THE BRAIN
The brain, or encephalon, is a very irregular organ whose shape conforms to the cranial cavity in which it is housed. The brain in the horse is relatively small compared to other mammals. In an average horse the mass of the brain is approximately 0.6 kg and accounts for about 0.1% of their total body weight. The brain receives about 20 % of cardiac output.
The brain consists of 3 major parts :
Prosencephalon: this is the forebrain which consists of the telencephalon (Cerebrum) and diencephalon (thalamus).
Mesencephalon: this is made up of the midbrain.
Rhombencephalon: this is the hindbrain which consists of the metencephalon (pons & cerebellum) and the myelencephalon (medulla oblongata).
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