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The horse is a domesticated hoofed animal belonging to the Equus ferus caballus subspecies, part of the odd-toed ungulate order of mammals. Having been domesticated since at least 4000–3500 BC, horses now interact with and humans in a wide variety of sport competitions and non-competitive recreational pursuits, as well as in working activities such as police work, agriculture, entertainment, and therapy. Horses were historically used in warfare. This picture shows a diagram of the horse skeleton, which averages 205 bones. A significant difference between the horse skeleton and that of a human is the lack of a collarbone—the horse's forelimbs are attached to the spinal column by a powerful set of muscles, tendons, and ligaments that attach the shoulder blade to the torso. The horse's leg bones are also proportioned differently from those of a human. The lower leg bones of a horse correspond to the bones of the human hand or foot. A horse has no muscles in its legs below the knees and hocks, only skin, hair, bone, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and the assorted specialized tissues that make up the hoof. Painting credit: Horse
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