The Horsewoman Part 18

NAMES OF EXTERNAL PARTS OF THE HORSE.

I shall here of course omit to describe parts, such as the eyes, head and tail, for instance, which are known to everyone. The figures and letters employed in the following list, have reference to those on Fig.

147, except when Fig. 148 is mentioned.

The hoof (10) is the h.o.r.n.y box which encloses the lower part of the leg.

The front part of the hoof, near the ground surface, is called the _toe_; the side portions, the _quarters_; and the rear parts, the _heels_. The outer portion of the hoof is termed the _wall_, which is divided into a hard, fibrous outer covering, called the _crust_, and a soft inner layer of non-fibrous horn. The designations "wall" and "crust" are often used indiscriminately.

The _frog_ is the triangular h.o.r.n.y cushion which is in the centre of the ground surface of the hoof, and which, by its elasticity and strength, acts as a buffer in saving the structures inside the hoof from the injurious effects of concussion.

_The cleft of the frog_ is the division in the middle line of the frog.

In healthy feet, it consists of only a slight depression. In a disease, called "thrush," of the sensitive part which secretes the frog, the cleft forms a deep, damp and foul-smelling fissure, and the frog becomes more or less shrivelled up. The frog similar to the skin of the palms of our hands, requires frequent pressure to make it thick and strong. The horn of the hoof is merely a modification of the cuticle (scarf skin).

The _bars_ of the hoof are the portions of the wall of the hoof which are turned inwards at the heels, and run more or less parallel to the sides of the frog. The _sole_ is that portion of the ground surface of the foot which is included between the wall, bars and frog.

The _pastern_ (9) is the short column of bones (two in number) which lies between the fetlock and hoof.

The _fetlock_ (8) is the prominent joint which is just above the hoof.

The _cannon bone_ (7) is the bone that extends from the fetlock to the _knee_ (6), which, in the horse, corresponds to our wrist.

The _back tendons_ or _back sinews_ (_M_) form the more or less round tendinous cord which is at the back of the leg, from the knee (or hock) to the fetlock. These tendons, which are two in number, usually appear in the form of one cord; but in horses which have a very fine skin and "clean legs," we may see that one of them is placed behind the other.

The term "clean legs" signifies that the limbs are not only sound, but are also free from any fulness, which would more or less obscure the contour of the bones, tendons and ligaments. _Muscles_ are the lean of meat, and their ends are connected to bones by means of _tendons_, which consist of hard, fibrous and inelastic material. The _ligaments_ of the limbs are composed of the same material (white connective tissue) as tendons, and serve to connect bones together, without the intervention of muscle. The horse has practically no muscles below his knees and hocks.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 147.--External parts of horse.]

The _suspensory ligament_ is the fibrous cord which lies between the cannon bone and the back tendons. The fact that it stands sharply out between these two structures, when viewed from the side, shows that it is in a sound condition, which is a most important point as regards usefulness; because injury to it, from accident or overwork, is a fruitful cause of lameness, especially in saddle horses that are employed in fast work.

The _fore-arm_ (5) is the portion of the fore leg between the knee and the elbow.

The _point of the elbow_ (_I_) is the bony projection which is at the top and back of the fore-arm.

The _point of the shoulder_ (_H_) is the prominent bony angle which lies a little below the junction of the neck and shoulder, and consists of the outer portion of the upper end of the humerus.

The _forehead_ (_A_) is the front part of the head which is above the eyes.

The _nose_ (_B_) is a continuation of the forehead, and ends opposite the nostrils (_C_).

The _muzzle_ is the lower end of the head, and includes the nostrils, upper and lower lips (_D_ and _E_), and the bones and teeth covered by the lips.

The _chin-groove_ (_F_) is the depression at the back of the lower jaw, and just above the fulness of the lower lip, which, in this case, a.s.sumes the appearance of a chin.

The _angles of the lower jaw_ (_G_) are the bony angles between which the upper end of the wind-pipe lies.

The _withers_ (4) are the bony ridge which is the forward end of the back.

The _shoulders_ (3) are the bony and muscular portion of the body which is more or less included between a line drawn from the point of the shoulder (_H_) to the front end of the withers, and another line drawn from the point of the elbow (_I_) to the rear end of the withers.

Anatomically speaking, the shoulders consist of the _humerus_ (the bone which lies between the elbow and the point of the shoulder), shoulder blade, and the muscles which cover them.

The _crest_ (_T_) is the upper part of the neck, extending from the withers to the ears.

The _jugular groove_ (_U_) is the groove which is on each side of the neck, just above the wind-pipe. It marks the course of the jugular vein.

The _poll_ (_V_) is the part on the top of the neck, immediately behind the ears.

The _breast_ is the front portion of the body which we see between the fore legs and below a line connecting the points of both shoulders, when looking at the animal from the front. The chest is the cavity which is covered by the ribs, and which contains the lungs, heart, etc.

Therefore, instead of saying that a horse which struck a fence without rising at it, "chested" it, we should, on the contrary, say that he "breasted" it. This confusion between the terms "breast" and "chest" is not unusual.

The _brisket_ (16) is the part formed by the breastbone, and is the lower part of the chest.

The _girth-place_ is that portion of the brisket which is just behind the fore legs, and which the girths pa.s.s under when the horse is saddled.

The _back_ (4 and 11) is practically the withers and that portion of the upper part of the body which is covered by the saddle. Strictly speaking, it is that portion of the spine which is possessed of ribs. In common parlance, the term "back" is often applied to the upper part of the horse, from the withers to the highest point of the croup (Fig. 148, _H_). This measurement includes the _loins_ (12) as well as the back.

The bones (six vertebrae) of the loins have no ribs, and, consequently, the flanks on each side are soft to the touch, and have a tendency to "fall in" (become depressed), especially if the abdomen, which is underneath them, be insufficiently filled with food. The _croup_ (17) is that part of the spine which is between the loins and tail. The hind legs are connected to the croup by means of the pelvis, which is firmly united to the croup by strong ligaments. The pelvis stands in the same relation to the hind legs as the shoulder blades do to the fore limbs, the chief difference between them being that the pelvis is a single bony structure composed of several bones, and the shoulder blades are separate bones. The front part of the pelvis is called the _point of the hip_ (_S_).

The _stifle_ (_N_) is the joint of the hind leg which is at the lower part of the flank. The _thigh_ extends from the stifle to the hip joint.

The _hock_ (20) is the large and freely movable joint which is immediately above the hind cannon-bone. The _point of the hock_ (_Q_) is the bony projection at the back and top of the hock. The _hamstring_, or _tendo Achillis_ (_P_), is the tendinous cord which runs up the back of the leg from the point of the hock. The _gaskin_ (19) is the part of the leg immediately above the hock and bounded at the rear by the hamstring. The term, _thigh_, is usually applied to the part of the hind leg above the gaskin; but, correctly speaking, it is the part of the hind leg above the stifle.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 148.--Measurements of horse.]

The _belly_, or _abdomen_ (15), is the underneath portion of the body of the horse which is not covered by bone.

The _point of the b.u.t.tock_ (_O_) is the rearmost point of the pelvis.

_The dock_ (_R_) is the solid part of the tail.

The _height of a horse_ (_A B_, Fig. 148) is the vertical distance of the highest point of his withers from the ground, when he is standing with his fore legs nearly vertical and with the points of his hocks in a vertical line with the points of his b.u.t.tocks. I have qualified "vertical" by "nearly" when referring to the fore legs; for when the hind legs are placed as in Fig. 147, the weight of the head and neck, which are in front of the fore legs, would cause the animal to stand somewhat "over." When a pony is being measured for polo or racing, his legs should be placed in the position I have described, although his head may be lowered until his crest is parallel with the ground.

The _length of the body of a horse_ (_D E_, Fig. 148), may be a.s.sumed as the horizontal distance from the front of the chest to a line dropped vertically from the point of the b.u.t.tock. This measurement is a somewhat arbitrary one, but it is probably the best for the purpose. French writers generally take the length of a horse as the distance from the point of the shoulder to the point of the b.u.t.tock. As this is not a horizontal measurement, I prefer to it the one just given.

The _depth of the chest at the withers_ (_A C_, Fig. 148) is the vertical distance from the top of the withers to the bottom of the chest. This measurement being taken for convenience sake is an arbitrary one, because the chest is lower between the fore legs than behind the elbow, which is the spot I have selected. Besides, the actual height of the withers above the roof of the chest, has no fixed relation to the depth of the chest.

_Depth of the body_ (_F G_, Fig. 148). The best and most uniform point to take this is, I think, the lowest point of the back.

_Height at the croup_ (_H I_, Fig. 148) is measured from the highest point of the hind quarters.