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.