A Phantom Rider’s 4-H guide to the basics of the horse’s skeleton Next page

Read each slide Click on the horse shoe on each page to make sure you understand the main points! Move to next page Next page

 The skeleton protects the organs inside the body and provides a framework that works with the muscles to move the body.  The equine skeleton has 205 bones! Next page

 The axial skeleton is made up of the skull, vertebral column, ribs and sternum Next page

 The appendicular skeleton is made up of the forelimbs and hind limbs (front & back legs) Next page

 Bones serve three major jobs  they act as levers  they store minerals  they are the site of red blood cell formationred blood cell Next page

 Where two or more bones meet is called a joint.  There are three types of joints.  Synovial joints are the most common in the horse’s body.  Synovial joints are freely moveable and have a joint capsule that surrounds the joint and is filled with fluid.  Some examples of these joints are the knee and hock. Next page

 Bones can be classified into five categories  Long Bones: aid in locomotion, store minerals, and act as levers. They are found mainly in the limbs. Long Bones  Short Bones: Absorb concussion. Found in joints such as the knee, hock, and fetlock. Short Bones  Flat Bones: Enclose body cavities containing organs. The ribs are examples of flat bones. Flat Bones  Irregular Bones: Protect the central nervous system. The vertebral column consists of irregular bones. Irregular Bones  Sesamoids: Bones embedded within a tendon. The horse's proximal digital sesamoids are simply called the "sesamoid bones" by horsemen, his distal digital sesamoid is referred to as the navicular bone. Sesamoidsnavicular bone  Ligaments and tendons hold the skeletal system together. Ligaments hold bones to bones and tendons hold bones to muscles. Synovial membranes are found in joint capsules, where they contain synovial fluid, which lubricates joints. Bones are covered by a tough membrane called periosteum, which covers the entire bone excluding areas of articulation. LigamentstendonsSynovial membranessynovial fluid