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Most horses have 18 thoracic vertebrae. The processes at the withers can be more than 30 centimetres (12 in) long. Since they do not move relative to the ground as the horse's head does, the withers are used as the measuring point for the height of a horse. Horses are sometimes measured in hands – one hand is 4 inches (10.2 cm). Horse heights ...
Mutton withers. Mutton withers. The horse has flat and wide withers, from short spines projecting off the 8th–12th vertebrae. Can be seen in any breed. The withers are an important attachment for ligaments and muscles that extend head, neck, shoulder, and back vertebrae, and are also insertion point for muscles that open ribs for breathing.
Poll evil is a traditional term for a painful condition in a horse or other equid, that starts as an inflamed bursa at the cranial end of the neck between vertebrae and the nuchal ligament, and swells until it presents as an acute swelling at the poll, on the top of the back of the animal's head.
In animals such as horses and other working animals, saddle sores often form on either side of the withers, which is the area where the front of a saddle rests, and also in the girth area behind the animal's elbow, where they are known as a girth gall. Saddle sores can occur over the loin, and occasionally in other locations.
Ideally, the length of a horse's back from the peak of the withers to the point of the hip should be 1/3 of the horse's overall body length (from the point of the shoulder to the point of the buttock, excluding head and neck). A horse's back is called "long" if the length exceeds 1/3 and "short" if less than 1/3.
References A ace Slang for the drug acepromazine or acetyl promazine (trade names Atravet or Acezine), which is a sedative : 3 commonly used on horses during veterinary treatment, but also illegal in the show ring. Also abbreviated ACP. action The way a horse elevates its legs, knees, hock, and feet. : 3 Also includes how the horse uses its shoulder, humerus, elbow, and stifle; most often used ...
On the other end of the spectrum, horse flies and deer flies use "blade-like" mouthparts to slash the skin before eating the spilling blood, which causes large, painful bites, Frye says.
Appropriate treatment for lameness depends on the condition diagnosed, but at a minimum it usually includes rest or decreased activity and anti-inflammatory medications. Other treatment options, such as corrective shoeing, joint injections, and regenerative therapies, are pursued based on the cause of lameness and the financial limits of the owner.