Horses are '''perissodactyl''' '''unguligrade''' animals. Unguligrade means that horses bear their weight on a horny covering (hoof) that surrounds their distal phalanx, perissodactyl means that they have only one weightbearing digit. They are virtually identical in their structure in the hindlimb and forelimb. The main differences are that in the forelimb they have metacarpals and the metacarpophalangeal joint, the hindlimb equivalents are the metatarsals and the metatarsophalangeal joint. Also in anatomical planes we use the term palmar for forelimb and plantar for hindlimb. These terms are all interchangable in the below article depending on whether you are referring to the fore or hindlimb. | Horses are '''perissodactyl''' '''unguligrade''' animals. Unguligrade means that horses bear their weight on a horny covering (hoof) that surrounds their distal phalanx, perissodactyl means that they have only one weightbearing digit. They are virtually identical in their structure in the hindlimb and forelimb. The main differences are that in the forelimb they have metacarpals and the metacarpophalangeal joint, the hindlimb equivalents are the metatarsals and the metatarsophalangeal joint. Also in anatomical planes we use the term palmar for forelimb and plantar for hindlimb. These terms are all interchangable in the below article depending on whether you are referring to the fore or hindlimb. |