CHAPTER XIV 

 STRUCTURE OF THE LIMBS OF THE HORSE 



General Discussion. — Each limb is formed bv a column of 

 bones that rest upon one another, forming more or less open 

 angles. The bones of the column meet and form articulations 

 that are held together bv ligaments, and attached to their faces, 

 borders and extremities are muscles and tendons. In the superior 

 portion of the limb the muscles are heavy, tapering inferiorly, 

 and terminating in the region of the foot in long tendons. 

 Each limb is divided into four regions. The regions of the fore- 

 Umh are the shoulder, arm, forearm and forefoot. In the hind 

 limh are the regions of the pelvis, haunch, thigh, leg and hind- 

 foot. The feet in turn are divided into three sub-regions each. 

 The forefoot is formed by the knee, cannon and toe, and the 

 liindfoot by the hock, cannon and toe. 



The shoulder bone or scapula is flat and triangular in shape. 

 It is attached to the trunk by heavy muscles, one of which, to- 

 gether with its fellow on the opposite side, may be compared 

 to a great, muscular sling that supports about two-thirds of the 

 body weight. Attached to the internal and external faces of 

 the scapula are heavy muscles that pass over the shoulder-joint, 

 and become attached to the arm bone through the insertion of 

 their muscular fibres or by a short tendon. 



The arm bone or humerus belongs to the class of long bones. 

 Its superior extremity forms a flattened head that fits rather 

 imperfectly into a shallow cavity in the humeral angle of the 

 scapula. The inferior extremity resembles a portion of a cylin- 

 der in shape, and fits into shallow depressions in the superior 

 extremity of the principal bone of the forearm. The muscles 

 here are divided into two regions, anterior and posterior brachial. 

 The most of these muscles originate on the posterior border and 

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