Anatomy

Understanding how and why horses move as they do is essential for all who care about the horse's health and athletic performance. ~Sara Wyche, The Horses Muslces In Motion~

The supple walk of a hula dancer, a trot that both demands and creates its own music, a leap that gives the rider avian status, a pivot Michael Jordan would envy...in this anatomy class we'll discover the bone and muscle structure where all this and much more originates.

Students will become comfortable with anatomical terms and directions, learn the exterior points of the horse and study the bones of the axial and appendicual skeleton, as well as the various types of joints and their movements. We'll move on to those mysterious, magnificent muscles, learning not only their names, but how they work, where they start and stop, the joints and bones they effect and what movements muscles and muscle pairs create.

To supplement the classroom lecture and reading, students will be given as much opportunity as possible to locate and feel the various structures on different kinds of horses, an experience that elicits as many questions as it answers and encourages further study. Bones will be made available for observation, providing additional opportunities for visual and tactile learning.

Students should take from this class the ability to discuss equine Anatomical structures intelligently with both equine health care professionals and horse owners, a skill critical to their credibility and success in the field. This knowledge will also serve as the springboard for understanding movement and locating the structures necessary for effective massage therapy.