570 
INFLAMMATION OF THE FLEXOR TENDONS. 
Treatment of complete ruptures is generally useless, because in the 
majority of cases it is accompanied by extremely grave degenerative 
changes in the tendons themselves. Even in the most favourable cases 
where the tendon substance is normal it is confined to bringing the 
divided parts as near together as possible and fixing them, for which 
purpose plaster bandages are useful. If the animal be quiet, an iron 
splint fixed to the heal of a bar shoe, and of a curve corresponding to the 
normal position of the foot, is useful in rupture of the flexor perforatus. 
After covering the foot with a pad to equalise pressure, the splint is 
padded and fixed in position by means of circular bandages. Slinging is 
generally necessary when using this apparatus. 
Rupture of the extensor tendons is very rare, and is usually brought 
about by efforts to liberate a foot which has been caught in some 
obstacle like railway points, or by a direct mechanical injury severing 
the tendon. Healing is slow, the chief obstacle being the excessive volar 
or plantar flexion (“ knuckling over ”) which occurs. A suitable iron 
splint may, however, overcome the difficulty. 
IV.—INFLAMMATION OF THE FLEXOR TENDONS (TEN¬ 
DINITIS) AND OF THE SUSPENSORY AND CHECK 
LIGAMENTS. 
Inflammation of the flexor tendons is very frequent in the horse, and 
generally occurs in the fore limbs, on account of their being much more 
exposed to the violent strains which form the general cause of the disease. 
Causes. Horses with weak flexor tendons, heavy bodies and powerful 
muscles, are most predisposed to tendinitis. The structure of the 
tendon, and consequently its powers of resisting strain, are of the 
greatest importance; its absolute thickness bears no direct proportion to 
its strength. On the contrary, tendons of considerable size and sur¬ 
rounded by abundant paratendineum suffer more frequently than the 
more sharply defined, and those which are firm to the touch. The latter 
peculiarity shows that the tendons are well provided with firm fascicular 
tissue, whilst in the first case they consist more of connective tissue. 
As mentioned in the last chapter (“Rupture of the Flexor Tendons”), 
continued rest seems to lower the resistance against strains. Rupture 
and inflammation following severe diseases, are, in part at least, to 
be referred to this fact. Further, all conditions which increase the 
load on the limb and the strain on the flexor tendons favour tendinitis. 
Long, weak, and slender fetlocks are especially liable to it. The 
strain on the tendons is increased by increased length and obliquity of 
the fetlocks. The more slender the fetlock-joint appears when seen 
from the animal’s side, the greater the mechanical disadvantage at 
