THE ANATOMY OF THE HORSE 



37 



of the skin, comparable with the finger-nail. This consists 

 of three parts, (1) the wall, or all of the exterior of the 

 hoof to be seen when resting on the floor surface; (2) the 

 sole, which arches over much of the under side of the hoof, 

 excepting the space occupied by (3) the frog, which is a 

 wedge-shaped form of soft horn, extending from the cleft 

 at the back side of the 

 hoof, to a point well 

 beyond the center of 

 the sole. This back 

 side of the hoof is 

 known as the heel, to 

 which the frog is con- 

 nected at its basal ex- 

 tremities. On each 

 side of the frog, be- 

 tween this and the 

 sole, is a slight ridge, 

 the bar, which is a 

 continuation of the 

 hoof wall. The coro- 

 net is the top of the 

 hoof where this part 

 joins the pastern. 



The pelvis of the 

 horse occupies a slop- 

 ing backward position 

 in the upper part of 

 the hindquarters, ar- 

 ticulating with the 



sacrum. It appears as one bone, although really con- 

 sisting of two similar halves. The. outer projecting part 

 of the pelvis on each side is known as the point of the 

 hip, while the extreme rear end, the ischium, is commonly 

 termed the point of the 'buttock. A very large, heavy thigh 

 bone, the femur, has its upper end in a socket in the lower 

 part of the pelvis. This thigh bone extends forward, end- 



Fig. 19. The digit of the horse, show- 

 ing surface relationship of bones and 

 joints : a, long pastern bone ; 6, short pas- 

 tern ; c, coffin bone ; d, cartilage ; e, na- 

 vicular bone ; h, cut-edge wall of hoof. 

 (Courtesy Dr. S. Sisson. From Anatomy 

 of the Domestic Animals.) 



