Bowed tendon SDFT or DDFT in a hindleg. When the SDFT is damaged, there is a thickening of the tendon, giving it a bowed appearance when the leg is viewed from the side. Bows usually occur in the middle of the tendon region, although they may also be seen in the upper third, right below the knee or hock (high bows), and lower third, just above the fetlock (low bows). Excessive strain on a tendon can damage its collagen fibers. This is most commonly seen in performance horses that gallop or jump, who usually strain a tendon as a result of fetlock
Tendon last is tendinitis, which refers to degeneration with inflammation of the tendon as well as vascular disruption. Tendinopathies may be caused by several intrinsic factors including age, body weight, and nutrition. The extrinsic factors are often related to sports and include excessive forces or loading, poor training techniques, and environmental conditions. In some organisms, notable ones being birds and ornithischian dinosaurs, portions of the tendon can become ossified. In this process, osteocytes infiltrate the tendon and lay down bone as they would in sesamoid bone such as the patella. In birds, tendon ossification primarily occurs in the hindlimb, while in