Anatomy of the Significant Bones

While the hind limbs provide the power impulsion, the forelimbs give the horse

balance and steering. The horse carries about 60% of his body weight on the

forelimbs.

1 The scapula

The scapula is a broad, triangular bone. There is an area of cartilage at the top

the scapula that you can feel on either of the withers. You can also feel the

spine of the scapula running the length of the bone, underneath the skin. When

we talk about the slope of the horse's shoulder, we're looking at how the

scapula is lying relative to the ground. The scapula connects with the

numerus to form the shoulder joint.

2 The radius and ulna

The ulna in the horse is much shorter und fairly insignificant compared to the

in the human. Actually, in the horse, they are fused together and this prevents

twisting (something that the horse does not want to do at the carpal joint – his wrist!)

3 The humerus

This is a short, strong bone in the horse's body. When we talk about the point of

shoulder we're talking about a part at the very top and front of this bone.

The humerus connects with the radius to form the elbow joint.

4 Vertebral column

The horse's vertebral column is divided into 5 different regions. The 7 bones found in the neck are called the cervical vertebrae, the 18 bones found in the thorax are called the thoracic vertebrae (upon which the saddle sits), the 6 bones in the loin are called the lumbar vertebrae, next are the 5 sacral bones in the croup region, and last are the bones that make up the tail. These are called the caudal vertebrae and horses have between 15 and 21 of these tail-bones.

5 Ribs

The horse has 18 pairs of ribs.

6 Pelvis

The pelvis connects to the sacral portion of the vertebral column at a joint called

the sacroiliac joint. This is a very strong and stable joint in the horse. The femur connects to the pelvis and forms the hip joint. Many people refer to a part of

the pelvis as the point of hip. This is not where the actual hip joint lies... Look at

the skeleton above and you'll see that the actual hip joint is further back than this

point we all talk about.

7 Femur

This long bone sits between the hip and the stifle joint and is one of the strongest

bones in the horse's body. Where the femur connects to the tibia and fibula,

the stifle joint is formed. This important joint is very similar to the human knee.

The patella is the small bone, just like our kneecap, that sits above the stifle joint.

The horse has strong ligaments in this joint and when he uses them in a certain

way, he can lock the joint out, keeping the leg straight so he can sleep standing up!

8 Tibia and fibula

The tibia lies between the stifle and hock and is an important area for muscles and ligaments of the hindlimb to attach to. The fibula, just like the ulna, is a very small bone in the horse. The hock in the horse is the equivalent of the human ankle and connects the tibia and the bones of the lower leg.