Do Horses Have Knees? (Answered!)

The other day I was grooming my horse and lifted his leg to clean his hoof.

He was fighting me, and I told him to stop and bend his knee so I could get it done. One of my friends walked by and said, “that’s not his knee; it’s his wrist.”

As you can imagine, I was really confused by what she said.

If what I thought was his knee was actually his wrist, it made me wonder, “Do horses have knees?”

Yes, horses do have knees. In fact, they have two of them, one on each of their front legs. However, what we call a horses knees are anatomically its wrists. A horse’s front leg is essentially the same as a human arm, and it actually walks on its fingertips instead of its foot.

How are a horse’s legs similar to a human arm?

Do horses have knees on their back legs?

Can their knees get injured?

For everything you need to know about horses’ knees, just keep reading!

Understanding Horse Leg Anatomy

To understand where a horse’s knee is, you must first understand the anatomy of a horse’s front leg.

If you put a horse and a human side by side, our arms would be the equivalent of their front legs and our legs the same as their hindquarters.

A horse has the same bones in its front leg as our arm, starting with the shoulder, at the top of the horse’s side, attached to its back.

The shoulder can be hard to spot if you’re not familiar with horse anatomy.

Going downward, the upper arm area ends at the horse’s stomach and attaches to the forearm, where the distinguishable leg begins.

The first joint on the horse’s leg, commonly referred to as the knee, is in the same position as the human wrist, followed by the bending “ankle,” which is the horse’s knuckle.

Inside the hoof are its fingers, and at the very end are the fingertips and nails, where the horse stands.

The hind legs do not have knees; they have “hocks,” comparable to a human heel.

Horses’ “knees” are made up of two rows of bones that can flex in three different areas and surround it with an incredibly complex grouping of tendons and ligaments.

When a foal is born, it has “open knees,” which means the growth plates surrounding its knees have not developed yet.

As it ages, these plates will naturally fill in, but it is vital for the foals long term health not to put too much strain on the joints until that process is complete.

If it is worked too intensely on a lead line or made to carry too much weight too early, it can lead to inflammation at the growth plate and abnormal bone development.

The abnormal growth may cause a fracture down the line.

These problems are easy to avoid by waiting until the foal is old enough to have adequately developed knees before working it too intensely.

Common Knee Problems In Horses

There are three knee problems commonly found in horses: back at the knee, over at the knee, and tied in the knee.

Each one can cause problems as the horse ages and must be addressed to help reduce the risk of lameness.

Back At The Knee

When a horse is back at the knee, its leg bows backward when standing straight, making a slight inverted “c” shape.

The knee position puts a strain comparable to the horse constantly walking downhill on its leg.

Horses that are back at the knee may constantly stumble and are at a higher risk of having bone chips in their knee and soft tissue injuries.

These horses may become a danger to themselves and their riders as the knee progressively worsens and may ultimately become lame.

However, not every horse will have a severe case, and those with only a slight back at the knee can still lead long, full lives.

Over At The Knee

Over at the knee is the most common knee problem affecting horses.

With this condition, the leg bows forward, pushing it over the knee when the horse is standing.

The leg may vibrate or shake and is prone to buckling easily when the horse walks.

The strain on the leg is similar to the horse constantly walking uphill, which tires the leg and causes the shaking, as mentioned above.

When riding a horse over at the knee, you may notice a shortened stride, and it can feel like the horse is bucking slightly backward and forward as it moves.

In severe cases, the horse’s leg may buckle, putting the rider at risk of injury.

However, severe cases are uncommon, and most horses can still perform in shows and live happily as backyard pets for many years.

Tied In The Knee

Horses tied in the knee have an indentation at the back of the knee, where the ligaments and tendons meet.

Tied in the knee problems are challenging to detect since the leg muscle development sometimes looks similar but isn’t an actual issue.

The only way to know if a horse is tied in the knee is through an x-ray.

Horses with this problem experience inhibited movement, but the condition is not as severe as those mentioned above and generally doesn’t cause lameness.

How To Treat Knee Problems In Horses

If your horse has been diagnosed with the preceding knee problems, the treatment you provide mustn’t worsen the situation.

Corrective shoeing often comes to mind as a treatment, but it can cause more harm than good.

The best options are avoiding deep footing and steep hills, and being cautious with the activities you do with your horse.

If it seems to cause pain, a vet can provide pain medicines or joint injections, which should bring your horse relief.

Horses do have knees, and it’s fascinating how their anatomy fits on their bodies.

Although technically their wrist, a horse’s “knee” is delicate and complex with bones, ligaments, and tendons that are intricately woven together.

Their knees can have problems, and it is essential to address those problems if they occur.

Next time you see a horse, I bet you won’t look at its legs or knees in the same way!