How many of you.....

[lialls]

have been taught at some ponit that when the horse evolved it lost its toes and the horses chestnuts and errgots(sp) are now the ramainder of them??

OR

if you have anyother ideas about the above sentance - why horses have chestnuts and ergots or if there is any other evidence about where the toes have gone?


Any ideas/info will be glady recived

Thanks inadvance

 

[nic85]

lol...I had this discussion with the farrier the other week....he said that chestnuts are not thumbs and ergots are not little fingers...(thats what I was always taught!!

)

but sadly we have no idea what they are if they are not thumbs etc??? So no idea!!

 

[nuffield]

I'd say chestnuts and ergots are scent thingies. have you smelled a piece of chestnut? its really strong smell. the lost toes are the splint bones. the horse has 2 in each leg, either side of the cannon bone.

 

[lialls]

What i was thinking was that yes the bones of the lost toes are the splint bones but, the horse used to hav pads on the end of each toe (like dogs have on there paws) so i was wondering if the chestnuts and ergots are the remainder to those. What dos everyone think?