"To tack up" a horse in Spanish?

Question

If anyone who knows horse terms could help me it would be greatly appreciated

Answer 1

Heidita's first answer is correct. The verb is "ensillar".

"Ensillando el caballo" has the same meaning as "tacking up the horse" and isn't really limited to the saddle. If you want to specify the use of particular equipment, you could then say something like "Usa este brida" or whatever.

I train horses for a living and if I said "prepara el caballo para mí" to one of the guys from Mexico, he wouldn't know if I meant groom the horse, lunge the horse or maybe warm him up!

So, as in English, there are various ways to say it...tack him up, get him ready, or whatever. But in general, the phrase I use on a daily basis is "ensille__________(name of horse), por favor."

I agree, MLucie. - annierats, Oct 9, 2011

Answer 2

So they don't have a direct translation for to tack up it's just to put the saddle on?

I don't know about equestrian vocabulary in other countries but in the U.S.A., if one said to a stable boy ("stable person"?), "Saddle up old Paint for me." and were then presented with a horse with a saddle but still only wearing a halter, it would be very odd. One also would usually expect such amenities as a saddle blanket and the girth/cinch (actually, I've rarely seen a saddle without the girth being already attached [outside of tack shops]).

Answer 3

To saddle or tack up : I would say ENSILLAR. Tack in general is LA MONTURA. Ensillar means literally, to saddle, or saddle up, but I think it can be taken to include the rest of the tack. To put on the bridle seems to be colocar la cabezada.. Preparar el caballo para mí, would obviously work, if the persons are expecting you to ride it, as in a riding school. Puede ensillar el caballo para mí is polite, and I think correct. Here is a link, showing you how to do it in Spanish! Have a nice ride! http://eecuestres.com.ar/MINI-COMOENSILLAR.htm

I have never heard los arreos used in Spain, with ridden horses, but don't take my word for that.

Good answer, Annie. I have never heard the word arreos either. My aquaintances from Mexico just say equipo. - MLucie, Oct 9, 2011

Thank you, MLucie, I failed to makethe link to a rather sweet article on tacking up. - annierats, Oct 9, 2011

Answer 4

Yes and no. To tack up to horse people in Ireland anyway means to put on all the tack. Tack being the saddle, bridle, girth, martingale basically all the leather equipment that can be bought in a saddlers ( a person who makes tack)

You are right Aery Fairy. I keep horses and tack them up.. - annierats, Oct 9, 2011

Answer 5

We do have specialists on horses here, actually, but I know this one too:

ensillar, to put the saddle on

saddle, silla

Answer 6

Hi aeryfaery...I asked my Riding Instructor who is Spanish and he said "prepara el caballo para me" would be the same thing..he also said something about" la silla "but the phone cut out and I wasn't able to get the rest ...I hope this helped.

Oh right. Thank you. I've only got Irish Leaving Cert. standard spanish. So "prepara el caballo para me" means "You tack up the horse for me"? Or am I completely wrong there? - AeryFaery, Oct 9, 2011

it means 'Get the horse ready for me'obviously this could be for grooming, the vet, or even shooting it, so it is a little vague. - annierats, Oct 9, 2011

I think you mean shoeing, right? Not shooting. :-) - MLucie, Oct 9, 2011

Well, on second thought, there are those days when shooting might be appropriate. :-) - MLucie, Oct 9, 2011

I meant shooting, although it is an extreme example and needs little preparation. - annierats, Oct 9, 2011

Jajaja! - MLucie, Oct 9, 2011

I know what you mean some days my gelding/mare can be brutal and I nearly send them off to the glue factory :L - AeryFaery, Oct 9, 2011

Ah, the glue factory needs passport with correct stamps, microchip checks, certificate of not having been on drugs, now for that option you have to prepare... - annierats, Oct 10, 2011

Answer 7

Well, I thought to tack up meant to put the saddle on, does it mean something else to you?

And that would be "we", I am Spanish, jeje

Y no solo española sino gata también. - samdie, Oct 9, 2011

Answer 8

prepara el caballo para mí

This would definitely be my choice.

I found on forums for horses this:

Luego le puse los arreos,un par de vueltas,y le invité a subirse

So this is definitely used.

Maybe they will prepare him for travelling? And he'll be gone in a horse-box wearing his travel rug and boots.! - annierats, Oct 9, 2011

Answer 9

So just to confirm "prepara el caballo para me" means "you tack up the horse for me"? Or am I completely wrong?

...para mí. - 0074b507, Oct 9, 2011

prepare the horse for me. - jennyo45, Oct 9, 2011

which equates to tack up but does not use the word "tack" - jennyo45, Oct 9, 2011

Ok so how do you then say I tack up my horse? "preparo el caballo para mí" - AeryFaery, Oct 9, 2011

Answer 10

To Tack Up is a way of saying get the horse ready to ride ,drive , or any other preparation needed for a particular activity.

That's a way better way of explaining it. For me to tack up is just one of those phrases that I use on a daily basis and never really put any thought into what the actual definition is :/ - AeryFaery, Oct 9, 2011

Answer 11

So is arrear to tack up. Just to confirm?

Arrear can mean "poner arreos a" which means to harness so I suppose this is a better answer than mine. - Eddy, Oct 9, 2011

Answer 12

I would think it is something like

Ponerse los arreos

I tacked up the horse - Le puse a caballo los arreos

As Qfreed said arreos is the word for tack which means all things associated with the horse and ponerse means to put on.

Answer 13

To tack up is more of a horse persons term and there is probably a more colloquial term to describe it by the looks of things. It's a term that people with horses use on a daily for example "I have tacked up my horse" or "go and tack up your horses".

So is tacking up just putting on the saddle or all of the paraphernalia? - 0074b507, Oct 9, 2011

No "to put on the saddle" is to put on the saddle. "To tack up" encompasses all the leather equipment used ie. the tack - AeryFaery, Oct 9, 2011

Answer 14

Looking at a few Spanish equestrian sites (tack stores) it seem that they use the word tack (noun) just as English does.

I did see a site that uses arreos synonymously with tack. (arreo means harness in our dictionary and arrear/aparejar would be to harness a horse, but it is possible that it may be used for putting on the bit, bridle, saddle etc. We have a member who raises horses so wait and see if he answers.

Actually, I couldn't find tack used as a verb in an English dictionary.

Here is a dictionary entry using arreos for tack.

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arrear2.

(Del lat. vulg. *arredare, proveer, der. del gót. *r?ths, consejo, previsión, provisión; cf. al. Rat, consejo, y a. al. ant. rat, provisión).

1. tr. Poner arreos, adornar, hermosear, engalanar.

If all you are just concerned with is putting the saddle on, then in English we simply say "saddle the horse"; nothing to do with putting on the other equipment and I think Heidita's ensillar would be the proper verb.

Answer 15

So they don't have a direct translation for to tack up it's just to put the saddle on? :D