Wound healing in horses is particularly problematic compared to other species and limb wounds often exhibit complications such as exuberant granulation tissue, poor wound contraction and unsightly scars. In comparison, oral wounds heal without scar formation. Therefore, in vitro experiments were conducted to investigate the differences between equine oral and limb fibroblasts in terms of proliferation and their ability to contract a collagen matrix, a commonly used in vitro model of wound contraction.