horse critter n Also horse creature chiefly Midl old-fash Cf cow critter n, critter n B2c, horse beast n
A horse, regardless of sex and age.
1748 in 1974 Foulke Foulke Family 104 sePA, [Inventory:] 10 head of horse Creatures & 1 Yearling ₤30 ″ – ″ –. 1781 in 1897 Passmore Ancestors & Descendants 1.44 SC, Likewise I bequeath my oldest sorral mare to my son Andrew, the remainder of my horse creatures, I bequeath to my son William. 1789 in 1885 VA Calendar State Papers 5.87, The Indians have killed a man In Kanawha, took a Boy of about sixteen prisoner, and a negro man and somewhere between twenty and thirty head of horse creatures. 1795 in 1996 Sechler Hartsell-Hirzel Hist. 87 cNC, He is to fornish yearly for the soport [support] of my wife . . sofishing [sufficient] of food for the cows and hoars [horse] creater [critter]. 1806 in 1980 Adams Tishomingo Co. Connection 74 neGA, First I will and ordain that two head of horse Creatures and seven head of cattle be sold and equally divided between my six daughters. 1819 in 1992 Stiver–Donaldson Stöver-Stoever-Staver-Stiver 519 sePA, I . . do grant, . . unto the said Adam Steover Senier . . all and singular the household goods, articles, and horse creaters, and other cetel of every kind, to wit: one dark roan horse about 17 years old, one dark brown with a stare and sadel mark about 13 years old, one sorel stalion colt [etc]. 1836 in 1977 Hollingsworth Reg. 12.23 ceIN, I give to my son Enoch Hollingsworth . . . the three horse creatures which are now called his. 1847 Littell’s Living Age 13.570 TX, Up came . . a regular old Kentuck, who had been in Texas 17 years. . . Says he, “May be ye hav n’t seen a hoss critter like the one I ’m on?” 1891 RI Soldiers & Sailors Hist. Soc. Personal Narrs. 4th ser 15.39 ceTN (as of 1864), The proprietor said that the “durned rebs had tuck every thing they had that they could find, had rode off every hoss critter and druv off every cow critter there was on the place, except the poor little calf tied in the meadow.” 1904 Liberal Club Buffalo 1900–1903 455 eKY, Now and then the mountain bard will stop to explain to me the ballad he is singing,—“Stranger, a ‘steed’ means a horse-critter.” 1908 Lincoln Cy Whittaker 308 seMA, I never was so surprised in my life as when that horse critter rared up. 1952 Brown NC Folkl. 1.552 wNC, Horse-critter: . . Horse. 1983 Clarion–Ledger (Jackson MS) 3 Feb 1/1, The highlight of the 18-day show is expected to be the Dixie National Rodeo, a hodgepodge of daring cowpokes and kamikaze clowns who go up against the likes of ornery horse critters, bucking bulls and cantankerous cows.