Stifle Horse Anatomy

The stifle is the area where the tibia the bone that forms the gaskin meets the femur the bone that extends upward to the hip. The stifle joint joins three bones.

Horse Anatomy The Equinest

The femur patella and tibia.

Stifle horse anatomy. The bones that make up the stifle are the femur thigh tibia shin and patella kneecap. Stifle joint the stifle is the equivalent of the human knee and it is the largest most complex joint in the horse. Stifle anatomy radiograph patella femur the equine stifle corresponds to the human knee.

The major soft tissue structures of the equine stifle are the medial collateral ligament mcl the lateral collateral ligament lcl the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments acl and pcl and the medial and lateral menisci. As the leg moves the patella rides up and down the trochlear ridges of the femur in the femoropatellar joint. A horse with a locked stifle will likely hold its hind leg stiff and straight unable to unlock the joint.

The stifle is placed under considerable strain in both the english and western performance horse. Communication of the femoropatellar and medial femorotibial joints has been found 60 to 70 of the time although inflammation anatomic variation and unidirectional flow affect this communication. The bones that make up the stifle are the femur thigh tibia shin and patella kneecap.

The radiograph at left credit vetwerx is a lateral view of the stifle showing the knee cap or patella and the femur. The horses stifle is akin to a human knee and it usually bends forward. It is the equivalent of the human knee and is often the largest synovial joint in the animals body.

The stifle joint often simply stifle is a complex joint in the hind limbs of quadruped mammals such as the sheep horse or dog. Femoropatellar medial femorotibial and lateral femorotibial. Not only is the stifle joint critical in propulsion of the horse forward but it is an essential mechanism in deceleration and directional change.

The equine stifle consists of three compartments. When you pick up a horses hind leg the joint bends forward just as your knee does as you climb a staircase. The speed and vector forces from the horses body mass in athletic performance results in profound.

The stifle lifts the leg upward and forward so its pretty critical to moving never mind athletic pursuits. Anatomy the stifle is the equivalent of the human knee and it is the largest most complex joint in the horse. The stifle is analogous to the human knee.

The stifle lifts the leg upward and forward making it critical to moving and athletic pursuits. Observe your horse to see if it holds its leg taut and if it drags the toes of its hoof on the ground behind it. The most common injury to the human and canine knee is rupture of the anterior or cranial cruciate ligament.

Horse Leg Bone Anatomy Back View