a "horse?"

I vote horse - I'm sticking to my intuition and will say a colt is UNDER 4 years old.

If I'm wrong I'll buy everyone in here an In 'N Out dinner at Santa Anita in early November.

Vince P

The Jockey Club has its own rules. Colt/filly is 4 or under. Horse/Mare is 5 or over. Other breeds, including Quarter Horses, use 3/4.

Just one example of the differences in terminology. Only Jockey Club uses the term ridgeling. Other breed registries use the more correct terms monorchid or cryptorchid. A chestnut Thoroughbred would be a sorrel quarter horse. A roan Thoroughbred is totally different from a Quarter Horse one.

Reminds me of George Bernard Shaw's quote -- "England and America are two countries divided by a common language."