Effect of shod status on distal limb thermography in leisure horses.

Overview

• This study investigated whether wearing horseshoes (shod status) influences the surface temperature of the lower legs (distal limbs) in healthy leisure horses as measured by infrared thermography.

Study Purpose and Importance

• The research sought to understand if the presence or absence of horseshoes affects the thermal patterns seen on horse limbs when the animals are at rest.
• Infrared thermography is a non-invasive technique used to detect surface temperature differences, which can be useful in diagnosing inflammation or injury in horses.
• Knowing whether shoes influence temperature readings is important for interpreting thermographic images accurately in clinical or research settings.

Methodology

• Participants: 43 healthy leisure horses were included, divided into two groups:
  • 23 horses were shod (wearing horseshoes).
  • 20 horses were barefoot (no horseshoes).
• Infrared thermography was used to capture images of the horses’ distal limbs while at rest.
• Researchers selected 16 specific regions of interest on the limbs for temperature measurement.
• Environmental factors such as ambient temperature and wind speed were recorded and thermographic temperatures were corrected to account for these variables, ensuring accurate comparisons.

Key Findings

• There were significant differences in temperature between various anatomical regions of the distal limb, indicating natural thermal variation depending on the specific location.
• No significant difference in surface temperatures was found between shod and barefoot horses (P > 0.7), showing that the presence of horseshoes did not materially alter resting limb thermography results.
• This suggests that shod status does not affect infrared thermography readings of distal limb temperatures in leisure horses at rest.

Implications and Conclusions

• The minimal impact of shoeing on distal limb surface temperature means that clinicians and researchers can use infrared thermography on shod or barefoot leisure horses without needing to adjust interpretations based on shoeing status.
• Thermographic evaluations remain a valuable tool for detecting abnormal thermal patterns related to injury or inflammation without confounding effects from horseshoes.
• Future research might explore similar effects during exercise or in horses with limb pathology to see if these findings hold true in different contexts.