HORSE (EXT ANAT)

• HORSE EXTERNAL ANATOMY

  A) poll

  B) forehead

  C) muzzle

  D) chin groove

  E) throat latch

  F) elbow

  G) pastern

  H) cannon

  I) knee

  J) forearm

  K) barrel

  L) stifle

  M) heel

  N) hoof

  O) ergot

  P) coronet

  Q) chestnut

  R) pastern

  S) fetlock

  T) cannon

  U) hock

  V) gaskin

  W) tail

  X) dock

  Y) point of hip

  Z) croup

  [) flank

  \) loin

  ]) back

  ^) wiithers

  _) shoulder

  `) crest

  
• Back - Where the saddle sits, extending from the last thoracic vertebrae (the loin or “coupling”) to the end of the withers
• Barrel - The body of the horse, enclosing major organs and the rib cage
• Cannon or Cannon Bone - The area between the knee and or hock and the fetlock joint, also commonly known as the “shin” of the horse, when in reality it is the third metacarpal
• Chin Groove - An area that dips down slightly on the lower jaw, behind the lower lip and chin
• Chestnut - A callosity on the inside of each of the horse’s legs
• Crest - The upper portion of the neck where the mane grows
• Coronet or Coronary Band - A ring of soft tissue just above the hoof that blends into the skin of the leg.
• Croup - Begins at the hip, extends along the sacral vertebrae, and ending at the dock of the tail.
• Dock - The “living” part of the tail, consisting of the coccygeal vertebrae, muscles, and ligaments.
• Elbow - The joint of the front leg at the point where belly of the horse meets the leg.
• Ergot - A callosity on the back of the fetlock.
• Fetlock - Commonly called the ankle of the horse
• Flank - Where the hind legs and barrel meet – specifically the area right behind the rib cage and in front of the stifle joint.
• Forearm - An area in the front leg between the knee and the elbow
• Muzzle - the part of the horse's head that includes the area of the mouth, nostrils, chin, lips, and front of the nose.
• Point of Hip - The bony protrusion above the flank and below the croup.
• Hock - A large joint in the hind leg
• Hoof - The foot of the horse.
• Loin - The area right behind the saddle, going from the last rib to the croup.
• Knee - A large joint in the front legs
• Forehead – is under the ears on the front of the horse's head
• Pastern - The connection between the coronet and the fetlock
• Shoulder - The scapula and associated muscles, running from the withers to the point of the shoulder.
• Poll - Located at the beginning of the neck, immediately behind the ears.
• Stifle - Consisting of the articulation between the femur and the tibia, as well as the articulation between the patella and femur
• Tail - The long hairs that grow from the dock.
• Throat latch -The point at which the windpipe meets the head at the underside of the jaw
• Withers - The highest point of the thoracic vertebrae, just above the tops of the shoulder blades.
• Heel - Back side of the hoof