Postnatal Development of the Functional Specialization of the Equine Superficial Digital Flexor Tendon

Introduction: The superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) is adapted to its function of both withstanding high loads, as well as providing a structure, which is fatigue-resistant, elastic and stores energy. We have shown previously that many of the unique SDFT properties are derived from a specialized compartment of tendon, known as the inter-fascicular matrix (IFM). We were interested in understanding how the SDFT develops its unique structure from birth to the end-of-development. Understanding this process may lead to development of methods which could be used to optimize tendon structure for future resilience to athletic use.