Ok kiddo, today we're going to learn about the legs of horses! Let's focus on their front legs, also known as the forelimbs.
The forelimb of a horse is made up of several parts, just like your arm. They have a shoulder, an upper arm, a forearm, a knee, a cannon bone, pastern, and a hoof.
At the top of the shoulder is where the forelimb connects to the horse's body. Imagine your shoulder, but much bigger and more powerful. The upper arm is the long bone that connects the shoulder to the elbow.
The forearm is the part of the horse's leg between the elbow and the knee, and it's made up of two bones - the radius and the ulna. Just like how your lower arm has two bones, the horse's leg does too!
The knee of a horse is actually more like your wrist, but it has a different name. It's called the carpus, and it's made up of several small bones that work together to allow the horse to move its legs in different ways.
The cannon bone is the largest bone in the horse's leg, and it runs from the knee to the pastern. The pastern is the part of the leg between the cannon bone and the hoof. It's made up of two smaller bones called the long pastern bone and the short pastern bone.
Finally, we come to the hoof. It's like the horse's foot, but it's very different from your foot. The hoof is made up of a hard, protective outer layer called the hoof capsule, and a soft, sensitive inner layer called the laminae. The hoof helps the horse to walk, run, and jump without getting hurt.
So there you have it, kiddo! The forelimb of a horse is made up of several parts, just like your arm, and each one plays an important role in helping the horse move around.