Vet Tech AppreciationNominate your vet tech or vet assistant now through November 15.Nominate now →
For Horse Owners/What's Inside/Collagens

1 of 12 · 3 min read

Collagens: The Fence Boards

Every tendon, every ligament, every joint — held together by the same protein that makes a well-built fence stand straight through years of weather and load. Here's what collagen actually does, and why it's the first thing we talk about.

HEALTHY TENDON organized collagen fibers INJURED TENDON disorganized, scar collagen fibers

Collagen fiber organization is the difference between a strong tendon and a weak one after injury.

THE ANALOGY

Think of collagen like your arena's fence boards.

A well-built fence doesn't flex when a horse leans into it, doesn't rot under pressure, and doesn't need replacing every season. That's exactly what collagen does inside your horse's body — it forms the structural backbone of bone, tendon, ligament, and cartilage.

“If the fence boards are solid and straight, everything else stands up and does its job. When they're compromised, the whole structure starts to shift.”

When collagen fibers are healthy and well-organized, tissues can handle the daily demands of training, competition, and turnout. When they're damaged or disorganized — that's when injuries happen, and why healing can take so long.

HOW IT WORKS IN THE HORSE

What collagen actually does after injection

Scaffold delivery

In the body, collagen forms the structural framework that cells attach to and work within.

Cell signaling

Collagen fragments from the degrading matrix act as signaling molecules, recruiting fibroblasts and progenitor cells to the repair site to lay down new organized tissue.

Remodeling support

As the allograft degrades naturally over weeks, it supports progressive tissue remodeling — the transition from initial repair to organized, load-bearing tissue structure.

Collagen in equicenta® CTM

equicenta® CTM contains naturally occurring collagens from equine umbilical cord tissue, identified by mass spectrometry (Bertone et al., BMC Medicine, 2025).

Ask your veterinarian whether equicenta® CTM could be part of your horse's plan.

Every case is different. Your veterinarian is the right person to weigh whether a regenerative approach fits the diagnosis, the rehab plan, and your horse.

Ask a Question