Fractured feet
THE pedal bone, also known as the coffin bone, third phalanx, or distal phalanx, is the most distal in the horse’s foot – the final bone in the hoof. It is attached to the hoof wall by interlocking finger-like projections (the laminae) and is fully enclosed within the hoof capsule.
The pedal bone articulates with the middle phalanx, or short pastern, and the navicular bone; together they form the distal interphalangeal (DIP) or coffin joint.
Two tendons attach to the pedal bone: the deep digital flexor tendon forms a very important attachment on the back of the bone, and the common digital extensor tendon inserts on the extensor process (see diagram, top right) at the front of the bone, just beneath the coronary band.
Pedal bone fractures are a relatively common type
