Points and Conformation

Full of fire, and full of bone,All His line of fathers known;Fine his nose, his nostrils thin,But blown abroad by the pride within!His mane a stormy river flowing,And his eyes, like embers, glowingIn the darkness of the night,And his pace as swift as light.—Look around his straining throatGrace, and shifting beauty float!Sinewy strength is on his reins,And the red blood gallops through his veins.—Barry Cornwall
While it is recommended that study is made of equine points and anatomy in any of the hundreds of excellent text books available, here are a few of the most important for description, along with a brief explanation. The following terms will be understood by the modern equine aficionado and while most have not changed much in centuries, it must be remembered that the horse-masters of yesteryear would have had different phrases.
Gervase Markham, Way to get Wealth, 1695:“Now for the choice of the best Horse, it is divers, according to the use for which you will employ him, if therefore you would have a Horse for the Warrs, you shall chuse him that is of a good tall stature, with a comly lean head, an outswelling forehead, a large sparkling eye, the white whereof is covered with the eyebrows, and not at all discerned, or if at all, yet the least is best; a small thin ear short and pricking; if it be long, well carried and ever moving, it is tolerable; but if dull or hanging, most hateful: a deep neck, large crest broad brest, bending ribs, broad and streight chine, round and full buttock, with his huckle-bones hid, a tayle high and broad, set on neither too thick, nor too thin; for too much hair shews sloath, and too little too much choller and heat: a full swelling thigh, a broad, flat, and lean leg, short pastern’d strong joynted, and hollow bones, of which the long is best, if they be not wier'd, and the broad round the worst.”
Author Note: The above is as published apart from an alteration of the uncrossed f to s for clarity.
Points of the Horse 
Image © Heather King
1. Ears2. Forelock – 17113. Eye4. Nostril5. Muzzle – c14106. Chin Groove – chin OE7. Cheek Bone8. Cheek9. Jugular Groove – jugular 159710. Windpipe – 153011. Shoulder – OE12. Point of Shoulder13. Breast – OE14. Forearm – E1815. Knee – c145016. Cannon Bone – 1834, probably in figurative use prior (see shank, 35)17. Fetlock – c1325; fetterlock 158718. Pastern – 153019. Wall of Hoof – hoof OE20. Heel – OE21. Ergot – horny growth at the back of the fetlock joint, L1922. Splint Bone – 170423. Tendons – 154124. Elbow – 160725. Chest – LME26. Ribs – OE27. Belly – c144028. Flank – LOE29. Sheath – 155530. Stifle – c132031. Thigh – c130032. Gaskin – 165233. Hock – 154034. Chestnut – horny growth on inside of leg below knee, 185035. Shannon or Shank – shank OE36. Coronet – earlier, crown 1611, crownet 1616-35, or cronet 172537. Point of Hock38. Tail39. Point of Buttock40. Dock – 134041. Rump – 153042. Point of Hip – OE43. Croup – c130044. Loins – 139845. Back46. Withers – 158047. Mane – OE48. Crest – 159249. Neck 50. Poll – 1382

Some Useful Words For Describing Horses ·        Cannon – the main bone of lower legs. It is the circumference of the fore cannon below the knee which determines the weight-carrying ability and strength of the horse. A horse with a measurement of seven to eight inches is said to have good bone.·        Coronet– the demarcation point between the hoof and leg, from whence the hoof grows.·        Crest – the upper curve of the horse’s neck. In a stallion can be particularly well developed.·        Croup – the point just before the highest point of the hindquarters, behind the saddle.·        Dock – the bone in the tail; hence the term ‘docking’, whereby a portion of the tail was amputated. It has been illegal since 1948, but was prevalent among harness horses at the beginning of the eighteenth century.·        Fetlock– the ‘ankle’ joint, just above hoof.·        Forelock– not to be confused with the above. This denotes the section of mane which flops forward between the ears.·        Gaskin– the second thigh, the powerful muscle between the hock and the thigh, which joins the leg to the buttocks. Good gaskins mean the ability to gallop and jump – necessary in a good hunter.·        Hock – the large, angled joint halfway up the back leg. Good hocks are important as they provide the thrusting power when galloping and jumping. Should be in direct line with outer curve of buttock and thus set beneath the horse’s body.·        Knee – the large joint halfway up front leg.·        Loins – a weak area of the back, directly behind the saddle and in front of the croup. The kidneys are situated below.·        Pastern– a point below the fetlock joint. Should be sloping to provide a comfortable ride, but too much angle makes them weak and prone to strain.·        Poll – the point directly behind the ears. Should a horse be struck, or strike himself, hard enough directly on this area, death can be instantaneous.·        Rump – the main muscled area of horse’s bottom.·        Stifle– the joint at the junction of hind limb with body, equivalent to the knee in humans.·        Withers– where the base of the neck joins the shoulder and becomes the back. A hump of bone, more pronounced in Thoroughbred types, marks the place where the saddle fits. Saddles are arched to accommodate the horse’s shape, although in the nineteenth century they were much flatter than they are today. Much pain must have been caused where they failed to fit.
      Read more: The Horse: An Historical Author's and Reader's Guide
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      © Heather King