Hay everyone,
It is time for our annual Equine Sumer Showcase on Wednesday, July 12th from 10:00am – 12:00pm. Everyone (and by everyone, I mean only our two-legged friends) are welcome to join us and see our research mares run on the treadmill! In addition, my good pal RU Wishbone, the full-size equine skeleton, will be used to teach anatomy. Finally, you will be able to put your equine science knowledge to the test with our jeopardy game. OH I forgot to mention the best part: the event is FREE. We just ask for you to please register in advance at the link attached here: https://goo.gl/cx7lUt.
As your friend, I want to make sure you are prepared for the anatomy lesson with some basic facts! Did you know horses bear weight on the equivalent of one of our fingers? A horse’s knee, or “carpus” in their front leg is analogous to a human wrist. In the hind leg, a horse’s hock is analogous to a human ankle. That means the front and hind cannon bones are like our metacarpal and metatarsal bones.
Principles of Equine Orthopedics: Stance and Biomechanics, Part I (From the Coronet Upward to the Withers)
The Inner Horseman Vol. 7 (1), January 2003, 130 pp.
As we work our way down, the long and short pastern bones, as well as the coffin bones represent the remainder of our finger, or toes, respectively. It’s crazy to think we support all of our weight on 2 fingers and 2 toes! That must be why I hear you humans joke “horses are 1200 pounds of fragile!” I’m excited to hear what other anatomy facts you learn from Wishbone on Wednesday!
Anatomy is crucial in determining and understanding horse conformation. Conformation is a term used to classify and evaluate the degree of correctness of a horse’s bone structure, musculature, and body proportions in relation to each other. Conformation is subject to breed traits, and can be used to predict a horse’s ability to perform a specific task. If you are interested in learning more, take a look at this great document regarding horse evaluation and conformation written by my friend here at Rutgers, Dr. Williams!
Until Next Time!
Your Pal,
Lord Nelson