Electric fence wire, barbed wire, sheet metal…What do these things have in common? They
all have caused catastrophic tendon injuries in horses. The structure and function of tendons, as well as flexor tendon desmitis, were reviewed in the July issue. In this article, we will focus on the therapy and prognosis for the laceration of a tendon. Obviously, given the structure and function of the main tendons of a horse’s leg, any disruption of tendon integrity potentially can have a significant negative impact on a horse’s athletic ability.

Several important points to remember are these:

1. Should the flexor tendons become lacerated or transected under normal circumstances, the forces in a standing and weight-bearing horse would be enough to pull the wound apart (the degree of damage depends on how much tendon is involved).
2. Damaged tendons heal with scar tissue that is not as strong or flexible as the original tendon, a fact that can greatly affect the future use of the horse.
3. It is difficult to reduce the forces applied to the flexor tendons and often requires intervention beyond a simple leg wrap.

Evaluating The Injury

The first step in evaluating a tendon laceration is determining the structures involved and the degree to which they are involved. Location on the leg is important