EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT SHOEING CONDITIONS ON EQUINE CERVICAL AND BACK KINEMATICS DURING WALKING AND TROTTING ON A SOFT SURFACE.

This research study examines how different horse shoeing techniques affect the movements and posture of a horse’s neck and back. The findings reveal that changes in shoeing conditions lead to changes in a horse’s upper body movements, which could have implications for the horse’s health and performance.

Research Objectives

• The goal of the study was to determine the impact of different shoeing conditions on equine neck and back kinematics at the walk and trot. The researchers were particularly interested in understanding how these changes occur when a horse is moving on sand, a common training surface.

Methods

• The researchers employed two-dimensional kinematic video analysis. This method was carried out under seven different shoeing conditions: Four-shoe system with aluminum shoes at the front, steel shoes at the back; front only with aluminum shoes; back only with steel shoes; no shoes; front shoes with hind egg bar shoes, hind wide toe shoes, and hind reverse shoes.

Key Findings

• The researchers found that joint angles at the junction of the neck and chest (cervicothoracic junction) were four times more likely to be significantly affected by the shoeing condition than in the back and the area of the spine at the level of the pelvis (sacrum).
• The condition where only the front feet were shod (FORESHOD) was found to notably alter kinematics compared to the standard shoeing (REFSHOD) or going unshod (UNSHOD), causing an increased neck extension (cervicothoracic extension) of 6-11±1-2° at both walk and trot, and an increased chest-lumbar flexion (thoracolumbar flexion) by 3-4±1° at trot.
• Hind egg bar shoes (hEGGBAR), hind wide toe shoes (hTOE) and hind reverse shoes (hREVERSE) were found to increase cervicothoracic extension by 5-7±1-2° compared to REFSHOD at both walk and trot. When the horse was unshod, an increase in neck flexion was observed during the trot (6±2°).

Implications

• The study concluded that the shoeing conditions have an impact on equine neck and back position. Knowing this can influence decisions made during clinical examinations, rehabilitation, and training. It can help horse trainers and veterinarians to better understand and address equine movement concerns, ultimately enhancing horse health and performance.