If you start assessing a hoof only after picking it up, you might be missing important evidence that helps explain the condition of that foot, according to Deb Bennett. Instead, start the evaluation by watching the horse move and examining its standing posture. Watch for leaning, she says.

This is the last of the ligament series, but it is not the last of the ligaments that exist in the horse’s leg. Serious students can take their studies well beyond these anatomy articles, but this will finish the basics of the ligaments my students must master.