22 



THE EXTERIOR OF THE HORSE 



In the horse, however, the term is restricted to the terminal portion of the 

 limb, or that section of it enclosed in the hoof. Two bones and part of 

 a third constitute its bony base. The former comprise the third phalanx 

 — the pedal or coffin bone, and the navicular bone; the latter, the second 



2yhalanx, or coronet bone. Connected with 

 these are various tendons, ligaments, fibrous 

 tissue, and cartilages, the whole of which 

 are invested by a highly vascular and sen- 

 sitive covering of modified skin, and out- 

 wardly protected by a horny envelope, or 

 huge nail, to which the term hoof has been 

 applied. 



8. THE POSTERIOR OR HIND LIMB 



The Quarter. — In considering the re- 

 gions of the hind limb, it will be convenient, 

 if not anatomically exact, to refer to that 

 division of the horse commonly spoken of as 

 the "quarter". This region comprises all 

 those parts extending from the loin and 

 flank in front to the Ijuttock behind. It 

 embraces within its scoj^e the croup, the 

 haunch, the thigh, the buttock, and the 

 stifle. 



The Thigh. — This is the most massive 

 and muscular of the several regions of the 

 extremities. The thigh commences above, 

 at the lower border of the croup, and extends 

 downward as for as the stifle. In front it 

 is limited bv the flank, while behind it is 

 in relation with the buttock. 



The ossiflc base of the thigh is the femur, 



Fig. 14. — Eack View of Horse 



" Croup. 39 Abdomen. ••" Flank. 



"3 Buttock. « Leg or Gaskin. « Hock. 

 » Point of Hock. =1 Tendo Achilles or 



Ham-string. ^^ Canon. ^* Fetlock- 



joint. ^^ Pastern. ^ Coronet. ^" Foot. 



or thigh-bone. 



The Buttock. — The buttock is the pos- 

 terior fleshy part of the quarter extending from the root of the tail down- 

 ward to a little distance below the stifle-joint. There is no anatomical 

 boundary by which its anterior limits can be fixed. In this connection 

 the division is an arbitrary one. It embraces portions of the croup, the 

 thigh, and the leg or gaskin. The point of the buttock (fig. l) is formed 

 by a bony projection (Ischial tuberosity) below the root of the tail. 



