Hock (anatomy)

The hock is a special joint found in four-legged animals like horses, cats, and dogs. It is also called the tarsus or, less commonly, the gambrel. This joint is made up of several small bones called tarsal bones that connect the lower leg bones to the bones of the foot. In animals such as cats, the hock includes a bone called the fibula, but in others like horses, this bone is very small and only remains as a tiny piece attached to the lower leg bone.

The hock works similarly to the ankle in humans, but it is located farther down the leg. While many four-legged animals have joints like this, the word “hock” is most often used when talking about mammals, especially those that we keep as pets or use for work. Understanding the hock helps us learn how these animals move and stay balanced on their feet.

Horse

The terms tarsus and hock describe the area between the gaskin (crus) and cannon in horses. This area includes bones, joints, and soft tissues. The hock is very important in equine anatomy because it gets a lot of pressure when the horse moves, especially when jumping, turning quickly, stopping, or moving in certain ways.

In a horse, the hock has several bones such as the talus, calcaneus, central tarsal bone, and more. It also has many joints, like the tibiotarsal or tarsocrural joint and the tarsometatarsal joint.