Dr. Marta Mieszkowska and a team of researchers used thermography to measure distal limb temperatures on 16 Warmbloods that had been diagnosed with navicular bone changes or deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) injuries. The horses were divided into two groups: the navicular horses were shod with egg-bar shoes and the DDFT horses were shod with wedge pads.

The egg-bar shoes shifted the horse's weight to the rear of the foot and increased the sole surface. The team noted that the shoes may compress blood vessels and adversely affect soft tissues.

The study showed that since w edge pads force the horse's coffin joint into a more-flexed position, they could increase pressure on an artery while reducing the load on the DDFT.

The research team determined that egg-bar shoes decreased the median temperature of the heel portion of the hoof. Wedge pads decreased the median minimal temperature in the heel and toe of the hoof.

The authors concluded that horseshoes may have a negative impact on blood circulation in the hoof, and noted that different types of shoes may result in different temperature differences.

Read more at EquiManagement.

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The scientists placed an instrumented boot on the horses and had them walk across a level, concrete surface with a pressure sensor.

The sound horses bore the most weight (peak loading) at the toe during mid-stance; the laminitis horses showed peak loading at breakover, when the hoof goes from full loading to leaving the ground. Interestingly, the laminitic group did not show an increase in loading in the heel region; the middle hoof bore most of the weight in loading.

The study team concluded that laminitic horses should be shod with support focused on the middle of the hoof, frog and heel. They should also be shod with the intent to ease breakover, which should reduce loading of the damaged lamellae in the toe.

Read more at American Farriers Journal.

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The breakover phase of a horse's stride is the most painful for laminitis horses. This is when all of his weight rests on his toe as he steps forward, putting intense pressure on already-sensitive structures. A study has found that elevating a horse's heels with a wedge can shorten the breakover period, protecting damaged tissues and helping to alleviate some of the horse's pain.

The study used eight acutely laminitic horses to compare the breakover of hooves and those with a heel wedge. The horses were walked on a poured concrete surface both barefoot and with the wedge applied. The scientists found that the heel wedge shortened breakover and reduced the load on the horse's toe. Elevating the heel placed 81 percent of the load on the bottom half of the hoof, near the heel, relieving pain and mitigating lamellar damage.

The researchers recommend using heel wedges for no more than two to three weeks at a time to avoid collapsing the horse's heels and contracting his hooves.

Read more at EquiManagement.

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The breakover phase of a horse's stride is the most painful part for horses suffering from acute laminitis. This is when the heaviest load is placed on the toe and middle region of the hoof. The goal of the new therapy was to try to shift the load from the most-painful area of the hoof onto undamaged areas.

Drs. Al Naem, Lutz-Ferdinand Litzke, Klaus Failing, Johanna Hoffmann, Michael Röcken and Florian Geburek medically treated eight horses with acute laminitis and also applied a hoof cast with a heel wedge.

Measurements were taken with the cast in place and when the cast was removed, when the horse was barefoot. The hoof print was divided into toe, middle hoof and heel region,  and measurements were taken that included vertical force, stance duration, contact area while standing, duration of breakover, vertical force on the toe during breakover, and location of the center of force.

The scientists determined that both the vertical force and contact area were higher in the heel region when the horse was wearing both the wedge and the cast, but that decreased once each was removed. The breakover phase lasted just 2 percent of the stance phase when the horse had the cast and wedge in place; it was 6 percent of the stance phase when the horse was barefoot.

The team concluded that heel elevation significantly shortened the breakover phase and decreased the vertical force in the toe region. They suggest that the application of a wedge and a cast to the affected hooves of a horse with laminitis will decreases the stress on the lamellae and reduce pain. The researchers did note that long-term application of a wedge and cast may result in crushed heels, cracks or misplaced bulbs, so they suggest that these tools be limited to two to three weeks of use.

Read the full article here.

Read more at HorseTalk.

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Barefoot hooves are flexible; they move with each step and have an elastic rebound as the horse moves off each hoof. This motion absorbs concussion and improves blood flow in limbs. Wearing shoes, however, restricts heel movement, limiting concussion absorption and blood flow.

All 16 forelimbs were tested. The hooves were either left barefoot, fitted with a conventional shoe or fitted with a split-toe shoe. The conventional shoe was a standard steel shoe with a toe clip. The split-toe shoe is a new shoe designed to enable heel expansion. The shoe has a toe clip and side clips between the second and third nail hole on each side. Once in place, the shoe is sawn through at the toe so the two halves of the shoe move independently of each other.

Typically, barefoot hooves expand during impact and midstance; heels contract during breakover. Heel expansion is greater at the trot and canter than at the walk, but heel contraction is consistent in all gaits.

The researchers found that conventional shoes restrict heel expansion by 36 percent compared to barefoot hooves. The team found no significant difference in heel expansion between hooves wearing split-toe shoes and barefoot hooves. They also noted that though shoes protect the hoof from excessive wear and can increase traction, that they can increase shock impact and weight on the distal limb. They conclude that the split-toe shoe provides advantages of both barefoot and shod hooves.

Read more at EquiManagement.

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