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Can You Count Your Horse's Toes?

© Patricia Celley

If you were trying to convince someone of the theory of evolution, the horse would be a great example to use. Fossil remains of prehistoric horses provide one of the best documented examples of the evolutionary changes of an animal species. And if the fossil remains are not convincing enough, we can look at the anatomy of the modern horse and find possible evidence that the horse once had toes.

Equus as we know him today appeared about 1 to 2 million years ago. Presumably he is a descendent of the first single hoofed animals known as Pilohippus which go back about 6 million years.

It is the three toes of the horse’s ancestors Mesohippus and Miohippus (which existed about 25-40 million years ago) that are most universally acknowledged in the anatomy of modern horse. Between the knee and fetlock joint (equivalent to your ankle) is the cannon bone. On either side of the cannon bone hang two useless bones that are called the splint bones. They are frequently injured and the resulting hard lump is called a splint. We will discuss splints more in future articles on leg and hoof problems. It is generally accepted that these bones are what remains of the two smaller toes of Mesohippus. Those of us who have had deal with horses “popping splints” wish evolution would hurry up and get rid of them all together.

Going back about 60 million years we find an ancestor of the horse called Eohippus. Eohippus presumably had four toes on the front and three on the hind. There is another useless part of a horse’s anatomy that some people think may have been the fourth toe. It is called the ergot. The ergot is a weird little growth right in the middle of the fetlock (the long hair that grows on the back of what is known as the fetlock or ankle joint). Most people never notice it because it is hidden in the long hair. It has the texture of a super hard callus. Normally the ergot is very close to the skin, but sometimes they grow out to an inch or more and can be unsightly when this hair is clipped for show purposes. If your horse has one that is very long, try keeping the area moist with baby oil or petroleum jelly to help the natural shedding and peeling process.

Counting the ergot as one of the horse’s toes is not as universally accepted as the splint bones, but many (if not most) horsemen believe it is true. However, if Eohippus had four toes on the front and only three on the hind, then why does the horse have ergots on all four legs? Well, there are other evolutionary stages with more toes on all four feet.

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