Researchers Study SDF Tendonitis in Cutting Horses

Researchers found that 82% of cutting horses that recovered from SDF tendonitis returned to their previous level of work.
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

Cutting horses require strong, sturdy bodies and limbs to successfully face off with a cow trying to return to her herd. And, like all equine athletes, the demands of a cutting horse's job put him at risk for injury. Recently, a team of veterinarians from Texas took a closer look at an important, but not well-characterized, cause of lameness in these horses: superficial digital flexor (SDF) tendonitis.

Researchers know that forelimb SDF tendonitis is a common injury in sport- and racehorses. For instance, it accounts for 6-13% of racing-related injuries, said Tyler Tipton, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, an associate veterinarian at Equine Sports Medicine and Surgery (ESMS) in Weatherford, Texas. Further, he explained, "tendonitis of the SDF in horses other than cutting horses is commonly considered to have a poor prognosis with a high recurrence rate and is often a career-ending injury."

However, no published reports exist on how these lesions affect cutting horses. So Tipton and colleagues set out to better characterize forelimb SDF tendonitis in these horses and to determine its recurrence rate and prognosis.

In the retrospective study, the team evaluated 19 cutting horses diagnosed at ESMS with SDF tendonitis in the forelimb via ultrasound examinations from Jan. 1, 2007, to Dec. 31, 2011. All of those horses—nine mares, six geldings, and four stallions—were Quarter Horses ranging in age from 3 to 6 years old. The horses presented with mild lameness (an average of 1.26 on a five-point lameness scale) and swelling of the palmar (rear) aspect of the forelimb at the injured area

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

Erica Larson, former news editor for The Horse, holds a degree in journalism with an external specialty in equine science from Michigan State University in East Lansing. A Massachusetts native, she grew up in the saddle and has dabbled in a variety of disciplines including foxhunting, saddle seat, and mounted games. Currently, Erica competes in eventing with her OTTB, Dorado.

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

Where do you primarily feed your horse?
299 votes · 299 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!