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The horse's skeleton is the main framework of its body. It
supports the body and protects the most delicate organs inside: the skull shields the brain, while the ribs guard the heart, lungs and organs. The bones are connected by moveable joints and worked by
muscles. Fossil show how the horse's skeleton has adapted over 60 million years, from the earliest Eohippus (dawn horse), to the modern horse Equus caballus
The bones of the skeleton
There are two main parts to a horse's skeletons. The axial
skeleton protects the horse's vital parts and consists of the skull, the ribcage and the backbone. The appendicular skeleton supports the body and consists of the shoulders and forelegs, pelvis and hind
legs.
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