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Skeleton of a horse. The skeletal system of the horse has three major functions in the body. It protects vital organs, provides framework, and supports soft parts of the body. Horses typically have 205 bones. The pelvic limb typically contains 19 bones, while the thoracic limb contains 20 bones.
Skeletal muscles are usually arranged in antagonistic pairs in opposition to each other, with one flexing the joint (a flexor muscle) and the other extending it (extensor muscle). Smooth muscle: this type of muscle is controlled by the autonomic nervous system (making it an involuntary muscle type). Smooth muscle is involved in digestion and ...
The limbs of the horse are structures made of dozens of bones, joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments that support the weight of the equine body. They include two apparatuses: the suspensory apparatus, which carries much of the weight, prevents overextension of the joint and absorbs shock, and the stay apparatus , which locks major joints in ...
Points of a horse. Equine anatomy encompasses the gross and microscopic anatomy of horses, ponies and other equids, including donkeys, mules and zebras.While all anatomical features of equids are described in the same terms as for other animals by the International Committee on Veterinary Gross Anatomical Nomenclature in the book Nomina Anatomica Veterinaria, there are many horse-specific ...
The skeletal system of a modern horse. The horse skeleton averages 205 bones. [60] A significant difference between the horse skeleton and that of a human is the lack of a collarbone—the horse's forelimbs are attached to the spinal column by a powerful set of muscles, tendons, and ligaments that attach the shoulder blade to the torso. The ...
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.
On this horse, the ergot is a small point at the back of each fetlock Ergot on a heavy horse with feathers. The ergot is a small callosity (Calcar metacarpeum and Calcar metatarseum) on the underside of the fetlock of a horse or other equine. Some equines have them on all four fetlocks; others have few or no detectable ergots.
A draft horse sleeping while standing up. The stay apparatus is an arrangement of muscles, tendons, and ligaments that work together so that an animal can remain standing with virtually no muscular effort. [1] It is best known as the mechanism by which horses can enter a light sleep while still standing up. [2]