An anatomical directional term meaning closer to the tail.

The vertebrae of the tail. Horses can have varying numbers of these vertebrae - anything betwen 15 and 21.

Mounted troops.

Separates the content of the cell (e.g. organelles like the mitochondria or the nucleus containing the DNA) from the surrounding outside environment. It consists of a double layer of lipids and certain proteins, and is semi-permeable. This means that certain molecules can enter and exit throug the cell membrane (e.g. oxygen, carbondioxide or water), while other (e.g. larger) molecules have to pass through the protein channels embedded in the cell membrane. All cells, regardless if they are animal, plant, bacterial, or fungal, have cell membranes.

A diffuseinfection and inflammation of tissue; specifically of subcutaneous connective tissue. Cellulitis is associated with local and generalised signs of inflammation (localised pain, increased temperature, etc.). Cellulitis is most common in limbs, where it typically leads to significant swelling and may be accompanied by the development of pus.

The main component of the walls of plant cells and therefore an important component of fibre. Cellulose is a carbohydrate, more precicely a polysaccharide, which means that the molecule consists of several hundred to thousand glucose units. Although cellulose cannot be broken down with digestive enzymes produced by mammals, many herbivores can partly digest it thanks to the symbiosis with microorganisms living in their digestive system. These microorganisms can break down and transform cellulose into smaller molecules which can be absorbed by the mammal and provide energy.

The line dividing the solar aspect of the hoof into two halves running from dorsal to palmar/plantar in the sagittal plane.

The groove in the middle of the frog that is broad and fairly shallow in a healthy hoof, but can be narrow and extremely deep in horses suffering from contracted hooves or sheared heels.

This is a point in space where, for the purpose of various calculations, the entire mass of the body is concentrated. A standing horse's centre of gravity is in the median plane at the height of the point of the buttock approximately at the level of the 11th/12th thoracic vertebrae (just in front of the intersection of the lines joining the diagonaly opposite fore and hind hooves). When the horse is moving, the centre of gravity depends on the bodys positiôn and the distribution of mass with in it.

A tool that is used to mark the surface of an object (metal or plastic) with a small indentation. It is usually a tempered metal rod with one end tapered to a point.