Becoming familiar with the anatomy of the horse is valuable not only for being up to speed with your vet, hoof care professional, massage therapist and other horse care professionals, but also for gaining a sense of understanding and appreciation for how delicate and complex his body is. Humans demand a lot of athletic tasks from our horses, and that is why it is vital to understand his structure and biomechanics to ride and train humanely, prevent injuries and take the best possible care of your equine partner. Everyone aspiring to work with horses should learn not only the mind, but the body of the horse.

Can you Compare any Parts of the Horse with People?

You can't compare the two because we stand on two legs and horses stand on four! You may believe that, but we are not as different as you may think!

• Our knees are comparable to the horse's stifles
• Our heels are our partner's hocks
• The foot of a person is the rear cannon bone on our equine friends. On the front legs their cannon bone is like our wrist to the first knuckle. The splint bones are remnants of the other palm bones.
• Their hoof is like our fingernail. It grows from the coronet, while our fingernails start at the cuticle. In the horse it is the primary weight bearing structure, much like our feet are to us.
• The knee on the equine is what we would call our wrist
• The ears of our equine friends hear much better than us. They also have the ability to move more, allowing him to hear things better from any direction.
• They use their buttocks for movement, as do we.
• Unlike us, their eyes have great peripheral (side) vision. Their vision is in an arc shape with a small blind spot at the front of the nose and directly behind the tail.