In vivo transmission of impact shock waves in the distal forelimb of the horse.

The research study investigates the effect that shock waves from impact have on the development of noninfectious joint diseases in horses, such as osteoarthritis. The experiment utilized two horses, measuring the 3-D kinematics of their distal forelimbs during trotting, particularly focusing on the transmission of these shock waves.

Research Context and Methodology

• The study was motivated by the high frequency of lameness occurring in Standardbred trotting horses due to noninfectious joint diseases primarily caused by training and competing. The core of their methodology was to understand the impact shock waves transmission in the distal forelimb of horse and how it affects horse’s orthopaedic health.
• The researchers aimed to investigate the specific pattern of events immediately succeeding a horse’s first contact with the ground. They closely examined the transmission of impact shock waves in the horse’s distal forelimb, which is the area located between the lower part of a horse’s knee or hock and the horse’s hoof.
• For the experiment, two horses were hand-trotted over a force plate. A force plate is a device that measures the ground reaction forces generated by a body standing on or moving across them, to quantify balance, gait and other parameters of biomechanics.
• Using a 240 Hz video system, researchers recorded the 3-D kinematics of the distal forelimb to study its motion in three dimension.
• Data from accelerometers installed on the mid-lateral side of the third metacarpal bone (McIII) and the lateral side of the hoof was gathered to deeply investigate the forces and movements experienced in these areas.
• To obtain accurate and detailed results, force plate and accelerometer data were sampled at a high frequency of 4.8 kHz using a 16-bit A/D-converter, all data was synchronised with the kinematic data.

Results and Conclusions

• The key finding from this study was the identification of the time period of the hoof’s horizontal retardation as an important factor in the mitigation of the impact. They observed that a shorter period of hoof braking resulted in higher amplitudes in the longitudinal retardation of McIII and a faster oscillation.
• This insight suggests that any parameters relating to horizontal hoof braking could be potentially significant to the orthopaedic health of horses. Consequently, the study contributes to the understanding of the causes of noninfectious joint diseases in horses, highlighting the importance of proper training and competition routines. This can potentially aid future development of treatments and preventive measures for such diseases.