The deep digital flexor tendon in the equine toe

The deep digital flexor muscles of the fore and hind limb of the horse equally originate in three muscle heads, uniting to the deep digital flexor tendons (DDFT). Half way through the metacarpus/-tarsus the DDFT is joined by its accessory ligament, the inferior check ligament. At the toe, the DDFT posses on through the tendon of the superficial flexor muscle, both beeing enfolded by the digital synovial sheet, the DDFT more distally beeing protected by the podotrochlear bursa, to insert at the palmar/plantar aspect of the coffin bone. The digital synovial sheet, the podotrochlear bursa and the palmar/plantar pouch of the coffin joint meet at the palmar/plantar aspect of the middle phalanx, in the so called "T-ligament", a fibrous partition without tendinous tissue. The T-ligament is not a branch of the DDFT.