Bowed Tendon in Horses

Bowed tendons usually occur in performance and race horses, or any horse worked very hard and long. You may also hear this condition referred to as flexor tendonitis or simply tendonitis.

  1. Affected Area

    • Bowed tendons are seen in the superficial flexor tendon, and sometimes the deep digital flexor tendon, the tendons at the back of the horse's lower leg. If you look at the horse's leg from the side, the superficial flexor tendon is the thinner section. The deep digital is underneath the superficial flexor. Front legs are affected more often, but some hind leg tendons develop bows.

    Cause

    • This lameness occurs because the horse's muscles get so tired that they no longer can support the tendon as it bends the knee and the fetlock joint (the ankle area).

    Symptoms

    • A bowed tendon has noticeable swelling, heat and pain. Your horse may be standing with his knee bent and only the toe of his hoof touching the ground.

    Types

    • There are four types of bows: high, middle, low and low-low, all referencing the section of tendon the bow is in. A high bow is in the third of the lower leg just below the knee. A middle bow is found in the middle of the lower leg. A low bow is below this, and a low-low bow is in the fetlock area.

    Inside The Injury

    • A bowed tendon is bleeding and leaking fluids inside the tendon. As it heals, scar tissue replaces the damaged connective tissue of the tendon.

    The Name

    • This injury is called a bowed tendon because of the "bowed" appearance of the leg after healing, a result of the scar tissue. When you see the leg from the side, it's no longer straight down the back and instead curves out in the area of injury.