Is Your Horse’s Hip “OUT”?

Knowing the anatomy of your horse is very important when you are concerned about pain, movement issues, and understanding a diagnosis from your veterinarian. One part of the equine anatomy that is often misunderstood is that of the hip. There are a few reasons for this. The first is that veterinary anatomy often is assigned with laymen terms, but sometimes doesn’t actually describe the joint correctly, when compared to the same named anatomy of a person. A good example of this is the anatomical component called the “knee”. The knee of a horse, which is how we refer to the joint just above the fetlock in the front legs, isn’t really a knee at all, but is actually a wrist. A true knee must have a patella (aka kneecap), and so in the equine body, the knee would actually be the stifle. We run into similar issues when we talk about the equine hip. When pointing to the human hip, most people can do that. We know that we have one on either side of our body, and are located in a specific spot. But when we refer to the hip in a horse, most people don’t seem to know where it is. On top of that, some equine practitioners, who lack proper training, are spreading misinformation which is leading to the confusion. Please read on to discover more about the hip!