Use of gyroscopic sensors for objective evaluation of trimming and shoeing to alter time between heel and toe lift-off at end of the stance phase in horses walking and trotting on a treadmill.

The research explains an experiment examining the impact of different shoeing techniques on the movement (roll) of horse hoofs, particularly during the phase when the heel and toe lift-off while walking or trotting on a treadmill. The study observed relatively higher lateral roll in hooves during trotting after the horse’s hoof was given treatment, such as trimming and shoeing with a contoured shoe.

Research Approach

In the study:

• 10 adult horses were selected for the experiment.
• All horses were subjected to three treatments including:
  • Treatment 1: No trim-no shoe – to serve as the control group.
  • Treatment 2: Trim-standard shoe – to see the impact of trimming and standard shoeing.
  • Treatment 3: Trim-contoured shoe – to study the effect of trimming and shoeing with axially contoured shoe.
• A gyroscopic transducer was attached to the right forelimb hoof of each horse, connected to a transmitter to collect data on hoof angular velocity.
• This data was further converted into hoof angles through mathematical integration.
• The duration of breakover (heel and toe lift-off phase) was divided into four parts, and hoof angles were determined in three planes- pitch, roll, and yaw- at the end of each segment.
• Finally, using multivariable ANOVA, researchers compared the results among treatments and gaits.

Research Results

The findings suggested:

• Compared to No Trim-No Shoe and Trim-Standard Shoe treatments, the horses that received trim and contoured shoe exhibited greater average lateral roll by 3.2° and 2.5° during trotting in the first half of the breakover.
• However, this effect diminished during the second half of the breakover.
• When horses walked, the lateral roll during the breakover was not significantly increased by the use of this shoe.

Conclusions

The study concluded that the use of a shoe with an axial-contoured lateral branch successfully induced greater lateral roll during breakover in horses while trotting. However, the change in the hoof’s orientation remained small and limited to the first half of the breakover. The effect of the contoured shoe on the horse’s gait during walking was not found to be significant. This indicates the need for further investigation on the role of such shoeing techniques in different horse’s gaits.