The forefoot is the front part of a foot, whether human or animal. On your own foot, it includes your toes and the ball of your foot (that padded area just behind your toes that touches the ground when you stand on tiptoes). On a horse, dog, or cat, the forefeet are simply the two front feet.

When runners talk about forefoot striking, they mean landing on the ball of the foot first rather than the heel. Some runners find this reduces impact and feels more natural, like how you'd run if you were barefoot on a beach. Ballet dancers spend much of their time balanced on their forefeet, using that front section of the foot for control and grace.

For four-legged animals, the distinction matters in different ways. A veterinarian examining a limping dog needs to know which foot hurts: a forefoot or a hind foot. Horse trainers watch how a horse distributes weight across its forefeet to assess the animal's health and movement. Understanding where the forefoot begins and ends helps doctors, athletes, and animal experts describe injuries, movement patterns, and anatomy precisely.