How to Identify Horse Bones

Study an anatomical chart of a horse from an equine book or online. Learn to identify the horse's many parts including the poll, crest, forehead, nostrils, muzzle, shoulder, breast, chest, knees, coronet and hoof.

Study equine skeletons, observing the bones that lay beneath each major muscle group on the horse. Examine pictures of skeletons or recreated skeletons. Use flashcards to quiz yourself until you have the bone names memorized and can identify them from other types of bones from animals like zebras, wolves and livestock.

Take photos of horse bones or photocopied pages from a book detailing equine skeletal structure with you when you go out on a dig for horse bones. Respect all property rules and laws when digging for horse bones. Carefully excavate buried bones and take photos with measuring devices like t-rulers placed next to them to indicate exact size. Compare those photos with the photos in your books to properly identify if the bones belong to a horse and if so, which specific part of the horse it belongs to.

Use DNA testing to confirm your findings and determine with 100 percent certainty that the bones are equine in nature and not from another animal.