Definition: The fetlock is formed by the joint between the canon bone and the longer pastern bone. At the back of the fetlock lies a small bone called the sesamoid. Occasionally, you may hear the fetlock joint referred to as the pastern joint or ankle. This joint although it may appear so, is not actually analogous to the human ankle. The horse's leg, from the knee down, has no muscle and the strutures are more like our fingers than our arms or legs.

This is part of the reason too, that the fetlock is prone to strain and injury.

Pronunciation: fet lawk

Examples: She was alarmed when she felt heat and swelling in the fetlock joint after jumping her horse.