One of the most important things for a farrier to remember when he’s presented with a deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) problem is that there’s almost certainly something more than just that tendon involved.

That was a big part of the message delivered by Mitch Taylor, owner and instructor at the Kentucky Horseshoeing School of Mount Eden, Ky., during a presentation at the 2008 International Hoof-Care Summit in Cincinnati, Ohio.

“When we say we’ve pulled a deep digital flexor tendon, it’s not as simple as saying that we’ve just strained some tendon fibers,” said Taylor. “I think a lot of the deep flexor problems we see are actually in the foot. A lot of them are a result of chronic imbalance or improper hoof care. There are a lot of areas at insertion points where things can go wrong. It’s difficult to delineate and generalize lameness as a deep digital flexor tendon problem when it could be a combination of tendonitis, bursitis and cartilage. Keep in mind that we’re dealing with a highly complex system and one of the things we lose in a system like that is tolerance for error.”

One Part Of A System

Taylor pointed out that the DDFT is just a part of a very complex system of bones, muscles, ligaments and tendons that operate in a horse’s lower…