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Horses & Knowledge
Body Parts of a Horse
Whether you're a new rider just starting out or a lifelong horse lover brushing up on your knowledge, understanding the body parts of a horse is super important. From the poll to the hooves, every part of a horse has a name — and knowing those names helps you communicate better with vets, trainers, and others in the horse world.
We've built a free interactive horse body parts diagram just for you! Choose your difficulty level and see how many parts you can name. It's a fun way to learn horse anatomy!
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Interactive Horse Anatomy Game
Ready to test your knowledge? Choose a difficulty level and start labelling — can you name all 37 parts?
Horse Anatomy Game
HorseCrazyGirls.com
Can you label all the parts of a horse? Choose your level to find out!
Horse Anatomy Game
HorseCrazyGirls.com
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The Complete Guide to Horse Body Parts
Check out this outline of the major regions of a horse's body. Use it alongside the game above to build a solid foundation in horse anatomy.
The Head
The poll is the very top of the head, right between the ears (which are pretty easy to identify), and it's one of the most sensitive spots on a horse's body. The part of the mane that runs over the poll, through the ears, and down the forehead is called the forelock.
Moving down the face, you reach the muzzle — the soft, whiskery area around the mouth that includes the nostrils and lips. On sides of the face near the forehead you of course see the horse's eyes and further down you reach the cheek (the wide, flat, 'half circle' looking area of the face). The throatlatch is the area where the head meets the neck.
The Neck, Back, and Topline
The topline of a horse runs from the poll all the way to the tail, and it tells you a lot about a horse's health and fitness. The crest is the top of the neck where the mane grows out of. On the top of the horse near where the mane ends and there is usually a dip down to the back there is a bony ridge that is the withers which is the standard point for the top of the measuring stick when measuring a horse's height.
Behind the withers comes the back. The loin sits just behind the back, over the kidneys, and the croup is the rounded area over the hindquarters. The very end of the spine is the dock, which continues into the tail.
The Shoulder, Barrel, and Flank
The shoulder is easy to identify as it is so large. The point of shoulder is the bony protrusion at the front of the shoulder joint, where the bottom of the neck and shoulder meet. Below and behind the shoulder is the barrel — the large, rounded midsection of the horse's body that houses the lungs and digestive system. Behind the barrel is the flank, the soft area between the ribs and the hindquarters.
The Hindquarters
The hindquarters is another easy area of the horse to identify as it is a big area as well. This region includes the point of hip (the bony protrusion on either side of the croup), the stifle (which is equivalent to a human's knee and is located on the inside of the hind leg), the gaskin (the muscular area between the stifle and the hock), and the hock (a complex joint in the hind leg equivalent to the human ankle).
The Legs and Feet
On the front legs, you'll find the elbow (at the top of the leg, where it meets the body), the forearm (the large muscle that runs between the bottom of the shoulder and knee), the knee (the large joint halfway down the front leg), the cannon bone (the long bone below the knee), the fetlock (the joint the juts out and has a sort of tennis ball look near the hoof), the pastern (the short, angled bone between the fetlock and the hoof), and the hoof itself.
The hind legs follow a similar pattern below the hock: cannon bone, fetlock, pastern, and hoof. Want to go deeper on the hoof? Check out our dedicated guide to the parts of a horse hoof for everything you need to know about this incredibly complex structure.
Horse Body Parts — Quick Reference Table
All 37 major external body parts in one place — great for studying, 4-H quizzes, and horse knowledge classes.
| Body Part | Where It Is |
|---|---|
| Poll | The very top of the head, between the ears |
| Forelock | Mane that falls from the poll between the ears |
| Ear | On either side of the poll |
| Eye | On the side of the face, pretty easy to identify |
| Muzzle | The soft 'nose and mouth area', that has the nostrils, whiskers, and lips |
| Cheek | The wide, flat, semicircle area of the face |
| Throatlatch | Where the head meets the neck |
| Crest | The top part of the neck the mane grows out of |
| Mane | The hair growing from the crest of the neck |
| Withers | The ridge between the shoulder blades at the base of the neck |
| Shoulder | The large bone between the withers and the foreleg |
| Point of Shoulder | Bony protrusion at the front of the shoulder joint |
| Chest | The front of the body between the forelegs |
| Elbow | Front leg joint near the end of the back of the shoulder where leg meets body |
| Forearm | Front leg muscle between the bottom of the shoulder and knee |
| Knee | Large joint halfway down the front leg |
| Cannon Bone | Long bone below the knee or hock |
| Fetlock | Joint above the hoof with soft of a tennis ball shape |
| Pastern | Short angled bone between fetlock and hoof |
| Hoof | The hard foot at the bottom of the leg |
| Back | The area from withers to loin |
| Barrel | The rounded midsection housing lungs and stomach |
| Loin | Area over the kidneys, behind the back |
| Flank | Soft area between the barrel and hindquarters |
| Croup | Rounded area over the hindquarters |
| Point of Hip | Bony protrusion at the top of each hip |
| Hindquarters | The entire muscular rear section of the horse |
| Dock | The end of the spine that extends into the tail |
| Tail | The hair at the end of the dock |
| Stifle | The 'knee' joint of the hind leg |
| Gaskin | Muscular area between stifle and hock |
| Hock | Major hind leg joint equivalent to the human ankle |
Parts of the Horse — Leg Breakdown
Horse legs are surprisingly complex. Here's a quick top-to-bottom breakdown of both the front and hind legs so you always know exactly what's what.
Front Leg (Top to Bottom)
- Shoulder — upper region connecting leg to body
- Elbow — first major joint, tucked against the belly
- Forearm — large, muscular section below the shoulder
- Knee — the large, flat joint in the middle of the front leg
- Cannon Bone — long bone between the knee and fetlock
- Fetlock — joint just above the hoof, often with a 'feather' of hair
- Pastern — short, sloping bone between fetlock and hoof
- Hoof — the hard, keratinous foot
Hind Leg (Top to Bottom)
- Point of Hip — bony protrusion at the top of the hindquarters
- Stifle — the largest joint in the hind leg, on the inside
- Gaskin — the muscular lower thigh between stifle and hock
- Hock — the complex, angled joint that looks like a backwards knee
- Cannon Bone — long bone from hock to fetlock
- Fetlock — same as the front leg
- Pastern — same as the front leg
- Hoof — same as the front leg
Want to know what's inside the hoof? Check out our full guide to the parts of a horse hoof — including the frog, white line, sole, and more.
Why Learn the Body Parts of a Horse?
Knowing the correct names for every part of a horse isn't just trivia — it's the foundation of good horsemanship. Here's why it matters:
Talk to your vet and trainer confidently
When your horse has a sore spot or an injury, being able to point to the exact body part saves time and helps get the right treatment faster.
Read books and articles about horses
Almost everything written about horse care, riding, and training uses proper anatomical terms. Knowing them opens up a whole new world of learning.
Assess conformation properly
Understanding terms like 'long sloping shoulder' or 'well-angulated hock' lets you evaluate horses the way the pros do.
Fit tack correctly
A saddle that sits on the withers, a browband that pinches behind the ears, or a girth that rubs the elbow — these are all issues you can only identify and fix if you know your horse anatomy.
Score better in horse knowledge classes at shows
Many youth horse shows include a horse knowledge class where you'll be asked to identify parts of the horse. This page is your study guide!
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you ever wanted to know about horse anatomy — answered.
A horse has over 200 bones and hundreds of muscles, tendons, and ligaments — but when it comes to the named external body parts that riders and horse people need to know, the number is around 30–40 key landmarks. Our interactive game covers all 37 major external body parts, from poll to hoof.
The main body parts of a horse are: poll, ears, forelock, eye, muzzle, throatlatch, neck, mane, withers, shoulder, back, loin, croup, tail, barrel, flank, hindquarters, and the four legs. Each leg has its own set of named parts including the knee or hock, cannon bone, fetlock, pastern, and hoof.
The top of the horse is often called the topline.
The area between and behind a horse's ears is called the poll. It's one of the most sensitive points on a horse's body. The forelock is the mane the falls over the poll between the ears.
The large angled joint in a horse's hind leg is called the hock. It is the equivalent of the human ankle, though it faces the opposite direction. Below the hock is the cannon bone, fetlock, pastern, and hoof. Above the hock is the gaskin (the lower thigh) and the stifle (the upper hind leg joint equivalent to the human knee).
Horse height is measured in hands (one hand = 4 inches / 10.16 cm) from the ground to the top of the withers — not the top of the head. The withers is used because it's a fixed, bony landmark that doesn't move when the horse raises or lowers its head.
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