Galop 2Knowledge
Contents
- 01WelcomeOverview
- 02The five sensesKnowledge
- 03Life in the herdKnowledge
- 04The mouth and mealsKnowledge
- 05Feed, water, mealsCaring for the horse
- 06Housing, catching, turning outKnowledge
- 07More coats and patchesKnowledge
- 08The legsKnowledge
- 09Three breedsKnowledge
- 10GroomingCaring for the horse
- 11Quick-release knot and bridleCaring for the horse
- 12Saddling, saddle careCaring for the horse
- 13Work on footOn foot
- 14Mounting, girth, reinsIn the saddle
- 15Going forward, changing gaitIn the saddle
- 16Sitting or light seatIn the saddle
- 17Figures and arena rulesKnowledge
- 18The first fenceIn the saddle
- 19Equestrian activitiesKnowledge
- 20RevisionRevision
The horse’s legs
Knee, hock, cannon, fetlock, pastern, coronet, hoof: seven words you will use every day, when you groom, pick out the feet or report an injury.
In the exam programme
- Describe and point to the main parts of the legs: knee, hock, cannon, fetlock, pastern, coronet, hoof.Common module B
In Galop 1 you learned that the horse has two forelegs, at the front, and two hind legs, at the back. From the middle of the leg down to the ground, the parts have the same names in front and behind, except for the big joint in the middle: it is called the knee at the front and the hock at the back.
- Knee (foreleg)
- Hock (hind leg)
- Cannon
- Fetlock
- Pastern
- Coronet
- Hoof
- The knee
- On the foreleg, the flat joint halfway down the leg.
- The hock
- On the hind leg, the angled joint whose point faces backwards.
- The cannon
- The long, straight part below the knee or hock. At the back, you can feel the tendons under your fingers.
- The fetlock
- The rounded joint at the bottom of the cannon, just above the pastern.
- The pastern
- The short, sloping part between the fetlock and the coronet.
- The coronet
- The band just above the hoof, where the horn grows from. It is easily injured.
- The hoof
- The horny box that encloses and protects the foot. Its parts come up in Galop 3.
Tip
To remember the order
From top to bottom, starting at the knee or hock: Kind Children Feed Ponies Carrots Happily — knee or hock, cannon, fetlock, pastern, coronet, hoof.
Pointing to the legs safely
- A foreleg: stand beside the shoulder, facing the horse’s tail, and run your hand down the leg, naming each part.
- A hind leg: stay close to the body, level with the hip, facing the tail, one hand resting on the quarters; run the other hand down the thigh to the hock, then on towards the hoof.
- Always stay on your feet, bending if you need to, never kneeling or squatting, and never behind the horse.
Did you know?
The horse’s knee matches our wrist and its hock our ankle: the horse walks on the tip of a single finger, and the hoof is its nail.
Safety
Heat, swelling, a wound or lameness is reported to your instructor at once, before you ride.