Tibia and fibula Tarsal bones of the hock Three metacarpals (cannon and splint bones) Long pastern (first phalanx) Short pastern (second phalanx) Pedal bone (third phalanx) Two sesamoid bones Navicular…

Non-lead (left) fore lift-off (Figs 11.2–11.4) Figure 11.2 shows the left fore lift-off from the ground. As the horse is on the right lead this is called the non-lead fore…

Fig. 6.2 The back is relatively inflexible from withers to tail The skeleton (Figs 6.3, 6.4) The vertebral column is the skeleton of the neck, withers, back and tail. Besides…

The eyes are situated deep within the orbits, offering them some degree of protection. They each sit in a pad of fat which provides a cushioning effect. When horses are…

Each thoracic vertebra articulates with a rib on either side. Therefore there are 18 pairs of ribs; these may be classified as sternal (true), asternal (false) or floating. The ribs…

Training the performance horse Observation of the following points when exercising and training the performance horse will help to protect bones, tendons, ligaments and muscles from injury: Feeding a balanced…