Horse Anatomy Guided Notes
The hip area is also called the _____________________
The ____________ is the back and loin from the wither to the _________ (rump).
The topline is also referred to as the length of the _______________.
The ______________ is the area from elbow to ________________.
Skeletal and Muscular Information
Horses have approximately _____________ bones that:
a. support ________________, and
b. protect ____________________.
The horse’s skeleton has the ____________ of its part to allow the horse much
freedom of _______________.
The bones _______________ muscles and __________ internal _______________.
Muscles are attached to bones by _______________ and move the bones by
_________________ and_________________.
Tendons are encased in thin, fibrous sheets that ________________ the
tendon so that it might move more freely.
Parts of the Skeletal/Muscular System
The ___________________ column consists of bones in the tail, ______, back, loin
and croup.
There are ________ pairs of ribs in a horse.
The ___________________ is the canoe shaped breastbone made up of seven fused
segments.
The ___________ encloses the brain and important __________ organs.
________________________limbs include all the bones of the front legs.
______________________ limbs include all the bones of the hind legs.
Neck muscles- should be long, _______________ and flat
__________ muscles- should be _____, lean and attach to the bone close to the knee.
Muscling in the horse’s back and _______add support in the ______________
column
Long, tapered muscles in the hindquarter provide ______________whereas large,
bulging muscles provide more _______________________.
Skeletal System
The _________ provide protection and space for vital internal __________ and
should be long and well sprung.
The ____________ protects and provides cavities for the _____ and nervous system.
The thoracic limbs carry about ________% of the horse’s weight and are
subject to a lot of _________________.
The pelvic limbs are the horse’s main means of __________________ itself
forwards.
The ________________joint has a locking mechanism that allows the horse to sleep
while standing. When the stifle joint ___________, the horse cannot __________ the
joint and the “stifled” horse requires _________________.
The ___________ joint is the most complex and most _________________single joint
in the horse. There are __________ serious _________________ found in the hocks
than any other part of the body. A horse must be _________________ sound to
__________ and perform well.
Good muscling in the back and loin helps support the ______________ column and
prevents “_________________” or a sagging back when the horse is used for riding.
Muscular System –
The ____________ muscle affects the ease and _______________ of movement of the
forelegs and should be long, ______________ and flat.
Long, lean ____________ muscles allow long ___________.
Good muscling in the _________ and loin helps support the _______________
column and prevents “_______________” or a sagging back when the horse is used
for ______________.
Internal Organs of Equine Guided Notes
Organs of the Thoracic Cavity
1. The thoracic cavity is the area between the __________ & ___________________.
a. ______________ form the sides of the thoracic cavity
b. The organs of the thoracic cavity include the
________________________and _____________________ systems.
_____________- form the side of the thoracic cavity.
Major organs include:
a. The ________________lies towards the bottom of the thoracic cavity and
to the left of center.
b. The __________ lie to the sides and behind the heart and __________ most
of the thoracic cavity.
Functions include:
1. Heart pumps __________ throughout the horse’s body.
2. The lungs exchange ___________and carbon dioxide between the
______________and the _____________.
Organs of the Abdominal Cavity
1. The __________________ cavity extends from just behind the thoracic cavity to
the _______________ region.
a. ________________is a body partition of _______________and connective
tissue. It separates the ______________ and ____________ cavities.
2. Major Organs Include:
a. The __________________ is a large organ extending all the way across the
abdominal cavity.
b. The __________________and ________________lie behind the liver and in
front of the small and large intestines.
c. The _________________lie on each side of the backbone and under the
_____________ribs in the _____________area of the horse.
Functions include:
1. The liver _________________ several nutrients, ___________ (removes the
poison) many drugs and poisons and stores some ____________.
2. The spleen and stomach are part of the ___________________ tract and
function in the ________________ and utilization of food.
3. The kidneys remove _________________ from the body and conserve
_________________ and important components of the ______________.
Organs of the Pelvic Cavity
1. The pelvic cavity is __________________ with the abdominal cavity.
a. The _________________ is the terminal (___________) portion of the
____________________, which continues from the abdominal cavity to the
pelvic cavity.
b. The ______________ ______________ lies within the pelvic cavity and
extends into the abdominal cavity when full.
2. Major organs included in the pelvic cavity are:
a. Male _______________________organs which lie toward the back and at
the base of the _________ cavity; or,
b. Female reproductive organs extending from the back of the cavity to near
the ________________cavity.
Functions include:
1. The ___________ is the terminal (last) portion of the _____________ and
serves as the __________ part for solid _______________.
2. The urinary _______________ collects ________________ waste.
3. Reproduction
Digestive System Basics
The digestive system of a horse is unique in that:
• It has a relatively ________ but efficient stomach for ________
utilization.
• It has a large ________ and colon for ________ utilization.
B.
The digestive system or ________________canal of a horse:
• Consists of a ________ hollow tube over _____feet long that loops
itself many times as it runs from the ________to the anus.
• The alimentary canal varies in size from ____ inch in diameter at the
________ intestine to _____inches in diameter at the ________colon.
C.
___________ is the process of breaking foodstuffs into their component
________ so that they will be mostly ________ in water and easily ________
(taken in) through the mucous ________ that lines the ________tract. There
are several aspects of the process:
1. ________action includes mastication (________), deglutition (________),
intestinal movements and ________ (elimination of waste).
2.________ action is the action on foodstuffs by ________ from glands within the
body.
3. ________action would include action upon foodstuffs by the ________ found
in the stomach.
4. ________ action is the ________ of foodstuffs by very minute ________
within the digestive tract.
Digestion occurs from the time food is eschewed (________) until it is passed into the
________ colon for elimination from the ________.
Anatomy of the Digestive System
The ________ includes the teeth, the tongue and large ________glands.
A. mature horse secretes about ________gallons of ________ a day.
Saliva ________foodstuff so that it is easier to go down the ________, and
begins the digestion of ________.
B. The ________is the muscular, ________ shaped upper back portion of
the horse’s mouth designed to ________food down the ________.
C. The esophagus is a highly ________4-5 foot ________, which carries
food and water from the ________ to the stomach through progressive
________of muscular contractions.
1. A horse cannot ________ to relieve ________ pressure of vomit as a
result of the esophagus.
2. A horse’s stomach will usually ________ before ________occurs
D ________is a relatively small u-shaped sac at the front of the
abdominal cavity.
1. Very little nutrient ________ and very little bacterial action occur in
the stomach.
2. Swallowed foods are acted on by ________ juices secreted from
glands in the ________ membrane lining the stomach to break down
________ and ________.
3. Because of the small size of the stomach, horses need to be fed
________ amounts ____-____times daily for efficient ________.
E. The ________ intestine is a 2-inch by ____ foot tube that coils and
loops its way from the stomach to the ________ intestine.
1.The small intestine along with the ________ and liver supplies most
of the ________ for digestion.
2.The small intestine ________ and absorbs ____-____% of the
protein a horse eats and ________s most of the ________
carbohydrates for the horse to use for ________.
3.The contents of the s________ intestine are about ____-____%
water.
F. The ________ Intestine is a____foot long tube comprised of the
cecum, ________ colon, small colon and ________, which moves
________ material from the small intestine to the anus for _________.
1.Bacteria action is considerable in the ________ intestine to digest
cellulose, produce ________ acids for ________ synthesis, and
produce ________ acids which supply about ________of the
horse’s e________.
2.The ________ is the primary site of ________ absorption.
G. The ________ consists of the small colon and anus and receives
________ that the small colon has formed.
1.________ are formed in characteristic balls.
2.A horse on a standard diet of ________ and hay voids ____- ____
pounds of feces over the course of ____-____times during the course
of a day.
3.
The ________makes up only 10% of the total capacity of the digestive tract.

Food passes through the stomach in about ________ minutes

The stomach holds only ____-____gallons.
The ________ intestine makes up ________% of the digestive tract capacity.

Food passage takes from 2.5 to 4 hours.

The small intestine holds about ________ gallons.
The ________ intestine makes up ____-____% of the total capacity of the digestive
tract.

Food passage takes from ____- ___ hours.

The combined capacity of the components of the large intestine is
____- ____gallons.