An Investigation into the Effects of Changing Dorso-Plantar Hoof Balance on Equine Hind Limb Posture.
Abstract: Links between poor hind hoof balance, pathologies in the hind limb and associated altered posture have been suggested but not quantified. The hoof is proposed as a neuro-sensory organ responsible for informing equine stance with implications for musculoskeletal health in the hind limb and trunk of the horse. This study aims to quantify equine limb posture and its relationship with hoof balance. Twelve horses presenting with negative plantar angles were photographed and limb posture documented before and after the creation of positive plantar angles and improved three-dimensional proportions around the centre of rotation of the distal-interphalangeal joint, using farriery prosthetics. The results showed that horses presenting with negative plantar angles had canted-in postures and that farriery intervention had a significant effect on hind limb orientation in seven of these horses. There was a significant difference in metatarsal angle pre and post intervention with the mean for pre intervention being 81.3° ± 5.1 and post intervention being 88.0° ± 3.8 in the right hind and 74.4° ± 3.7 and 87.1° ± 2.9 in the left hind. The findings of this study support the hypothesis that the hoof balance informs equine stance and can play a role in affecting limb posture.
Publication Date: 2022-11-24 PubMed ID: 36496795PubMed Central: PMC9736389DOI: 10.3390/ani12233275Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
Summary
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
The research focuses on equine hind limb posture and its correlation with the balance of the hoof, particularly investigating the effects of changing dorso-plantar balance on the posture of the hind limb in horses.
Objectives and Methodology of the Study
The main aim of this study was to identify and quantify the relationship between hoof balance and hind limb posture in twelve horses presenting with negative plantar angles. The researchers photographed these horses and documented their limb posture before and after prosthetic farriery intervention, which was aimed at creating positive plantar angles and improving their proportions around the centre of rotation of the distal interphalangeal joint. The theoretical basis for this experiment proposes that the hoof acts as a neuro-sensory organ, informing how a horse stands and impacting its musculoskeletal health.
Results of the Study
The results revealed that horses with negative plantar angles exhibited canted-in postures. Following farriery intervention, significant changes in the orientation of the hind limb were observed in seven out of the twelve horses. Notably, there was a significant difference in the metatarsal angle pre and post intervention, with averages moving towards a larger (more positive) number post-intervention on both right and left hind limbs.
- Right hind limb: pre-intervention average of 81.3° ± 5.1, post-intervention average of 88.0° ± 3.8
- Left hind limb: pre-intervention average of 74.4° ± 3.7, post-intervention average of 87.1° ± 2.9
Conclusions and Implications
The researchers concluded that the hoof balance plays an integral role in determining equine stance, which in turn affects limb posture. They suggested that poor hind hoof balance could potentially contribute to hind limb pathologies and altered posture.
This study has various implications for the management of equine health, particularly focusing on the need for appropriate farriery interventions to improve hoof balance and, by extension, hind limb posture. These findings could significantly impact how equine health practitioners approach the care and management of horses’ hooves.
Cite This Article
APA
Sharp Y, Tabor G.
(2022).
An Investigation into the Effects of Changing Dorso-Plantar Hoof Balance on Equine Hind Limb Posture.
Animals (Basel), 12(23), 3275.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12233275 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Lion House, Lion Hill, Stone Cross, Pevensey BN245EG, UK.
- Equestrian Performance Research Centre, Hartpury University, Gloucestershire GL193BE, UK.
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
References
This article includes 30 references
- Dyson SJ, Tranquille CA, Collins SN, Parkin TD, Murray RC. External characteristics of the lateral aspect of the hoof differ between non-lame and lame horses.. Vet J 2011 Dec;190(3):364-71.
- Clements P.E., Handel I., McKane S.A., Coomer R.P.. An investigation into the association between plantar distal phalanx angle and hindlimb lameness in a UK population of horses.. Equine Vet. Educ. 2020;32:52–59.
- Osborn ML, Cornille JL, Blas-Machado U, Uhl EW. The equine navicular apparatus as a premier enthesis organ: Functional implications.. Vet Surg 2021 May;50(4):713-728.
- Mansmann R.A., James S., Blikslager A.T., vom Orde K.. Long Toes in the Hind Feet and Pain in the Gluteal Region: An Observational Study of 77 Horses.. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2010;30:720–726.
- Pezzanite L, Bass L, Kawcak C, Goodrich L, Moorman V. The relationship between sagittal hoof conformation and hindlimb lameness in the horse.. Equine Vet J 2019 Jul;51(4):464-469.
- Waguespack R, Hanson RR. Navicular syndrome in equine patients anatomy, causes, and diagnosis.. Compend Contin Educ Vet 2010 Dec;32(12):E7.
- Waguespack RW, Hanson RR. Treating navicular syndrome in equine patients.. Compend Contin Educ Vet 2011 Jan;33(1):E2.
- Ruff K.C., Osborn M.L., Uhl E.W.. Analysis of Forces Acting on the Equine Navicular Bone in Normal and Dorsiflexed Positions.. FASEB J. 2016 30:923–924.
- Kane AJ, Stover SM, Gardner IA, Bock KB, Case JT, Johnson BJ, Anderson ML, Barr BC, Daft BM, Kinde H, Larochelle D, Moore J, Mysore J, Stoltz J, Woods L, Read DH, Ardans AA. Hoof size, shape, and balance as possible risk factors for catastrophic musculoskeletal injury of Thoroughbred racehorses.. Am J Vet Res 1998 Dec;59(12):1545-52.
- Gellman K., Ruina A.. A Longer Stance is More Stable for a Standing Horse.. BioRxiv 2021;1:1–38.
- Gellman K., Shoemaker J., Reese E.B.D.. Normal Neutral Posture vs. Abnormal Compensatory Posture: Investigating their significance and response to an integrative therapeutic intervention in horses.. Proc. AHVMA 2014.
- Bowker R. Ramey. Care and Rehabilitation of the Equine Foot.. Hoof Rehabilitation Publishing; Lakemont, GA, USA: 2012. The Horse’s foot as a Neurosensory Organ: How the Horse Perceives its Environment; pp. 90–133.
- Mawdsley A, Kelly EP, Smith FH, Brophy PO. Linear assessment of the thoroughbred horse: an approach to conformation evaluation.. Equine Vet J 1996 Nov;28(6):461-7.
- Anderson TM, McIlwraith CW, Douay P. The role of conformation in musculoskeletal problems in the racing Thoroughbred.. Equine Vet J 2004 Nov;36(7):571-5.
- Holmström M., Back W.. The effects of conformation.. In: Back W., Clayton H., editors. Equine Locomotion. 2nd ed. WB Saunders; London, UK: 2013. pp. 229–243.
- Routh J., Strang C., Gilligan S., Dyson S.. An investigation of the association between hindlimb conformation and suspensory desmopathy in sports horses.. Equine Vet Educ. 2020;32:183–192.
- Fureix C, Hausberger M, Seneque E, Morisset S, Baylac M, Cornette R, Biquand V, Deleporte P. Geometric morphometrics as a tool for improving the comparative study of behavioural postures.. Naturwissenschaften 2011 Jul;98(7):583-92.
- Lesimple C., Fureix C., Aube L., Hausberger M.. Detecting and Measuring Back Disorders in Nonverbal Individuals: The Example of Domestic Horses.. Anim. Behav. Cogn. 2016;3:159–179.
- Tabor G., Mann N., Williams J.. Spinal Posture in horses with and without back pain. Proceedings of the 10th International Symposium and Rehab Summit, International Association for Veterinary Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy Tennessee; Knoxville, TN, USA. 30 July–3 August 2018.
- Gomes-Costa M., Roupa I., Pequito M., Prazeres J., Gaivão M., Abrantes J., Gaivão M., Abrantes J., Clayton H.M.. The Use of Pressure Plates for Static Center of Pressure Analysis in Horses.. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2015;35:315–320.
- Gellman K.. Living with gravity: Posture and the stomatognathic system. Proceedings of the 21st Annual Veterinary Dental Forum; Minneapolis, MN, USA. 8–21 October 2007; pp. 1–5.
- Clements P.. Therapeutic farriery of the hind feet for horses with hindlimb orthopaedic injuries.. UK-Vet Equine 2021;5:6–11.
- Floyd A.E.. Use of a grading system to facilitate treatment and prognosis in horses with negative palmar angle syndrome (heel collapse): 107 cases.. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2010;30:666–675.
- van Heel MC, Barneveld A, van Weeren PR, Back W. Dynamic pressure measurements for the detailed study of hoof balance: the effect of trimming.. Equine Vet J 2004 Dec;36(8):778-82.
- Van Heel MC, Moleman M, Barneveld A, Van Weeren PR, Back W. Changes in location of centre of pressure and hoof-unrollment pattern in relation to an 8-week shoeing interval in the horse.. Equine Vet J 2005 Nov;37(6):536-40.
- Moleman M, van Heel MC, van Weeren PR, Back W. Hoof growth between two shoeing sessions leads to a substantial increase of the moment about the distal, but not the proximal, interphalangeal joint.. Equine Vet J 2006 Mar;38(2):170-4.
- Caldwell M.N.. An Investigation into the Use of Hoof Balance Metrics to Test the Reliability of a Commonly Used Foot Trimming Protocol and Their Association with Biomechanics and Pathologies of the Equine Digit.. Ph.D. Thesis. The University of Liverpool; Liverpool, UK: 2017.
- Craig J., Craig M., Weltner T.. Quantifying conformation of the equine digit from lateromedial radiographs.. Proc. Assoc. Equine Sport. Med. 2001;21:20–25.
- Hagen J, Geburek F, Kathrinaki V, Naem MA, Roecken M, Hoffmann J. Effect of Perineural Anesthesia on the Centre of Pressure (COP) Path During Stance Phase at Trot in Sound Horses.. J Equine Vet Sci 2021 Jun;101:103429.
- Pauwels FE, Rogers CW, Wharton H, Flemming H, Wightman PF, Green RW. RADIOGRAPHIC MEASUREMENTS OF HOOF BALANCE ARE SIGNIFICANTLY INFLUENCED BY A HORSE'S STANCE.. Vet Radiol Ultrasound 2017 Jan;58(1):10-17.
Citations
This article has been cited 3 times.- Stachurska A, Wnuk E, Łuszczyński J, Donderowicz W. Preliminary Biometric Study on Symmetry of Hoof Solear Aspect in Forelimbs in Four Horse Breeds. Animals (Basel) 2025 Nov 21;15(23).
- Schaus K, Wacker J, Jandowsky A, Büttner K, Röcken M, Bartmann CP. Radiographic Morphometric Measurements of the Donkey's Distal Hind Limb. Animals (Basel) 2024 Dec 25;15(1).
- Auer U, Kelemen Z, Vogl C, von Ritgen S, Haddad R, Torres Borda L, Gabmaier C, Breteler J, Jenner F. Development, refinement, and validation of an equine musculoskeletal pain scale. Front Pain Res (Lausanne) 2023;4:1292299.
Use Nutrition Calculator
Check if your horse's diet meets their nutrition requirements with our easy-to-use tool Check your horse's diet with our easy-to-use tool
Talk to a Nutritionist
Discuss your horse's feeding plan with our experts over a free phone consultation Discuss your horse's diet over a phone consultation
Submit Diet Evaluation
Get a customized feeding plan for your horse formulated by our equine nutritionists Get a custom feeding plan formulated by our nutritionists
