Fetlock is a term used for the joint where the cannon bone, the proximal sesamoid bones, and the first phalanx (long pastern bone) meet. What is the purpose of a fetlock on a horse? The fetlock joint itself is a complicated high motion joint which is subjected to extensive force Read more…
Back at the knee Also known as calf knee, a conformation fault where, when viewed from the side, the horse’s knee is behind an imaginary vertical line dropped down from the front and top of the foreleg. How do you tell if a horse has a tendon injury? First signs Read more…
Sharon Crowell-Davis explains that horses display the flehmen response to facilitate transfer of inhaled scent molecules (pheromones and possibly some other substances) into the vomeronasal organ (VNO), a specialized chemosensory structure found in many mammals. Why do horses do the lip thing? Why does my horse curl his upper lip? Read more…
The stifle joint (often simply stifle) is a complex joint in the hind limbs of quadruped mammals such as the sheep, horse or dog. It is the equivalent of the human knee and is often the largest synovial joint in the animal’s body. What is the knee joint in the Read more…
If you look at cats, dogs, and horses it looks like their knee bone is pointing backwards. That bone pointing backwards is actually the calcaneus or heel bone! All these animals are actually walking on their toes! What animals have forward facing knees? Elephants are the only animal to have Read more…
As a horse breathes, the diaphragm contracts to pull oxygen into the lower respiratory tract. The oxygen is then transferred to the blood through the alveoli, and it makes its way to the horse’s heart. There, the blood is pumped through the body to deliver oxygen to the tissues. How Read more…
Horses, unlike many animals, only breathe through the nose and cannot breathe through the mouth. If you’ve ridden or watched horses running at canter or gallop, you’ve probably heard them snorting with each stride. This is known as respiratory-locomotor coupling. Do horse has lungs? The respiratory system consists of the Read more…
For a healthy horse at rest, however, these 5-liter breaths are easily managed by their 55-liter lung capacity (compared to our 6-liter lung capacity). Although, when undergoing strenuous exercise, a horse’s lungs need to work far harder and faster to move enough oxygen to the working muscles. What animal has Read more…
nasal breathers. Horses are nasal breathers, and are not able to breathe through their mouths. Are horses obligate nasal breathers? Horses are obli gate nasal breathers because of the anatomical structure of the epiglottis and soft palate. Obligate nasal breathers’ means that a normal horse is not capable of breath Read more…
jugular vein. The most common sites of venipuncture in the horse include the jugular vein, the cephalic vein, the transverse facial vein/venous sinus, and occasionally the superficial/lateral thoracic vein. How do you find a vein on a horse? The jugular vein is superficial in the jugular furrow. Find the jugular Read more…