Chestnut (horse anatomy)

[2][3] Darren Naish dissents from this belief, noting that the chestnut is "not associated with the metacarpus or metatarsus, the only places where digits occur.

[1] For purposes of identification some breed registries require photographs of them among other individual characteristics.

[1] However, because chestnuts grow over time and horse groomers often peel or trim off the outer layers for neatness, their appearance is subject to change.

The evolution of the horse involved a reduction in the number of toes to one, along with other changes to the ancestral equid foot, and the chestnut is thought to correspond to the wrist pad of dogs and cats.

Also, if the horse is exercised so that it has sweated, the chestnut is temporarily softened by the body moisture and can be peeled easily.