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"Parts of a Horse and Tack"

Outline the Parts of a Horse, Saddle, Bridle

Learn the basic anatomy of a horse.

"Know what part is being talked about when you're around experienced horsemen..."

Saddle and bridle parts also have names you should know.

An element of good horsemanship is knowning the basic parts of your horse and tack. If you don't want to be a complete "green horn" around seasoned horsemen, then learn the basic anatomy of your horse and know what the different parts of your saddle and bridle are called.

Knowing the basic horse anatomy and the names for the different parts of tack is also important for communicating effectively with your horse's vet or or boarding stable personnel.

Basic Horse Anatomy

More Anatomy Terms

Cannon	Bone located between the knee and the fetlock, and the hock and the fetlock.
Check ligaments	System of ligaments that lock in position allowing a horse to sleep standing up.
Chestnut	Horny growth inside and above each knee, and inside and below each hock.
Coronary Band	Where the hoof joins the leg -- where the hoof wall is produced. Source of growth and nutrition for the hoof wall and bars.
Croup	Topline of horse from the top of the tail to the highest point of the hindquarters.
Fetlock	Joint formed by the cannon, pastern and sesamoid bones.
Frog	Triangular area located towards the back of the underside of the hoof.
Gaskin	Part of the hind leg between the hock and the stifle.
Hand	Unit of measurement of the height of a horse, taken from the bottom of the front hoof to top of withers. Four inches = one hand.
Hock	Joint in the hind leg joining the cannon bone and the gaskin.
Hoof	The horse's foot.
Pastern	Part of the leg between the coronet and the fetlock.
Sesamoid bones	Small bones attached to the cannon and pastern by ligaments. Located behind the fetlock joint.
Withers	The top of the shoulders, between the neck and the back. The highest point of the withers is used in measuring the horse's height.

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Horse Colors

appaloosa	color pattern with small spots over the hips or the entire body. may be either white spots on a dark body, dark spots on a white body, or a mixture of both.
bay	a red, brown, or yellowish horse with black mane and tail, and usually black limbs.
red roan	red with a mixture of white hairs
black	black color throughout the coat, limbs, mane and tail. no pattern present other than white markings.
blue roan	black or black-brown with a mixture of white hairs.
brown	mixture of black and brown in the coat, limbs, mane and tail.
buckskin	light tan or brown color.
chestnut	varying shades of a yellowish tan color.
dun	sandy yellow, redish, or brown usually with darker legs and often a dark stripe down the back, dark mane and tail.
grey	black and white hairs with black skin. coat grows lighter with age.
palomino	gold-yellow or dark cream color with light colored mane and tail
pinto	large patches of black, brown, chestnut, or any other color, and white.
strawberry or chestnut roan	chestnut with a mixture of white hairs.
white	white hair with a pink skin.

Parts of a Saddle (& Bridle)