1. Different sizes

Horse’s feet are smaller than cow’s feet. Comparing horses and cows with the same proportions, horse’s feet are one circle smaller than cow’s feet.

2. Different thicknesses

Horse hooves are more slender, while cow hooves are thicker. This is directly proportional to their body shape. Horses have a slender body, so their feet are more slender; while cows have shorter and thicker bodies, so their feet are correspondingly thicker.

3. Different shapes

A horse’s foot is almost round, while an ox’s foot is divided into two parts.

Extended information

Perissodactyla includes three suborders: Hippomorpha (including Equus and the extinct Brontotherium), Ancylopoda ( Extinct), Ceratomorpha (including Tapiridae and Rhinocerosidae).

Hooves evolved due to the long-term keratinization of a certain finger on the ground. They are divided into artiodactyls and odd-dactyls. The order Artiodactyla mainly includes Suidae, Hippopotamus, Camelidae, Cervidae, Giraffeidae, Bovidae, etc. Nowadays, those with hooves are mainly artiodactyls.

The basic arrangement of artiodactyl toes is that there are generally two or four toes on each foot. The central axis of the foot is between the third and fourth toes. The first toe is almost never Yes, the talus of the ankle has two pulleys since the most primitive taxa. One is connected upward to the tibia, and the other is downward to connect with other bones of the ankle. This is very different from the talus of the Perissodactyla, which has only one pulley. The talus, with its two pulleys, makes possible a great degree of flexion and extension of the hind limb.

As a result, artiodactyls often have extraordinary jumping abilities. There is no third trochanter on the femoral shaft of artiodactyls. In more advanced artiodactyls, the radius and ulna may be fused into one, and the fibula may degenerate into a thin piece connected to the tibia. The long bones (or metacarpals) of the third and fourth toes also often fuse into one and are called "cannon bones."

Artiodactyls usually also have a large body cavity to accommodate a complex digestive tract and large lungs, and a strong back. Most have strong back muscles that move together with the muscles of the hind legs to make the legs There is propulsion.

Perissodactyls are a large family of ungulates that are still alive, such as horses, zebras, donkeys and rhinos. Their toes often have an odd number, and the central axis of the foot passes through the middle toe. In all odd-dactyls, the inner toes, the big toes of the front and rear feet, have disappeared, as has the fifth toe of the hind feet.

In most perissodactyls, the fifth toe on the front foot has also disappeared, but in some more primitive types, this toe is still retained. Thus, perissodactyls often have three functioning toes on their fore and hind feet, or, in progressive horses, only one toe.

Baidu Encyclopedia--Horse Hoof

Baidu Encyclopedia--Ox Hoof