Horse anatomy

Explore how a horse is put together, from the whiskers that feel what its eyes can't see to the single toe it stands on. Tap a point on the horse to find out what lies beneath.

Explore the horse

Point 1 of 13

Ears

Horses hear higher-pitched sounds than we do, over 33 kHz compared with under 20 kHz for people, and pick up quieter sounds from further away. Hairs inside the ear protect its delicate structures.

How horses sense the world →

Body systems

Skeleton and movementSkeleton and movement: a body built to travelHow the horse's frame carries power from the hindquarters to the head, what you can feel of the skeleton under your hands, and how millions of years of evolution turned a small many-toed animal into an endurance athlete.7 min read HoovesInside the hoofA horse stands on the tip of a single toe, wrapped in a keratin wall that takes most of a year to grow from top to bottom. Here's what each part of the hoof does, and how it evolved.6 min read TeethTeeth: how horses' teeth workA horse's teeth keep emerging from the jaw for most of its life, wearing down a few millimetres a year as it grinds tough forage. Here's how they work, and why they need regular checks.6 min read DigestionThe digestive system: from lips to hindgutFollow a mouthful of grass on its journey through a horse, from the whiskers that find it to the 35-litre fermentation vat that turns fibre into energy.7 min read Heart and lungsHeart and lungs: the horse's power trainA heart that beats from around 30 to 240 times a minute, and in a resting Thoroughbred pumps seven times as much blood as ours: how the horse's heart and lungs make it such a remarkable athlete, and how to keep them healthy.5 min read SensesHow horses sense the worldEyes that see almost all the way round, ears that pick up sounds we can't hear, and whiskers that feel what the eyes miss: a prey animal's senses, and what they mean for handling horses.6 min read

By the numbers

36–44teeth in an adult horse; males have more than femalesTeeth: how horses' teeth work
30,000chews a day, wearing the teeth down about 2–3 mm a yearTeeth: how horses' teeth work
18 hoursa day spent foraging, when horses can follow their natural patternThe digestive system: from lips to hindgut
8–12 litresstomach capacity, about the size of a rugby ballThe digestive system: from lips to hindgut
35 litresheld by the caecum, the hindgut's fermentation vatThe digestive system: from lips to hindgut
30–240heartbeats a minute, from rest to a gallopHeart and lungs: the horse's power train
Over 33 kHzthe upper limit of a horse's hearing, compared with under 20 kHz for peopleHow horses sense the world
9–12 monthsfor the hoof wall to grow from the coronary band to the toeInside the hoof

From many toes to one

Eocene
Early horse ancestors such as Hyracotherium have feet like a tapir's: four toes in front and three behind, each with its own small hoof.
Inside the hoof →
About 20 million years ago
As grasslands spread across North America, three-toed horses evolve the "spring foot", which stores elastic energy in the leg tendons with each stride.
Skeleton and movement: a body built to travel →
About 12 million years ago
Single-toed horses appear in North America. Their side toes shrink to the splint bones and their backs become shorter and stiffer, suited to trotting long distances.
Skeleton and movement: a body built to travel →
About 5 million years ago
The first species of Equus, the genus that includes modern horses, appear. By a million years ago, every three-toed horse is extinct.
Skeleton and movement: a body built to travel →
About 12,000 years ago
At the end of the Pleistocene, single-toed horses die out in the Americas, where horse evolution began.
1598
Carlo Ruini publishes Anatomia del Cavallo, the first book devoted to the structure of an animal other than humans. It remained hugely influential for some 150 years.

Sources

The digestive system — The British Horse Society (accessed 8 October 2026)
Teeth and equine dentistry — The British Horse Society (accessed 8 October 2026)
Hoof anatomy — The British Horse Society (accessed 8 October 2026)
Sensory hairs — The British Horse Society (accessed 8 October 2026)
Fat scoring horses — The British Horse Society (accessed 8 October 2026)
Horse fitness — The British Horse Society (accessed 8 October 2026)
Advice on noise on routes used with horses — The British Horse Society (accessed 8 October 2026)
About the Horse Bronze awards: coach guidance — The British Horse Society (accessed 8 October 2026)
Equine cardiology and performance — Royal Veterinary College, University of London (accessed 8 October 2026)
Effect of a 4-week elastic resistance band training regimen on back kinematics in horses — Royal Veterinary College, University of London (accessed 8 October 2026)
Equine dentistry — Royal Veterinary College, University of London (accessed 8 October 2026)
Ocular injury fact sheet — Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh (accessed 8 October 2026)
Bone spavin fact sheet — Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh (accessed 8 October 2026)
The Anatomy of the Horse — University of Edinburgh Library and University Collections (accessed 8 October 2026)
Fractures in horses — World Horse Welfare (accessed 8 October 2026)
Horses lost their toes — Bristol Veterinary School, University of Bristol (accessed 8 October 2026)
Is one toe really better than three? How horses' legs evolved for endurance travel rather than speed — Bristol Veterinary School, University of Bristol (accessed 8 October 2026)