Horse Care Glossary

Here in the horse care glossary you will find a list of common terms, and their meanings, used in natural horse care.



Hoof Care Terms

Anterior or Dorsal - Located towards the front of the body (eg the front of the hoof).

Anterior/Posterior or A/P - Front to back.

Distal - The bottom of an anatomical structure (eg the distal edge of the coffin bone would be the bottom: furthest away from the joint with the short pastern bone).

Distal Phalanx - Also known as the third phalanx, P-3, or the coffin bone in the equine foot.

Lateral - Situated at, relating to, or on the side (eg the outside of the limb).

Medial - Situated in, relating to, or extending towards the middle (eg the inside of the limb).

Medial/Lateral or M/L - From the inside to the outside or side-to-side.

Posterior or Caudal - Located towards the back of the body (eg the back portion of the limb).

Proximal - The top of an anatomical structure (eg the proximal edge of the coffin bone would be at the top, where it joins with the short pastern bone).

Ventral - The lower surface (eg the bottom of the hoof).

Dead Sole - Flaky, chalky sole material that exfoliates easily on scraping.

Live Tissue - Sole tissue that is seen as waxy in appearance surface.

Quarters - In hoof care terminology, this refers to the sides of the hoof wall. When looking at the sole of a hoof, where the middle of the toe is at 12:00, the quarters would be roughly between the 2:00 and 4:00 and the 8:00 and 10:00 positions.

Toe Callus - Area behind the toe wall which consists of calloused sole and protects and supports the tip of the coffin bone.



Commonly Used Abbreviations

ACE - Acepromazine

ACTH - Andrenocorticotropic Hormone

ACV - Apple Cider Vinegar

A/P - Anterior/Posterior

BCS - Body Condition Score

BP - Beet Pulp

CS - Colloidal Silver

DE - Diatomatous Earth

DEX Test - Dexmethasone Suppression Test

DMSO - Dimethyl Sulfoxide

ECD - Equine Cushings Disease

EPSM - Equine Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy

FF - Farriers' Formula

FFS - Foward Foot Syndrome

GTT - Glucose Tolerance Test

HPA - Hoof Pastern Axis

IR - Insulin Resistance

Jherb - Jiaogulan

LIM - Less is More

LTLH - Long toe/low heel

M/L - Medial/Lateral

NSC - Non Structual Carbohydrates (sugar+starch)

NFC - Non Fiber Carbohydrates

NO - Nitric Oxide

RBO - Rice Bran Oil

ROA - Recurrent Airway Obstruction

WLD - White Line Disease

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