26 



AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 



This extends backward, and forms the projection of the heel. 

 l^ext in order is the upper pastern- bone, upon which rests 

 the shank-bone, with the sessamoid bone, which articulates 

 with the ankle-joint, and laps over the point of junction of 

 the shank and upper pastern-bone. The knee-joint is com- 

 posed of seven bones. Sometimes a small, floating bone is 

 found at the back of the joint, making eight in all. Back 

 of the knee, and just below it, is a small, thin bone, extend- 

 ing down the front shank nearly its entire length, and de- 

 nominated the splin,t-bone of the fore-leg. Above the knee 

 is the main bone of the leg (the radius), known among horse- 

 men as the arm. It is the longest and largest bone of the 

 fore-leg. Above the arm is a bone of peculiar shape, named 

 the ulna (elbow). Still higher up is the hurinerus, the upper 

 bone of the arm, sometimes rather vaguely termed the shoul- 

 der-bone. This completes the bones of the fore-leg. 



a The upper pastern. 

 b The lower pastern. 

 c The navicular bone. 

 d The coffin-bone. 



riff. 2. 



a The sessamoid bone. 



b The upper pastern. 



c The lower pastern. 



d The navicular bone. 



c The coffin-bone, with the horny laminae. 



In the hind leg, the bones are precisely similar, until we 

 reach the hock-joint, which is composed of s/x bones. The 

 shank of the hind leg has two splint-bones, while the fore- 

 leg has but one. The point or projection of the hock is 

 called the os calcis, or heel-bone. Above this is the tibia, 

 (flute, or pipe-bone,) the largest bone of the whole structure. 

 Behind this, and fitting closely to it, is a small bone called 



