A horse with a sunken or shrunken flank or belly is known by horse people as being drawn up. A huge large colon full of heavy, wet feed material is what provides much of the contour of the normal horses lower abdomen and flank. If that wet feed material dries out and shrinks, then the abdomen appears drawn up.
Also, what causes a horse to tuck up? Stressy horses can appear tucked up but this is usually due to the fact that they do not relax properly so eat less than they should, the often hold themselves in a tense way which adds to the tucked up look.
Just so, what is the croup on a horse?
In horse anatomy, the croup refers specifically to the topline of the horses hindquarters and surrounding musculature, beginning at the hip, extending proximate to the sacral vertebrae and stopping at the dock of the tail (where the coccygeal vertebrae begin). Below the croup is the thigh or haunch.
What is flank watching?
Sometimes known as flank watching, this is a common sign of abdominal pain (colic) in horses. In some cases, skin irritation, a wound or other injury to the flank causes a horse to look at this painful or irritated area. Some horses also will bite at the side as part of this behavior.
