noun
pastern
PAS-tern/ˈpæstərn/
The part of an animal’s leg between the fetlock and the hoof.
The horse's pastern slopes between the fetlock joint and the hoof.
Etymology
Old French pasturon named a shackle for a horse. The English word shifted from the restraint itself to the part of the leg where the tether was attached.
In context
below that this whole bone is the cannon below that this joint is the fetlock and we come down to the pastern and our horses hoof
More examples
- Mud clings to the pony’s pasterns after the ride.
- A small cut on the pastern makes the horse limp.
- The farrier examines the angle of each pastern.
Forms
pastern · pasterns