What is the other name for the navicular bone?

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Multiple Choice

What is the other name for the navicular bone?

In horses, the navicular bone is the distal sesamoid bone. It sits behind the coffin joint and acts as a fulcrum for the deep digital flexor tendon as it passes over the joint, helping the tendon bend the toe. So the correct alternative name for the navicular bone is the distal sesamoid. The other terms aren’t the same structure: the proximal sesamoids are the two bones behind the fetlock, the coffin bone is the distal phalanx inside the hoof, and saying “navicular bone” would just repeat the same name rather than give a different term.

In horses, the navicular bone is the distal sesamoid bone. It sits behind the coffin joint and acts as a fulcrum for the deep digital flexor tendon as it passes over the joint, helping the tendon bend the toe. So the correct alternative name for the navicular bone is the distal sesamoid. The other terms aren’t the same structure: the proximal sesamoids are the two bones behind the fetlock, the coffin bone is the distal phalanx inside the hoof, and saying “navicular bone” would just repeat the same name rather than give a different term.

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