Effects of 6 degree elevation of the heels on 3D kinematics of the distal portion of the forelimb in the walking horse.

The research article investigates how a 6-degree heel elevation impacts the movement and structure of a horse’s forelimb. With the help of ultrasonic triangulation, the study measures the three-dimensional movement of the limb and compares it to scenarios when the horse has standard shoes on.

Objective and Methodology

• The main objective of the research is to examine how a heel elevation of 6 degrees can affect the three-dimensional movement of the distal parts of a horse’s forelimb. The study’s intention is to fill the gap in current knowledge on the biomechanical effects of heel elevation.
• To achieve this, the researchers carried out their study on four healthy horses. Using an innovative method that relied on ultrasonic triangulation, the researchers were able to investigate the kinematics of the distal segments of the horses’ forelimbs intrusively.
• The movements in three dimensions of the digital joints were calculated using a ‘joint coordinate system’ (JCS). Comparisons were made between data recorded with heel wedges and standard horse shoes.

Results

• The heel wedges notably increased the maximum flexion of the proximal and distal interphalangeal joints (PIPJ and DIPJ) and it extended the metacarpophalangeal joint (MPJ) significantly.
• The extension of the PIPJ and DIPJ decreased at heel-off. There were a few effects noticeable in the extrasagittal planes of movements.

Conclusions

• The study concluded that using heel wedges influences the sagittal plane kinematics of the three digital joints, delivering a clearer understanding of their biomechanical functionality.
• The study explains the controversial effects previously observed on the MPJ could be due to the considerable involvement of the PIPJ. The PIPJ was overlooked in previous studies on moving horses and as such affected the understanding of the effects of heel elevation.