The horse’s skeleton has approximately 210 individual bones which can be found in the following places: 37 in the skull (including 3 small bones in each ear - auditory ossicles), 2 branches of mandible (lower jaw), 54 vertebrae (7 cervical, 18 thoracic, 6 lumbar, 5 sacral, 15-20 coccygeal), 36-38 ribs, 1 sternum, 40 forelimbs and 40 hindlimbs (including pelvis).  The skeleton supports the muscles, protects internal organs, and lets helps the horse to move at various speeds, lie down or graze.

The human skeleton consists of 206 bones that supports the body and allows it to move.  Bones contain a lot of calcium, manufacture blood cells and store important minerals.  The longest bone is the femur (thigh bone) while the smallest bone is the stirrup bone inside the ear.  Each hand has 26 bones in it.  There are many different types of joints, which connect bones to bones, including fixed joints (such as in the skull), hinged joints (such as in fingers and toes), and ball-and-socket joints (such as shoulders and hips).  Males and females have slightly different skeletons, including a different elbow angle.  Males have slightly thicker and longer legs and arms; females have a wider pelvis and a larger space within the pelvis.