Horse anatomy basics might well begin by discussing the size of a horse's skeleton. An average horse's skeleton contains 205 bones. Interestingly, horses do not have collarbones, as humans do. Their frontal limbs are attached to their spine by muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Those powerful muscles attach the horse's shoulder blade to its torso. Another interesting fact is that horses do not have muscles in their legs below the knee and hock, which is equivalent to the human heel and ankle.
A horse's feet and legs are critically important parts of horse anatomy basics. On average, horses weigh approximately 1,000 pounds, so all of that weight is continually placed on material that is basically made up of the same material as a human fingernail! What that means is that a horses massive weight is essentially supported in the same way that a human is supported when walking around on tiptoe! To protect this delicate material, horses wear horseshoes, which need to be reset every six to eight weeks.
Horses have twelve teeth (six upper and six lower) at the front of the mouth, and twenty-four teeth in the back. An interesting horse anatomy basic fact is that a horse's teeth will continue to grow throughout the horse's life. This is because horses are adapted to grazing.
A discussion of horse anatomy basics should also include an overview of a horse's digestive system. Horses dine on a variety of plant materials, including grasses. They have one small stomach, and they have the ability to digest cellulose from the grasses that they consume. Digestive problems are a major concern for horses, however, and a case of colic can quickly lead to the death of a horse.
Another interesting fact of horse anatomy basics is that only the whale has larger eyes than the horse. Horses have excellent day and night vision, but they do have trouble distinguishing some colors. A horse's sense of smell and hearing are both very good, but their greatest sense is their keen vision. Horses also have a very well developed fight-or-flight instinct. Though they can sometimes be prone to fleeing skittishly, they will sometimes stand their ground and defend themselves when threatened. This is especially true if a foal is being threatened.
A typical domestic horse's life expectancy is approximately 25-30 years, though some horses have been known to survive well into their forties. Horse anatomy basics also compel us to mention that the oldest recorded data of a horse's life showed that "Old Billy" of the 19th century lived to be over sixty years of age!
