The Skeletal Anatomy of an Equine

An equine, or horse, has a skeletal system comprised of bones, ligaments and joints, similar to that of a human. A horse has 205 bones while a human has 206.

  1. Skull

    • The skull of a horse consists of 34 different bones. The major bones are the malar, or cheekbone, nasal bone, mandible, or lower jaw, and the cranium.

    Spine

    • An equine spine begins at the base of the skull and stretches to the tail. It consists of seven cervical vertebrae (neck), 18 thoracic vertebrae connected to the rib cage, five or six lumbar vertebrae (rib cage to pelvis), five sacral vertebrae (pelvis to tail) and, usually, 18 coccygeal vertebrae (tail).

    Ribcage

    • A horse's ribcage consists of 18 pair of ribs that run from the spine to the sternum. Its purpose is to protect vital internal organs, similar to the role of the ribcage in a human.

    Front Legs

    • The front legs consist of the scapula (shoulder blade), humerus, radius, ulna, carpus (eight bones of the knee), metacarpal, long and short pastern bones and the coffin bone (foot).

    Hind Legs

    • The hind legs consist of the pelvis, femur, tibia, fibula, hock (seven tarsus bones that make up the backward-bending knee), metatarsal, the long and short pasterns and the coffin bone (foot).

    Other

    • The periosteum is a tough membrane that covers the bones and provides a place of attachment for ligaments and tendons. As in a human, cartilage reduces friction and acts as a shock absorber in the joints.