The withers (4) are the bony ridge which is the forward end of the back.
The shoulders (3) are the bony and muscular portion of the body which is more or less included between a line drawn from the point of the shoulder (H) to the front end of the withers, and another line drawn from the point of the elbow (I) to the rear end of the withers. Anatomically speaking, the shoulders consist of the humerus (the bone which lies between the elbow and the point of the shoulder), shoulder blade, and the muscles which cover them.
The crest (T) is the upper part of the neck, extending from the withers to the ears.
The jugular groove (U) is the groove which is on each side of the neck, just above the wind-pipe. It marks the course of the jugular vein.
The poll (V) is the part on the top of the neck, immediately behind the ears.
The breast is the front portion of the body which we see between the fore legs and below a line connecting the points of both shoulders, when looking at the animal from the front. The chest is the cavity which is covered by the ribs, and which contains the lungs, heart, etc. Therefore, instead of saying that a horse which struck a fence without rising at it, “chested” it, we should, on the contrary, say that he “breasted” it. This confusion between the terms “breast” and “chest” is not unusual.
The brisket (16) is the part formed by the breastbone, and is the lower part of the chest.
The girth-place is that portion of the brisket which is just behind the fore legs, and which the girths pass under when the horse is saddled.
The back (4 and 11) is practically the withers and that portion of the upper part of the body which is covered by the saddle. Strictly speaking, it is that portion of the spine which is possessed of ribs. In common parlance, the term “back” is often applied to the upper part of the horse, from the withers to the highest point of the croup ([Fig. 148], H). This measurement includes the loins (12) as well as the back. The bones (six vertebræ) of the loins have no ribs, and, consequently, the flanks on each side are soft to the touch, and have a tendency to “fall in” (become depressed), especially if the abdomen, which is underneath them, be insufficiently filled with food. The croup (17) is that part of the spine which is between the loins and tail. The hind legs are connected to the croup by means of the pelvis, which is firmly united to the croup by strong ligaments. The pelvis stands in the same relation to the hind legs as the shoulder blades do to the fore limbs, the chief difference between them being that the pelvis is a single bony structure composed of several bones, and the shoulder blades are separate bones. The front part of the pelvis is called the point of the hip (S).
The stifle (N) is the joint of the hind leg which is at the lower part of the flank. The thigh extends from the stifle to the hip joint.