THE LIMBS OF THE HORSE 107 



bony points should be located. There will be no difficulty in deter- 

 mining the position of the projecting angle of the ilium (coxal tuber), 

 but careful and deep palpation will be necessary if the true position of 

 the sciatic tuber and great trochanter is to be ascertained. If the 

 subject is thin, grooves marking the lines of apposition of the gluteal 

 and biceps and the biceps and semitendinosus muscles may be recognised, 

 and a projection caused by the sacral tuber of the ilium may be 

 noticeable. 



An incision is to be made through the skin round the root of the 

 tail and along the line of the vertebral spinous processes as far as the 

 level of the last rib. In all probability dissectors of other regions have 

 already removed the skin from the loins. If this has not been done, 

 a transverse incision must be made from the point at which the first 

 incision ends. The skin is now removed from the whole of the hip and 

 thigh and about half of the leg. 



Cutaneous nerves of the hip and thigh. — Cutaneous nerves are 

 numerous in this part of the limb. (1) Three, derived from the dorsal 

 branches of the himbar nerves, appear a short distance from the middle 

 line of the body in the area bounded by the line of the last rib and a 

 transverse line on a level with the coxal tuber. (2) Five cutaneous 

 nerves are the terminations of the dorsal branches of sacral nerves. 

 •Four of them become superficial in a line with the lumbar cutaneous 

 nerves, and one of them (the first) appears close to the coxal tuber. 

 (3) The terminal branches of the posterior- cutaneous nerve of the thigh 

 appear between the biceps and semitendinosus muscles distal to the 

 level of the hip joint. (4) About the same point a cutaneous branch 

 of the sciatic nerve appears. (5) The lateral cutaneo7is nerve of the 

 thigh pierces the abdominal wall close to the coxal tuber, and is 

 distributed over the lateral and anterior aspects of the thigh. (6) A 

 short distance cranial to the foregoing a cutaneous branch of the ilio- 

 inguinal nerve pierces the wall of the abdomen and passes downwards 

 to the patellar region. (7) Cutaneous branches of the tibial nerve 

 emerge from the biceps muscle close to its insertion. 



Fascia of the hip and thigh. — After removal of the comparatively 

 loose and fat-laden superficial fascia the very strong deep fascia is 

 exposed. In the gluteal region (fascia glutese) it is closely adherent to 

 the underlying muscles, and affords origin to some of their fibres. The 

 gluteal fascia is attached to the spinous processes of the sacrum, the 

 short sacro-iliac ligament, and the coxal and sacral tubers of the ilium. 

 Cranially it is continuous with the lumbo-dorsal fascia, and behind 

 with the fascia of the tail. 



Over the lateral aspect of the thigh is spread the stout /ascm lata, 

 into which a muscle — the tensor of the fascia lata — is inserted. Ftound 

 the front of the thigh this fascia is continuous with that already 

 examined on the medial aspect of the limb. A prolongation of it 

 passes underneath the cranial border of the biceps, to become connected 



