HORSE, in sea-language, is the name of a rope reaching from the middle of a yard to its extremity, or what is called the yard-arm, and depending about two or three feet under the yard, for the sailors to tread upon whilst they are loosing, reefing, or furling the sails, rigging out the studding-sail booms, &c. In order, therefore, to keep the horse more parallel to the yard, it is
usually suspended to it at proper distances, by certain ropes called stirrups, which hang about two feet under the yard, having an eye in their lower ends through which the horse passes.