Skeletal system of the horse

Bones serve three major functions in the skeletal system; they act as levers, they store minerals, and they are the site of red blood cell formation.

Due to their relatively poor blood supply, ligament injuries generally take a long time to heal.

The sternum consists of multiple sternebrae, which fuse to form one cartilagenous mass, attached to the 8 "true" pairs of ribs, out of a total of 18.

The skull consists of fourteen major bones The appendicular skeleton contains the fore and hindlimbs.

This allows great mobility in the front limb, and is partially responsible for the horse's ability to fold his legs up when jumping.

Although the hindlimb supports only about 40% of the weight of the animal, it creates most of the forward movement of the horse, and is stabilized through attachments to the spine.

Performance horses, like human athletes, place a high amount of stress on their bones and joints.

Advanced therapies, such as Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist Protein (IRAP) and stem cell treatments, are available for acute cases.