Effect of hoof boots and toe-extension shoes on the forelimb kinetics of horses during walking.

The research article is investigating the impact of hoof boots and toe-extension shoes on specific walking parameters in horses. Areas of focus are the duration of stance, the ground reaction force, and the length of the horse’s sole in contact with the ground.

Objective and Procedure

• The research aimed to determine and compare the effects of hoof boots (HBs) and shoes with a toe extension on a few key attributes – the stance duration, ground reaction force, and the sole length in contact with the ground – in horses during walking conditions.
• The experiment was performed on six non-lame Standardbreds.
• An analytical tool called force plate gait was used to measure these attributes.
• Measurements were taken at four different times: when the horses were walking barefoot (serving as the baseline), when they wore HBs, when the horses wore toe-extension shoes, and post shoe removal.
• Radiography was also used on the forelimb feet of the horses to determine the sole length in contact with the ground under the three foot conditions – barefoot, with HBs, and with toe-extension shoes.

Results

• The results demonstrated a significant increase in stance duration when the horses wore either HBs (7% increment) or toe-extension shoes (5% increment), compared to the baseline findings.
• The peak forelimb ground reaction force was similar across all the different walking conditions.
• However, the time of reaching peak braking force was significantly greater only when the horses wore HBs, indicating the deceleration phase during limb impact with the ground was slower in this case.
• The research also found that the length of the horse’s sole in contact with the ground was considerably longer when the horses wore HBs (14.3 cm) or were shod with toe-extension shoes (17.6 cm), when compared to the barefoot condition (12.7 cm).

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance

• The study concluded that in non-lame horses, the use of HBs resulted in an extension of the stance time and the peak braking force time, implying a slower deceleration phase during limb impact.
• Also, the HBs increased the length of the sole that was in contact with the ground, potentially influencing the stride’s deceleration phase.
• This research is clinically relevant as it provides useful insights into how different footwear can influence the walking kinematics in horses, which can ultimately contribute to better horse care and performance management practices.