pastern
1
9.9
The part of a horse's lower leg just above the hoof that helps absorb shock
- noun
- /ˈpæs.tɚn/
- Specialized
:
corvejón
- After the race, the trainer carefully washed the muddy pasterns of the horse.
Examples
-
I made out a blur of legs under the fog: cloud-hooves, pasterns, cannons.
Fiction book (2002) -
I detected elevated stress pasterns in your voice.
-
He rode to town on a good black gelding called Socks for his four white pasterns.
Fiction book (1992) -
The veterinarian examined the horse's pastern to check for any signs of injury.
-
During the competition, the judge noted that the horse had strong and well-defined pasterns.
Synonyms
9.9
A long bone in a horse's lower leg between the joint above the hoof and the hoof
is the leg area in that position rather than the single bone
Surface Forms
Etymology
Pastern likely comes from an old word for 'step' or 'path'. The pastern is the part of a horse's leg between the fetlock and the hoof, so thinking of it as the horse's 'step' helps you remember its job in taking weight and absorbing shock.