big lick
n.— «But he also served during a period of controversy, as horse inspectors clamped down in recent years on the mistreatment of horses through a practice known as soring. In some cases, trainers used chemicals or hoof devices to make their horses raise their forelegs high er, creating the “big lick” gait for which the breed is known.» —“Walking Horse CEO leaves post suddenly” by Leon Alligood Tennessean (Nashville, Tennessee) Nov. 29, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
The Oldsmobile car was introduced in 1897, and shortly thereafter people began using the term oatsmobile or hay-burning oatsmobile to mean “horse.” OATS is also an acronym for Older Adult Transportation System. This is part of a complete...
A Montana farmer says his dad used to warn against catching the epizooty. In 1872, an epizootic respiratory disease among horses nearly brought the United States to a standstill. The word epizootic is modeled on the Greek word epidemic, from Greek...