Ranch- large tract of land devoted to livestock production. In Latin America, they are known as “ranchos”, “hatos”, “fincas”, “estancias” or “haciendas”. In Chile, the most common term is “fundo”.

Rigging- this refers to the design of straps, rings or buckles that are used to support the saddle on the horse. The descriptive terms usually refer to what point between the fork and the cantle the saddle is fastened to the cinch. It can also refer to whether there are single or double cinches used in the system.

Rim Fire Rigging- this refers to a cinch that is attached right under the fork of the saddle.

Ring Race- competitors tried to skewer a dangling gold ring with a short one-foot lance. Later, other versions were innovated with 11-foot lances with which the competitor needed to skewer wooden rings that varied from ½” to 2”. This game was popular in colonial Chile.

Roached Mane- this refers to manes that are clipped short to be out of the way of the hands and the implements of riders that are often using handheld weapons or equipment when riding. Chilean Horses are typically roached at least two hand spans from the base of the ears back. This is traditionally implemented with large tailor scissors, but it can also be done using handheld sheep shearing blades or electric shears.

Roan- this is a hair coat color that is a mixture of white and solid-colored hairs. Unlike the gray gene, roans have a combination of white and solid-colored hairs that is set for life, unless, of course, they also have inherited the graying gene. Horses bearing white with chestnut hairs are called strawberry roans, while a mixture of bay, black and white hairs is referred to as blue roan. When a high percentage of white hairs are present, the roaning gene can give a silver appearance with darker colored heads. The roan color is a heterozygous condition “RN rn”, so it does not breed true. Homozygous dominant roan “RN RN” is thought to be lethal, and homozygous recessive “rn rn” is present in horses without any roaning pattern.

Roman Nose- this is a fully convex equine facial profile that starts from near the forehead all the way down to the tip of the nose, often ending in an eagle-like muzzle. Although Chilean Horse breeders have always showed a preference for semi-convex facial profiles, the Roman nose has always been considered too coarse and thus undesirable. When the Criollo horse registry was started in 1918, this was the most common facial profile of that breed in neighboring Argentina.

Running into the Bit- this refers to a horse that does not respect the bit and is constantly forging ahead, thereby placing pressure on the bit with a hard and insensitive mouth. In some disciplines, like at the racetrack, horses are expected to run into the bit. The Chilean Horses are also expected to run into the bit in a somewhat controlled manner, so the huasos always want to feel the pressure of the horse’s mouth on their taut reins when running cattle.