Dem Bones Dem Bones

To know the horse we must know how it is put together. A great deal will be learned from the study of its skeleton.

Check this site out for more of the images above. the other side of the horse is its muscles. Also check out the YouTube videos. http://www.horsesinsideout.com/

Axial Skeleton
- each limb with its 20 bones
Appendicular Skeleton
- the framework of 125 bones = vertebrae (the bones of the spine [back bones]) (cervical = neck, thoracic = chest, lumbar = low back) - ribs - pelvis (hips)

Function 

- protect the internal organs = brain - heart - guts - central nervous system (CNS)
- a pulley and suspension system (joints = wheels (levers), tendons and ligaments = ropes, and the muscles pull)
- framework and support (hold the horse all together) - the attachment for muscles, tendons [hold bones to muscles], and ligaments [hold bone to bone]
- movement because of the joints, muscles, tendon, and ligaments
- absorption of impact when the hooves hit the ground
- red blood cell production in the long bone marrow
- mineral storage
Types
- flat - broad surface for muscle attachment
- long - contain marrow, joint surface at both ends (epiphyses)
- short - (It is so good to have terms that are in just plain simple English)
- irregular - as in vertebrae (back bones)
- sesamoid - work with the tendons (embedded within a tendon)

'Dem Bones'
- 205+- (depends on who you are reading) + the skull with 34 bones (not including the auditory [ear] bones - 3 on each side)
Vertebrae: 7 cervical vertebrae (bones of the neck with the Atlas and Axis at the top), 18 Thoracic (rarely 19)(some Arabians 17), 6 Lumbar (some Arabians 5), 5 Sacral (fused as the Sacrum), 15 to 25 Coccygeal - average of 18 - some Arabians 17 - also called Caudal Vertebrae - I'll call these 'the tail', so much simpler.
Sternum: 1
Collar Bone (Clavicle): NONE
Forelimb: 1 Scapular, 1 Humerus, 1 Ulna (fused to the Radius), 1 Radius (fused to the Ulna), Carpal bones (7 in each knee)(actually not a knee but many will call it that), 1 Cannon (metacarpal) bone, 2 Splint Bones, 1 Long pastern (1st Phalanx), 1 Short pastern (2nd Phalanx), 1 Pedal Bone (3rd Phalanx), 2 Sesamoid bones, 1 Navicular bone
Hindlimb: 1 Sacrum (5 fused bones), 1 Pelvis (3 fused bones), 1 Femur, 1 Tibia, 1 Fibula, 7 Tarsus bones of the hock, 1 Cannon (metatarsal) bone, 2 Splint bones, 1 Long pastern (P1 or 1st Phalanx or First Phalange or Proximal Phalanx), 1 Short Pastern (P2 or 2nd Phalanx or Second Phalange or Middle Phalanx), 1 Pedal bone (P3 or 3rd Phalanx or Third Phalange or Distal Phalanx or Coffin Bone), 2 Sesamoid bones, 1 Navicular bone.
Skull: 34 to 37 bones.
Ribs: 36 ( some Arabians 34)

All bone joints have a cartilage cap (for wear and tear of the surfaces), a synovial capsule (a membrane that produces joint oil to lubricate the joint), and are strengthened by the ligaments.

"A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS"

NO!!! NOT!!! - A complex idea cannot be conveyed with just a single still image. Words and pictures are vital in order to understand the meaning of many technical works. One look or even one reading is not enough. I want a picture that tells a story as well as a large amount of descriptive text. A combination of picture/text can get a message across much better than the best photo or verbal description alone.

So here are examples similar to what I have found so far in the search for 'Conformation - Form to Function'.

I have seen and I have shown you, or directed you to some very good drawings of 'Points' or 'Parts' of a horse.

Now I do know enough that I can tell that the above horse is in trouble. It has a few problems. What the problems are called and caused by, I do not know yet. In the previous post is listed more descriptive 'fault' terms than I even figured could go wrong with a horse. There are a lot of 'bone and joint', 'tendon and ligament' terms I need to know before I can understand the horse's conformation....And then there is the 'perfect' (?) horse.

What are they measuring? What anatomical points are used? What do all those lines and angles mean? What structures determine all those lines and angles?

More lines and angles and even a 'trapezoid'!!!!!!!! Below is what we have to deal with and why we need a lot of words of explanation.

We must examine the horse from the front (anterior) view.

The head and neck. Near side and off sides for all side exams.

More head, neck, and shoulder measurements.

Frontlimb, knee, and pastern exam.

Back and rump exam.

Hindlimb side and rear (posterior) views.

I shall repeat myself - What are they measuring? What anatomical points are used? What do all those lines and angles mean? What structures determine all those lines and angles?

And, And,

The Gaits.

We will go to the skeletal structure first and then return to these sites for more photos and detailed descriptive textual explanations of horse conformation 'form to function'.

CONFORMATION FAULTS

Here is a group of Conformation Faults -

HEAD FAULTS: Overshot Jaw - Parrot Mouth; Undershot Jaw - Monkey Mouth; Convex Head - Roman Nose; Small Eye; Glass/Blue Eyes (Purebred Classes Only); Coarse muzzle; Coarse, Meaty Features; Lop Ears; Narrow Eye Set; Excessive Length to Head; Large Coarse Ears; Wide Set Ears - Sheep Eared; Excessively Close Set Ears

FORE LEG FAULTS: Calf Knees - Sheep Knees - Back at Knee; Club Feet; Off Set Knees - Bench Knees; Bow Legs - Bandy Legged; Knock Knees - Knee Narrow; Straight or Short Pasterns; Coon Footed - Excessive Sloped Pasterns; Tied in Knees - Tied in Tendons; Splay Footed - Toes Out; Long Cannons - High Knees; Stands Wide - Base Wide; Stands Close - Base Narrow; Pigeon Toed - Toes In; Buck Knee - Knee Sprung

REAR LEG FAULTS: Post Legged; Camped Out; Long Cannons - High Hocks; Bow Legged - Bandy Hocked; Straight or Short Pasterns; Coon Footed; Stands Close - Base Narrow; Stands Wide - Base Wide; Stands Under - Sickle Hocked; Toe Out Cow Hocked

FOOT/HOOF FAULTS: Club Foot; Dished Foot; Contracted Narrow Feet - Mule Footed; Founder - Laminitis; Broken Axis of Pastern and Hoof; Feet Out of Balance

NECK FAULTS: Poor Hinge; Thick Throat; Excessive Heavy Neck; Ewe Shaped; Low Set; Straight Neck (No Shape); Short; Excessive Crest

BODY FAULTS: High Croup; Long Coupling - Long Back; Straight Shoulder; Flat Withers - Mutton Withers; Sway Back - Low in the Back; Rafter Hips; Short Croup; Short Hip; Shallow Body; Steep Sloping Hip

TAIL FAULTS: No Tail Carriage; Wry Tail; Low Set Tail

MOVEMENT FAULTS: Irregular Strides - Lameness; Stubby Movement; Choppy Stride; Short-Strided; Wings In; Lack Coordination; Paddles Out

BLEMISHES AND UNSOUNDNESS: Lameness or Soreness; Splints Caused from Faulty Conformation; Ring or Side Bone; Epiphysitis; Jack Spavin; Bowed Tendons; Cataract/Cloudy Eye; Ossolets; Curb; Hernia; Bog Spavin; Capped Hock; Capped Elbow; Thoroughpin; Wind Puffs - Joint Capsule Hygromas; Splints with no Faulty Conformation; Scars from Injuries

Here is a short conformation and action evaluation:

What is the breed? - Hot Blood, Warm Blood, Cold Blood, Horse, Pony

What is the selected use? - Performance, Show, Competition, Work, etc.

HEAD & NECK: breed and use; head – size, set; nose – shape; eyes – size, set, appearance; nostrils – size; mouth – shape; throatlatch/jowls – size, shape; neck – length, shape, set

BODY: breed and use; chest – width; shoulder – slope, muscle; withers – height, balance; body – shape, depth; back – length, shape; hips – level, width; rump – shape, muscle; stifle – shape; girth – depth; loin – length, width, musculature; hip and croup – slope, length, level.

LEG: breed and use; gaskin – length, muscle; forearm – length, muscle; cannons – length, bone; knees – size, set, shape; joints – size, shape; hock – size, shape; hindleg/frontleg – angle, shape, stance; pastern – length, slope, shape

HOOF: breed and use; symmetry, size, shape, balance, health.

OVERALL BALANCE: breed and use; symmetry, length-height proportion, levelness of topline, depth of heart girth to leg, center of the horse, top-to-bottom line ratio, square, thirds, equal lengths.

STRAIGHTNESS OF ACTION: breed and use; walk and trot up, walk and trot past, walk and trot away.

VARIATIONS OF STRAIGHT ACTION: breed and use; dishing, paddling, plaiting, crossfiring, forging, over reaching, speedy cutting, scalping, brushing.

WHEN I LOOK UP MOST OF THESE TERMS, I HAVE TO LOOK UP MORE WORDS FROM THE DEFINITION TO UNDERSTAND THE TERM. ....WELL, I GOTTA KNOW IT.

"The Whole Is Greater Than The Sum Of Its Parts"

"The Whole Is Greater Than The Sum Of Its Parts"

FORM TO FUNCTION

 EQUUS CABALLUS

- is not just a pile of its parts

- is other than the sum of its parts

- is something besides the sum of its parts

- is very different from the sum of its parts

- is more than just a pretty face

A horse should be balanced and put together right. This makes the horse look good, function better within its athletic ability, extend its life span, increase its monetary value, and decrease lameness issues.

        Conformation means the way in which a horse is formed, how it is put together, its bone structure (the length of the bones, the angle of the joints and their reliability for a particular task), its musculature, the physical structure of its body, how the body works, its biomechanics, its body proportions in relation to each other. The horse's breed and its intended use also determine the conformation characteristics. Conformation is judged at rest and when moving.

        The horse either has a desirable physical build with sound muscles and joints which work correctly or has a physical structure that may limit its ability to perform a specific task, be difficult to train, predispose it to injury, be uncomfortable to ride, or have an adverse effect upon its temperament.

        To judge a horse's conformation/form to function, we have to determine its strengths, weaknesses, and suitability for purpose. Then we can manage training techniques to maximize the horse's potential and minimize the risks that go with certain faults. This will also help us determine the need for ongoing veterinary/farrier services.

        Some particular breeds have a slightly different standard of conformation. Different conformation is desirable and dependent upon what one intends to use the horse for. The best conformation for plowing a field, a cutting horse, or barrel racing is different. There is no one "good" shoulder, pastern, or pelvic structure.

Consider this: structure cannot be altered, but the way the animal uses itself can be modified through training. Posture, the way the horse carries itself and conformation are different. Conformation is all about the structure. Posture is about soft tissue, muscle tone and development.

With all that being said, their ain't no perfect 'tens'. One may believe otherwise, but there is not a perfectly conformed horse. Horses will have at least one fault and most have more. Horses can be used for 'riding', 'working', or 'competition/performance' if they are not severe. This depends on the particular problem and the horse’s intended use.

Then there is the unknown quality of the disposition/heart/spirit/the will to win of the horse. Nothing is of any good without these. The bloodlines and history have an affect on these. These may be a better indicator of how well the horse will perform for/with us. The horse's 'heart' being greater than the odds.

Studying skeletal anatomy will help us understand how the horse is built. This will help us develop an eye for functional conformation to select/purchase the right horse. It will be important when we consider/determine what job/sport/discipline we expect the horse to do. We can avoid the wrong horse and understand the struggling horse as we can relate to his ability to perform. We will then help our horse to do what he was built for, not what we want to make him do. There lies the difference. All well and good in theory. We will eventually have to have hands-on.

Some sites and articles on conformation/form to function express structural concepts in clear terms and use objective data when available. Others use different terms and descriptions based upon experience or opinion. Available to us is years of observation, the study of successful performance horses, and the application of common principles of physics. We have to know what they are talking about to understand and apply this knowledge.

My level of experience is low at this point in time. I expect to acquire an understanding of how skeletal conformation relates to success in selection, training and breeding of horses. When I am around horses I try to identify/palpate the skeletal points used in the descriptions of conformation. The ability to correctly see a horse’s conformation is a skill that I, as a horseman, will need. I want to make sure I know what to look for and what I am looking at. I need to know what is underneath what I am looking at in order to see its relationship to the form to function of conformation.

See a horse as the sum of all its parts, both good and bad, not just all its faults. Anybody can finds faults in almost any horse. Add up the good and recognize what you won't accept in a horse.

The conformation of a horse is quite a detailed subject. If it is to be of any use to us, it should be studied thoroughly.