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Home / Equine Research Bank / PLoS One / Functional locomotor consequences of uneven forefeet for tro...
PloS one2015; 10(2); e0114836; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0114836

Functional locomotor consequences of uneven forefeet for trot symmetry in individual riding horses.

Abstract: Left-right symmetrical distal limb conformation can be an important prerequisite for a successful performance, and it is often hypothesized that asymmetric or uneven feet are important enhancing factors for the development of lameness. On a population level, it has been demonstrated that uneven footed horses are retiring earlier from elite level competition, but the biomechanical consequences are not yet known. The objectives of this study were to compare the functional locomotor asymmetries of horses with uneven to those with even feet. Hoof kinetics and distal limb kinematics were collected from horses (n = 34) at trot. Dorsal hoof wall angle was used to classify horses as even or uneven (<1.5 and >1.5° difference between forefeet respectively) and individual feet as flat (<50°), medium (between 50° and 55°) or upright (>55°). Functional kinetic parameters were compared between even and uneven forefeet using MANOVA followed by ANOVA. The relative influences of differences in hoof angle between the forefeet and of absolute hoof angle on functional parameters were analysed using multiple regression analysis (P<0.05). In horses with uneven feet, the side with the flatter foot showed a significantly larger maximal horizontal braking and vertical ground reaction force, a larger vertical fetlock displacement and a suppler fetlock spring. The foot with a steeper hoof angle was linearly correlated with an earlier braking-propulsion transition. The conformational differences between both forefeet were more important for loading characteristics than the individual foot conformation of each individual horse. The differences in vertical force and braking force between uneven forefeet could imply either an asymmetrical loading pattern without a pathological component or a subclinical lameness as a result of a pathological development in the steeper foot.
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Publication Date: 2015-02-03 PubMed ID: 25646752PubMed Central: PMC4315574DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0114836Google Scholar: Lookup
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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 article investigates the impact of uneven forefeet on the trot symmetry of riding horses, indicating that horses with uneven feet load differently, potentially leading to an imbalance or lameness.

Research Aim

  • The article aims to study the functional locomotor asymmetries in horses with uneven feet as compared to those with even feet. It looks into the biomechanical consequences of having uneven feet which, in previous studies, have been associates with horses retiring earlier from elite level competitions.

Methodology

  • The researchers recorded hoof kinetics (the forces which cause movement) and distal limb kinematics (study of movement) from 34 horses at a trot. The trot is a two-beat diagonal gait where the diagonal pairs of legs move forward at the same time.
  • The dorsal hoof wall angle was utilized to categorize the horses as having even or uneven feet (less than or more than 1.5° between the forefeet), and each foot as flat (less than 50°), medium (between 50° and 55°), or upright (more than 55°).
  • The team compared functional kinetic parameters (factors of movement) between horses with even and uneven forefeet using a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) followed by an analysis of variance (ANOVA). Furthermore, they assessed the relative effects of hoof angle differences and absolute hoof angle using multiple regression analysis.

Findings

  • The research demonstrated that horses with uneven feet exhibited a significant difference in maximum horizontal braking and vertical ground reaction force, vertical fetlock displacement (a joint in the horse’s leg), and fetlock spring flexibility, with these characteristics being more pronounced on the side with the flatter foot.
  • Moreover, the foot with a steeper hoof angle was associated with an earlier transition from braking to propulsion.
  • The dissimilarities in the conformation of both forefeet were found to significantly influence the loading characteristics more than the individual foot conformation of each horse.

Conclusions

  • The study concluded that the variability in vertical force and braking force between uneven forefeet could suggest an asymmetrical loading pattern that might not have a pathological component or could signal subclinical lameness due to a pathological process in the steeper foot.

Cite This Article

APA
Wiggers N, Nauwelaerts SL, Hobbs SJ, Bool S, Wolschrijn CF, Back W. (2015). Functional locomotor consequences of uneven forefeet for trot symmetry in individual riding horses. PLoS One, 10(2), e0114836. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0114836

Publication

PloS one
ISSN: 1932-6203
NlmUniqueID: 101285081
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 10
Issue: 2
Pages: e0114836
PII: e0114836

Researcher Affiliations

Wiggers, Nathan
  • Department of Equine Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Nauwelaerts, Sandra L P
  • Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
Hobbs, Sarah Jane
  • Centre for Applied Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, United Kingdom.
Bool, Sophie
  • Department of Equine Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Wolschrijn, Claudia F
  • Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Back, Willem
  • Department of Equine Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Department of Surgery and Anaesthesiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Biomechanical Phenomena
  • Foot / physiology
  • Forelimb / physiology
  • Gait / physiology
  • Hoof and Claw / physiology
  • Horses
  • Kinetics
  • Locomotion / physiology

Conflict of Interest Statement

Qualisys AB kindly provided £1000 towards costs and Kistler Instrument Corp loaned equipment FOC. There are no patents, products in development or marketed products to declare. This does not alter the authors’ adherence to all the PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

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Citations

This article has been cited 14 times.
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