When drawing a horse, it’s important to understand the muscles that give shape to its body. Without them, the horse would be flat and unrealistic. These muscle groups are what allow the animal to move its limbs, head, neck and tail. They are also essential for drawing the correct proportions of a horse’s body. This article explains the basic structure of a horse’s muscular body and how it works.
The skeleton is comprised of bones that provide the framework for muscles to attach and create movement. It’s also what enables the animal to stay upright. The horse’s bones are very strong, and they have an unusual amount of flexibility for such a large animal. The horse has two forelimbs and two hindlimbs, all with the same basic structure.
The hind legs of a horse are very long and are adapted for running and galloping. The horse can also make great leaps with its long legs. The hock joint is very similar to the knee joint in humans, and is a strong, weight-bearing joint. The tarsal bones are similar to the metatarsal bones in human feet, and there are six of them; the talus, calcaneus, central tarsal bone, distal tarsal bone and three phalanges.
A horse’s forelimbs are highly adapted for running and can make rapid strides. The forelimb skeleton is made up of the scapula, humerus, radius and ulna. The humerus connects to the shoulder joint, and the radius supports the humerus in the elbow joint. The ulna connects to the knee joint and forms the fetlock joint with the tibia. The tibia also articulates with the fibula, which is a weaker joint that can only flex to an angle of 90 degrees.
The horse’s skin is made up of haired areas, non-haired areas and pigmented areas. The outermost layer is called the epidermis, and it contains blood vessels and glands that regulate body temperature. The next layer is the dermis, which is thick and contains hair follicles, glands, collagen fibres and elastic fibers. Under the dermis is the hypodermis, which stores a lot of fatty tissue. This layer is responsible for giving a horse its girth, and it also provides insulation. The epidermis and the dermis are protected by the pericardium, which is a thin sac that surrounds the heart. This protective sac is also responsible for keeping the heart in a fixed position within the thoracic cavity. The heart has a dorsal and ventral aspect, which refer to how the heart is situated in relation to other organs. The dorsal aspect is in line with the ribs and the ventral aspect is on the sternum. The heart also has a cranial and caudal surface. The cranial is the surface facing up and the caudal is the surface facing down. This helps the heart stay in a horizontal position as it pumps blood to and from the rest of the body.