The Skeleton of the Horse

The skeleton of the horse consists of 205 bones, as shown in the following table.

Vertebral column 54

Ribs 36

Sternum 1

Skull (including auditory ossicles) 34

Thoracic limbs 40

Pelvic limbs 40

205

In this enumeration the average number of coccygeal vertebræ is taken to be 18, the temporal and os coxæ are not divided into parts, the usual number of carpal and tarsal elements is taken, and the sesamoids are included.

The Vertebral Column

The vertebral formula of the horse is C7T18L6S5Cy15–21.