FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 9000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Home / Equine Research Bank / Vet Sci / Thermographic Image of the Hoof Print in Leisure and Cross-C...
Veterinary sciences2023; 10(7); doi: 10.3390/vetsci10070470

Thermographic Image of the Hoof Print in Leisure and Cross-Country Warmblood Horses: A Pilot Study.

Abstract: The field of veterinary medicine lacks information on equine thermal hoof printing, and few data on the same subject are available in dogs. In human medicine, thermography is used to detect heat emitted by the foot when it comes in contact with a flat surface to detect the abnormalities of the foot balance. The hypothesis states that the thermal pattern of the hoof print in Warmblood horses is detectable and it does not vary among the four limbs in leisure and cross-country Warmblood horses in terms of mean temperature of the hoof print surface. A pilot study was conducted to investigate the accuracy of thermography in temperature detection of the hoof print and to investigate the occurrence of possible differences in the mean value of six selected areas and whether there are any differences in the mean temperature of the hoof print between leisure and cross-country Warmblood horses. Methods: The study included sixty non-lame Warmblood horses with all limbs taken into consideration (n = 240). The selection criteria for the horses were: no alterations in posture and no muscle group asymmetry during visual examination, no lateral or medial deviation of the carpus or hock, no reaction to the flexion tests, negative reactions to the hoof tester, no lameness during walking, trotting or lunging, no anti-inflammatory medication in the last three weeks prior to examination and rectal temperature between 37 °C and 38 °C. The hoof print of each hoof was measured with the horse in the standing position, all four limbs on the ground, using a FLIR E50 thermal camera. Six areas of temperature from the hoof print were taken into consideration, and for each of them, the mean value was identified using FLIR Tools software for photo interpretation. The One-Way ANOVA test was used to test the differences between the mean temperatures obtained for each selected area from all limbs and to compare the hoof print temperature values between the leisure horses and cross-country horses. Data were statistically processed using SAS Studio. Results: Thermography can detect the temperature emitted by the hoof but the thermal patterns of the hoof print show no difference for all four studied limbs. No significant statistical differences were noticed between the mean temperatures identified for each studied area. Also, there were no statistical differences between the mean temperature of the selected areas from the forelimbs and hindlimbs from the horses used for leisure and those used for cross-country. Based on this aspect, the mean temperature of one selected area can be determined in any of the four limbs, without visible variations. Conclusions: Thermography can detect the hoof print on a flat surface and the mean temperature for each studied area can be proposed as a reference temperature value. There were no differences in the mean temperature of the hoofprint between leisure and cross-country Warmblood Horses. Further investigations are required to clarify whether there are any differences in the thermal pattern of hoof prints from other breeds or from horses with musculoskeletal conditions.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2023-07-18 PubMed ID: 37505874PubMed Central: PMC10385432DOI: 10.3390/vetsci10070470Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • Journal Article

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.

Background:

  • Topic: The study focuses on “equine thermal hoof printing” using thermography. Thermography is a technique that measures heat patterns, often used in human medicine to detect foot balance abnormalities by analyzing the heat emitted by the foot when it touches a flat surface.
  • Current Status: There’s limited data on this subject in veterinary medicine, especially for horses. Some data is available for dogs.
  • Hypothesis: The study hypothesizes that for Warmblood horses:
    1. A thermal pattern of the hoof print is detectable.
    2. This pattern does not differ among the four limbs (front and hind legs).
    3. There’s no variation in the mean temperature of the hoof print surface between leisure (casual riding) and cross-country (long-distance/intense riding) Warmblood horses.

Methods:

  • Sample Size: The study involved 60 non-lame Warmblood horses, making a total of 240 limbs studied.
  • Selection Criteria: Horses were chosen based on:
    1. No posture changes or muscle group imbalances.
    2. No deviations in the carpus or hock joints.
    3. Negative reactions to various physical tests, ensuring they were not in pain.
    4. No anti-inflammatory drugs taken within the last three weeks.
    5. A normal rectal temperature range.
  • Procedure: The hoof print of each horse was captured using a FLIR E50 thermal camera when the horse was standing with all four limbs on the ground.
  • Analysis: Six temperature areas from the hoof print were analyzed using FLIR Tools software. The One-Way ANOVA statistical test was applied to compare temperatures from different hoof areas and between leisure and cross-country horses.

Results:

  1. Thermography is effective in detecting the temperature emitted by the hoof.
  2. There were no noticeable thermal pattern differences among the four limbs of the studied horses.
  3. No significant statistical difference was found between the temperatures of the selected areas from the hoof prints.
  4. No temperature difference was observed between leisure horses and cross-country horses.

Conclusions:

  1. Thermography is a viable tool for detecting hoof prints on a flat surface.
  2. The average temperature for each studied hoof area can be used as a reference temperature value.
  3. Leisure and cross-country Warmblood horses have similar hoof print temperatures.
  4. Further studies are needed to see if different horse breeds or horses with musculoskeletal conditions show different thermal patterns.

In essence, the study shows that thermography can effectively detect heat patterns from horse hoofs, and the temperature patterns are consistent among different limbs and different types of Warmblood horses (leisure vs. cross-country).

Cite This Article

APA
Zaha C, Schuszler L, Dascalu R, Nistor P, Florea T, Rujescu C, Sicoe B, Igna C. (2023). Thermographic Image of the Hoof Print in Leisure and Cross-Country Warmblood Horses: A Pilot Study. Vet Sci, 10(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10070470

Publication

Veterinary sciences
ISSN: 2306-7381
NlmUniqueID: 101680127
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 10
Issue: 7

Researcher Affiliations

Zaha, Cristian
  • Surgery Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences "King Michael I", 300645 Timisoara, Romania.
Schuszler, Larisa
  • Surgery Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences "King Michael I", 300645 Timisoara, Romania.
Dascalu, Roxana
  • Surgery Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences "King Michael I", 300645 Timisoara, Romania.
Nistor, Paula
  • Surgery Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences "King Michael I", 300645 Timisoara, Romania.
Florea, Tiana
  • Dermatology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences "King Mihai I", 300645 Timisoara, Romania.
Rujescu, Ciprian
  • Management and Rural Development Department, Faculty of Management and Rural Tourism, University of Life Sciences "King Michael I", 300645 Timisoara, Romania.
Sicoe, Bogdan
  • Diagnostic Imaging, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences "King Michael I", 300645 Timisoara, Romania.
Igna, Cornel
  • Surgery Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences "King Michael I", 300645 Timisoara, Romania.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

This article includes 46 references
  1. Gilbert M, Gillett J. Equine athletes and interspecies sport. Int. Rev. Sociol. Sport 2012;47:632–643.
    doi: 10.1177/1012690211416726google scholar: lookup
  2. Stachurska A, Pieta M, Ussing AP, Kapron A, Kwiecinska N. Difficulty of cross-country obstacles for horses competing in Three Day Events. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2010;123:101–107.
    doi: 10.1016/j.applanim.2010.01.001google scholar: lookup
  3. Dyson S. Lameness and poor performance in the sport horse: Dressage, show jumping and horse trials. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2001;22:145–150.
    doi: 10.1016/S0737-0806(02)70139-1google scholar: lookup
  4. Wallsten H, Olsson K, Dahlborn K. Temperature regulation in horses during exercise and recovery in a cool environment. Acta Vet. Scand. 2012;54:42.
    doi: 10.1186/1751-0147-54-42pmc: PMC3427134pubmed: 22805591google scholar: lookup
  5. Soroko M, Howell K. Infrared thermography: Current applications in Equine Medicine. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2018;60:90–96.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2016.11.002google scholar: lookup
  6. Loughin CA, Marino DJ. Evaluation of thermographic imaging of the limbs of healthy dogs. Am. J. Vet. Res. 2007;68:1064–1069.
    doi: 10.2460/ajvr.68.10.1064pubmed: 17916011google scholar: lookup
  7. Igna C, Mavromatis S, Sicoe B, Schuszler L. Assessment of the thermal paw print symmetry of the hind legs in healthy dogs. Proceedings of the Agriculture for Life, Life for Agriculture; Bucharest, Romania. 7–9 June 2018.
  8. Garcia EFV, Loughin CA, Marino DJ, Sackman J, Umbaugh SE, Fu J, Subedi S, Lesser ML, Akerman M, Schossler JEW. Medical infrared imaging and orthostatic analysis to determine lameness in the pelvic limbs of dogs. Open Vet. J. 2017;7:342–348.
    doi: 10.4314/ovj.v7i4.10pmc: PMC5738888pubmed: 29296594google scholar: lookup
  9. Baxter GM, Stashak TS, Keegan KG. Adams and Stashak’s Lameness in Horses. 6th ed. Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.; Chichester, UK: 2011. Examination for lameness; pp. 67–185.
    doi: 10.1002/9781119276715.ch2google scholar: lookup
  10. Landman MAA M, de Blaauw JA, Hofland LJ, van Weenren PR. Field study of the prevalence of lameness in horses with back problems. Vet. Rec. 2004;155:165–168.
    doi: 10.1136/vr.155.6.165pubmed: 15357376google scholar: lookup
  11. Haussler KV. Review of the examination and treatment of back and pelvic disorders. Proceedings of the Focus Meeting AAEP—Lameness and Imaging; Fort Collins, CO, USA. 31 July 2007; pp. 151–158.
  12. Russell L, Tucker MS, Ronald DS. Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Equine Musculoskeletal Conditions. Vet. Clin. N. Am. Equine Pract. 2001;17:145–157.
    doi: 10.1016/S0749-0739(17)30080-9pubmed: 11488041google scholar: lookup
  13. Whitton RC, Buckley C, Donovan T, Wales AD, Dennis R. The diagnosis of lameness associated with distal limbpathology in a horse: A comparison of radiography, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. Vet. J. 1998;155:223–229.
    doi: 10.1016/S1090-0233(05)80014-0pubmed: 9638067google scholar: lookup
  14. Keegan KG. Evidence-Based Lameness Detection and Quantification. Vet. Clin. Equine 2007;23:403–423.
    doi: 10.1016/j.cveq.2007.04.008pubmed: 17616320google scholar: lookup
  15. Back W, MacAllister CG, van Heel MCV, Pollmeier M, Hanson PD. Vertical Frontlimb Ground Reaction Forces of Sound and Lame Warmbloods Differ from Those in Quarter Horses. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2007;27:123–129.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2007.01.007google scholar: lookup
  16. Radaelli V, Bergero D, Zucca E, Ferrucci F, Costa LN, Crosta L, Luzi F. Use of Thermography Techniques in Equines: Principles and Applications. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2014;34:345–350.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2013.07.007google scholar: lookup
  17. Turner TA. Diagnostic Thermography. Vet. Clin. N. Am. Equine Pract. 2001;17:95–105.
    doi: 10.1016/S0749-0739(17)30077-9pubmed: 11488048google scholar: lookup
  18. Weil M, Litzke LF, Fritsch R. Diagnostic validity of thermography of lameness in horses. Tierarztl. Prax. Ausg. G Grosstiere Nutztiere 1998;26:346–354.
    pubmed: 9857414
  19. Soroko M, Howell K, Zielinska P. Application of thermography in racehorse performance. Proceedings of the XV Congress of the European Association of Thermology; Wroclaw, Poland. 1–4 September 2021.
    doi: 10.21611/qirt.2016.122google scholar: lookup
  20. Purohit RC, McCoy MD. Thermography in the diagnosis of inflammatory processes in the horse. Am. J. Vet. Res. 1980;41:1167–1174.
    pubmed: 7447110
  21. Kastberger G, Stachl R. Infrared Imaging technology and biological applications. Behav. Res. Methods Instrum. Comput. 2003;35:429–439.
    doi: 10.3758/BF03195520pubmed: 14587551google scholar: lookup
  22. Turner TA. Thermography as an aid to the clinical lameness evaluation. Vet. Clin. N. Am. Equine Pract. 1991;7:311–318.
    doi: 10.1016/S0749-0739(17)30502-3pubmed: 1933566google scholar: lookup
  23. Masko M, Krajewska A, Zdrojkowski L, Domino M, Gajewski Z. An application of temperature mapping of horse’s back for leisure horse-rider-matching. Anim. Sci. J. 2019;90:1396–1406.
    doi: 10.1111/asj.13282pubmed: 31461205google scholar: lookup
  24. Urakov AL, Nikityuk D, Kasatkin A, Lukoyanov I. Infrared plantography as a method to evaluate the functional anatomy of the human foot. Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Quantitative Infrared Thermography; Gdańsk, Poland. 4–8 July 2016.
  25. Clayton HM, Gray S, Kraiser LJ, Bowker RM. Effects of barefoot trimming on hoof morphology. Aust. Vet. J. 2011;89:305–3011.
    doi: 10.1111/j.1751-0813.2011.00806.xpubmed: 24635632google scholar: lookup
  26. Keegan KG, Wilson DA. Comparison of a body-mounted inertial sensor system-based method with subjective evaluation for detection of lameness in horses. Am. J. Vet. Res. 2013;74:17–24.
    doi: 10.2460/ajvr.74.1.17pubmed: 23270341google scholar: lookup
  27. Davidson EJ. Lameness Evaluation of the Athletic Horse. Vet. Clin. N. Am. Equine Pract. 2018;34:181–191.
    doi: 10.1016/j.cveq.2018.04.013pubmed: 30007446google scholar: lookup
  28. Greve L, Dyson S. What can we learn from visual and objective assessment of non-lame and lame horses in straight lines, on the lunge and ridden?. Equine Vet. Educ. 2018;32:479–491.
    doi: 10.1111/eve.13016google scholar: lookup
  29. Xu Z, Wang Q, Li D, Hu M, Yao N, Zhai G. Estimating Departure Time Using Thermal Camera and Heat Traces Tracking Technique. Sensors 2020;20:782.
    doi: 10.3390/s20030782pmc: PMC7038398pubmed: 32023963google scholar: lookup
  30. Hardeman AM, Egenvall A, Braganca FMS, Swagemakers JM, Koene MH, Roepstorff L, van Weeren R, Bystrom A. Visual lameness assessment in comparison to quantitative gait analysis data in horses. Equine Vet. J. 2022;54:1076–1085.
    doi: 10.1111/evj.13545pmc: PMC9786350pubmed: 34913524google scholar: lookup
  31. Clayton H, Nauwelaerts S. Effect of blindfolding of centre of pressure variables in healthy horses during quiet standing. Vet. J. 2013;199:365–369.
    doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2013.12.018pubmed: 24461643google scholar: lookup
  32. Yanmaz LE, Okumus Z, Dogan E. Instrumentation of Thermography and its Applications in Horses. J. Anim. Vet. Adv. 2007;6:858–862.
  33. Waguespack R, Hanson RR. Navicular syndrome in equine patients anatomy, causes, and diagnosis. Compend. Contin. Educ. Vet. 2010;32:E7.
    pubmed: 23705198
  34. Colles CM, Hickman J. The arterial supply of the navicular bone and its variations in navicular disease. Equine Vet. J. 1977;9:150–154.
    doi: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.1977.tb04009.xpubmed: 891518google scholar: lookup
  35. Sievers H, Hiebl B, Hunigen H, Hirschberg RM. Pododermal angioarchitecture in the equine hoof wall: A light and scanning electron microscopic study of the wall proper. Clin. Hemorheol. Microcirc. 2020;74:21–44.
    doi: 10.3233/CH-199233pubmed: 31771048google scholar: lookup
  36. Zaha C, Schuszler L, Dascalu R, Nistor P, Florea T, Kalman I, Rujescu C, Sicoe B, Igna C. Evaluation of thermal changes of the sole surface in horses with Palmar Foot Pain: A pilot Study. Biology 2023;12:423.
    doi: 10.3390/biology12030423pmc: PMC10045226pubmed: 36979115google scholar: lookup
  37. Mitchell CF, Fugler LA, Eades SC. The management of equine acute laminitis. Vet. Med. 2015;6:39–47.
    doi: 10.2147/VMRR.S39967pmc: PMC6067769pubmed: 30101095google scholar: lookup
  38. Kim SM, Cho GJ. Evaluation of Heat Distribution for the Diagnosis of the Hoof with Abscess by Infrared Thermography in Horses. Open Agric. J. 2021;15:48–53.
    doi: 10.2174/1874331502115010048google scholar: lookup
  39. Jones E, Vinuela-Fernandez I, Eager RA, Delaney A, Anderson H, Patel A, Robertson DC, Allchorne A, Sirinathsinghji EC, Milne EM. Neuropathic changes in equine laminitis pain. Pain 2007;132:231–331.
    doi: 10.1016/j.pain.2007.08.035pubmed: 17935886google scholar: lookup
  40. Van Eps AW, Pollitt CC. Digital Hypotermia. In: Belknap JK, Geor RJ, editors. Equine Laminitis. 1st ed. John Wiley & Sons; Chichester, UK: 2017. pp. 306–315.
    doi: 10.1002/9781119169239.ch34google scholar: lookup
  41. Peroni JF, Moore JN, Noschka E, Grafton ME, Aceves-Avila M, Levis SJ, Robertson TP. Predisposition for venoconstriction in the equine laminar dermis: Implications in equine laminitis. J. Appl. Psychol. 2006;103:759–763.
    doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00794.2005pubmed: 16269525google scholar: lookup
  42. Keeegan KG, MacAllister CG, Wilson DA, Gedon CA, Kramer J, Yonezawa Y, Maki H, Pai PF. Comparison of an inertial sensor system with a stationary force plate for evaluation of horses with bilateral forelimb lameness. Am. J. Vet. Res. 2012;73:368–372.
    doi: 10.2460/ajvr.73.3.368pubmed: 22369528google scholar: lookup
  43. Bell RP, Reed SK, Schoonover MJ, Whitfield CT, Yonezawa Y, Maki H, Keegan KG. Associations of force plate and body-mounted inertial sensor measurements for identification of hind limb lameness in horses. Am. J. Vet. Res. 2016;77:337–345.
    doi: 10.2460/ajvr.77.4.337pubmed: 27027831google scholar: lookup
  44. Hobbs SJ, Clayton HM. Sagittal plane ground reaction forces, centre of pressure and centre of mass in trotting horses. Vet. J. 2013;198:14–19.
    doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2013.09.027pubmed: 24138935google scholar: lookup
  45. Ovnicek GD, Page BT, Trotter GW. Natural balance trimming and shoening: Its theory and application. Vet. Clin. N. Am. Equine Pract. 2003;19:353–377.
    doi: 10.1016/S0749-0739(03)00017-8pubmed: 14575164google scholar: lookup
  46. Souza AF, Kunz JR, Laus R, Moreira MA, Muller TR, Fonteque JH. Biometrics of hoof balance in equids. Arq. Bras. Med. Vet. Zootec. 2016;68:825–831.
    doi: 10.1590/1678-4162-8848google scholar: lookup

Citations

This article has been cited 1 times.
  1. Zaha C, Cărpinișan L, Schuszler L, Paula N, Căsălean T, Florea T, Cristina V, Sicoe B, Rujescu C, Dascălu R. Thermographic Scan of the Thoracolumbar Area in Dogs with Acute Intervertebral Disc Extrusion (IVDE): A Retrospective Study. Life (Basel) 2025 Jan 9;15(1).
    doi: 10.3390/life15010068pubmed: 39860008google scholar: lookup
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 99,357 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.