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International Jumpers Compete Sans Shoes; Here’s How

The Swedish show jumping team recently won Olympic gold and jumped more clear rounds than any other nation at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but that wasn't their only claim to fame — two of the three team horses did it barefoot.

Most competition horses wear shoes to protect their hooves from wear, provide traction, and prevent issues with the structures within the hoof. However, going without shoes also has its benefits, though horses that have had shoes on for months or years may need time for their hooves to strengthen and grow accustomed to not wearing shoes.

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Dr. Stephen O'Grady of Palm Beach Equine Clinic told Horse Network horse hooves are designed to absorb concussion, accept weight, and dissipate energy. A barefoot hoof has a surface that interacts with the ground to strengthen the overall foot. A shod hoof, on the other hand, bears weight just on its periphery, where the shoe rests on the sole; shoes don't utilize the soft- tissue structures within the hoof.

Though not wearing shoes can improve hoof health, not every horse can go barefoot and be comfortable, O'Grady says. The type of work the horse is asked to do, the surfaces on which he works, and genetics will all play a role in deciding if a horse can stay sound barefoot. The horse's veterinarian and farrier should be consulted before shoes are pulled.

A horse that has had its shoes pulled will need to be acclimated gradually, and have workload tapered to allow for the adjustment. The horse will also have his hooves shaped and not trimmed, so his hooves will look different than those hooves wearing shoes.

Done properly, many horses can transition to going barefoot – even those jumping in the Olympics.

Study: Do Laminitic Horses Move Differently, And If So, How Should We Shoe Them?

German researchers created a study to compare hoof loading patterns of laminitic and sound horses. They used 16 sound horses and ponies as controls, 17 animals that had recently recovered from laminitis and 21 animals that had recovered from laminitis 6 to 12 weeks before.

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

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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.

Cornell Virtual Seminar: Tips For Keeping Your Horse Sound

Dr. Michelle Delco, assistant research professor and equine surgery specialist at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine, will offer advice for horse owners on preventing equine lameness on Tuesday, June 15 from 6 to 7 p.m. EST via Zoom.

A “sound horse” is a term used to refer to the overall health of the animal. A “sound horse” is one with no lameness, illness or injury. Key actions to achieve and sustain equine soundness will be presented during the seminar.

Delco received her degree from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2002. After completing a residency in Equine Surgery at the University of California, Davis, to become a board-certified surgeon, Delco served as an Assistant Professor of Equine Surgery at Kansas State University.

In 2008, she joined a private equine referral practice near Seattle, Washington, where her primary focus was orthopedic surgery and the diagnosis and treatment of complicated sports injuries in equine athletes.

In 2012, Delco returned to Cornell University to pursue her PhD, which she completed in 2016. She is currently an Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences and serves as a large animal surgeon at the Cornell University Hospital for Animals and Cornell Ruffian Equine Specialists in Elmont, New York.

Her research focuses on understanding how joint injury leads to arthritis in horses and humans. Specifically, she is investigating mitochondria, the energy-producing centers of the cell, as a link between cartilage trauma and osteoarthritis. Her group is also interested in understanding the role of mitochondrial function in tissue repair and regenerative medicine. The goal of her research is to develop new treatment strategies to prevent irreversible joint disease and chronic pain in equine and human patients who suffer orthopedic injuries.

Learn more here.

The post Cornell Virtual Seminar: Tips For Keeping Your Horse Sound appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Horses That Struggle With Attention May Be Battling Pain

Horses that ignore their surroundings (including their handlers) may not be cranky or depressed—they may be in pain. Drs. Louise Dodds, Laura Knight, Kate Allen and Joanna Murrell created a study that tested the reactions of 20 horses to novel objects and sounds just before and after they underwent a surgical procedure. They compared the surgical horse's reactions to those of 16 control horses who didn't have surgery.

The research team found that the surgical horses spent significantly less time interacting with a pool noodle and a flipper immediately after surgery than they did before the surgery. There was no difference in interaction times in the control horses when they encountered the objects a second time.

Surgical horses also were less likely to react to the noise of a hair dryer after surgery than before. The response of the control horses did not change from one exposure to the next.

The scientists conclude that pain effect a horse's response and startle times. Exposing the horse to a situation that demands attention may be a useful biomarker of pain, they say.