Vet Med Term Ch4: Common Anatomical Terms for Equine Species

All terms listed are for horse but some are terms also used for other animals (but still need to know what animas they refer to)

Barrel

capacity of the chest of trunk

bars

raised V-shaped structure on distal surface of hoof

cannon bone

third metacarpal of the horse; also called the shin bone

same for: cattle, goats, sheep

cheek

fleshy portion of either side of the face; forms the side of the mouth and continues rostrally to the lips

chest

part of the body between the neck and abdomen; the thorax

chestnuts

horny, irregular growths on the medial surface of the equine leg; in the front legs, the chestnuts are just above the knee; in the rear legs the chestnuts are near the hock

coffin joint

distal interphalangeal joint (joint between the short pastern and the coffin bones [phalanges 11 and 111, respectively]) in ungulates

same for: cattle, goats, sheep, swine

corners

third incisors of equine

coronary band (coronet)

junction between the skin and the horn of the hoof

crest

root of the mane

croup

muscular area around and above the tail base

cutters

second incisors of equine

dock

solid part of the tail

same for: cattle, sheep

elbow

forelimb joint formed by distal humerus, proximal radius, and proximal ulna

same for: cattle, goats, sheep, swine

ergot

small keratinized mass of horn in a small bunch of hair on the palmar or plantar aspects of the equine fetlock

fetlock

the area of the limb between the pastern and the cannon

fetlock joint

metarcapophalangeal and metatarsophalangeal joint (joint between the cannon bone and long pastern bone [phalanx 1] in ungulates

same for: cattle, goats, sheep, swine

flank

side of the body between the ribs and ilium

same for: cattle, goats, sheep, swine

forelock

in maned animals, the most cranial part of the mane hanging down between the ears and onto the forehead

frog

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

gaskin (crus)

muscular portion of the hind-limb between the stifle and the hock

heart girth

circumference of the chest just caudal tot he shoulders and cranial to the back

same for: cattle, goats, sheep

heel

caudal region of the hoof that has an area of soft tissue called the bulb

same for: cattle, goats, sheep

hoof

hard covering of the digit in ungulates

same for: cattle, goats, sheep, swine

hoofwall

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

same for: cattle, goats, sheep, swine

knee

carpus in ungulates

same for: cattle, goats, sheep, swine

ungulates

animal with hoofs

loin

lumbar region of the back between the thorax and pelvis

same for: cattle, goats, sheep, swine

mane

region of long, coarse hair at the dorsal boarder of the neck and terminating at the pole

muzzle

two nostrils (including the skin and fascia) and the muscles of the upper and lower lip

same for: cattle, goats, sheep

nippers

central incisors of equine

paralumbar fossa

hollow area of the flank whose boundaries are the transverse processes of the lumbar vertebrae (dorsally), the last rib (cranially), and the thigh muscles (caudally)

same for: cattle, goats, sheep

pastern

area of the limb between the fetlock and hoof

pastern joint

Proximal interphalangeal joint (joint between the long and short pastern bones [phalanges I and II, respectively]) in ungulates.

same for: cattle, goats, sheep, swine

poll

the top of the head; occiput; nuchal crest

same for: cattle, goats, sheep

quarter

lateral or medial side of hoof

shoulder

region around the large joint between the head of the humerus and a cavity of the scapula

same for: cattle, goats, sheep, swine

sole

palmar and planter surface of the hoof; irregular crescent-shapped bottom of the hoof

same for: cattle, goats, sheep

stifle joint

femorotibial and femoropatellar joint in quadrupeds

same for: cattle, goats, sheep, swine

tail

caudal part of the vertebrate column extending beyond the trunk

same for: cattle, goats, sheep, swine

tail head

base of the tail where it connects to the body

same for: cattle, goats, sheep

teat

nipple of mammary gland

same for: cattle, goats, sheep

toe

crainal side of the hoof

same for: cattle, goats, sheep

udder

mammary gland

same for: cattle, goats, sheep

white line

fusion between the wall and sole of the hoof

withers

region over the dorsum where the neck joins the thorax and where the dorsal margins of the scapula lie just below the skin