How would I describe the animal part of a centaur?

[slayer20]

I'm writing out some races for this story I'm kind of writing, and one of the races are centaurs. There are two variations; ones with a horse-like half and ones with a deer-like half. However, in the world this takes place in, horses and deer don't exist. I want to be able to describe what their bodies look like without resorting to using animals found on Earth.

How would I go about doing this? I want to make it clear that they have horse-like bodies without coming right out and saying they have horse-like bodies.

[Mr. Khorn]

It has the body type of an animal from the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pecora]Pecora[/url] family?

[slayer20]

[QUOTE=Sgt. Khorn;44327008]It has the body type of an animal from the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pecora]Pecora[/url] family?[/QUOTE]

The centaurs themselves don't have horns. Even if they had bodies of something from that family, I don't see how that would help describe them.

[SirSiyax]

If there are no dear or horses to compare them, then you'll have to explain it in a way your characters would understand(Unless you're an omniscient narrator.) Such as if there's still cows or buffalo or any animal with hooves, then mention how they're similar, if not, then maybe a club, or the butt of a rifle, or whatever your setting has that can describe what the creatures look like. If your characters have never seen a horse, then why should the reader know what they are? I feel that not knowing exactly what the thing is, is half the fun of books. I'm not exactly an expert on this, but that's my two cents

[Mr. Khorn]

[QUOTE=slayer20;44327227]The centaurs themselves don't have horns. Even if they had bodies of something from that family, I don't see how that would help describe them.[/QUOTE]

I said body. Not the whole thing.

[NuclearJesus]

Mammals with hooves are collectively known as ungulates. I don't know what else to tell you.

[Kisame]

Call them telkies