Lecture 2. Basic Anatomy and Physiology of Horse

ZOOT 3140 -Equine Production and Health Management

wither

- located at the highest part of a horse's back, at the base of the neck.

cannon bone

third metacarpal (metatarsal) of the horse; also called the shin bone

fetlock joint

joint between metacarpal III and the proximal phalanx

pastern joint

joint between P1 and P2

coffin joint

joint between P2 and P3

stifle joint

- joint that houses the patella
- found in the knee

navicular bone

distal sesamoid bone of the horse

hoof wall

hard, horny outer layer of the covering of the digit in ungulates

white line of hoof

Junction of sole and hoof wall

Sole of Hoof

concave surface on the bottom of the hoof

Frog (Horse)

V-shaped pad of soft horn between the bars on the sole of the equine hoof

poll of horse

top of the head between the ears

Girth (Horse)

- securely attached to each side of the saddle and wrap around the horse's rib cage, right behind the horse's shoulders.

Canine horse

teeth found in the gap between the incisor teeth and cheek teeth on both the upper and lower sides of the mouth

Wolf teeth

rudimentary premolar 1 in horses

Chesnuts

- horny, irregular growths on the medial surface of the equine leg
- can be found in the level of the knee

Ergots

- located in a tuft of hair on the fetlock joint

Featherings (horse)

- long, silky hair that grows on the lower legs, specifically on the fetlocks and pasterns.
- They are most commonly found in draft and some pony breeds.
- Featherings serve as protection against environmental elements and can enhance a horse's appearance.

mane

a growth of long hair on the neck of a horse

forelock

a lock of hair growing (or falling) over the forehead

Layers of the walls (hoof)

1. Pigmented layer
2. Water line layer
3. White layer

Basic Horse Coat Colors

- Brown
- Black
- Bay with black points
- Chestnut (red brown)
- White (mutation).

Major variations of horse coat colors

1.Dun
2.Grey
3. Palomino 4.Pinto
5.Roan
6.Leopard

What coat color have black eyes, hoofs and skin, points and are always black?

Black

2 types of black coat color

1. jet black
2. fading black

What coat color have red with no black points and mane or tail that are normally same shade or lighter than body?

Chestnut

5 types chesnut coat color

1. LIVER CHESTNUT
2. SORREL
3. LIGHT CHESTNUT
4. FLAXEN LIVER CHESTNUT
5. FLAXEN LIGHT CHESTNUT

What is the gene of bay?

Agouti gene

What coat color is red in color and have black pigments?

Bay

Bay

- Agouti gene (allows black pigments- Eumelanin only in points)
- Red pigment (Pheomelanin) appears on the body, except points

3 types of Bay coat color

1. Dark Bay
2. Blood Bay
3. Light Bay

What coat color have black points- mane, tail, legs and reddish or tan areas at eyes, muzzle, behind elbow and stifle

Brown

The white color coat is also known as

Dominant White

What coat color have fully/ Largely unpigmented skin with blue, brown eyes?

White

True white horse

born pure white dies same color

What coat color are both red and blacks color except for points?

Dun

Types of stripes

1. Dorsal Stripe
2. Shoulder Stripe
3. Cobwebbing
4. Zebra Stripes

3 types of dun coat color

1. Bay dun
2. Red dun
3. Grulla

What coat color is born blue or black then lightens as age 6- 8 years appear almost white?

Grey

4 types of grey coat color

1. STEEL GREY
2. ROSE GREY
3. DAPPLE GREY
4. FLEA-BITTEN GREY

What coat color has a chestnut base color and always with flaxen/ white mane or tail?

Palomino

What are the color variation of Palomino?

1. CREMELLO
2. PERLINO

Cremello

• Pink skin
• Blue eyes
• Cream colored coat
• White mane and tail

Perlino

• Pink skin
• Blue eyes
• Red tint to the points

2 types of pinto coat color

1. Piebald
2. Skewbald

What coat color have white hairs intermingled w/ one or more base color

Roan

3 types of roan coat color

1. RED ROAN
2. BAY ROAN
3. BLUE ROAN

Corn spots

- when skin is damaged/minor scrape, coat grows back in solid/base color without any white hairs.

what coat color have dalmatian-like leopard spots?

Leopard

What are the types of facial markings?

1. STAR
2. SNIP
3. STRIPE
4. BLAZE
5. WHITE MUZZLE
6. BALD FACE
7. MEDICINE HAT
8. INTERRUPTED STRIPE/BLAZE

What are the types of leg markings?

1. CORONET
2. PASTERN
3. ANKLE
4. HALF STOCKING
5. STOCKING
6. HEEL

ermine marks

black spots in white coronet

Whorls/ Cowlicks

• Areas formed by changed in the direction of hair growth
• Used for identification

Prophet's Thumb Mark

• Indentation in the muscle on the neck, shoulder or hindquarters

Flesh Marks

• White patches, which are usually seen on the underside of the horse's belly or flanks
• Acquired marks

types of eyes

1. BROWN EYES
2. GLASS EYES
3. AMBER EYES
4. INCOMPLETE BLUE EYES