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Lead Affects Duration Of Hoof-To-Ground Contact On Turns

Research has show that sharp turns increase the risk of ligament-related limb injuries in racehorses and that catastrophic injuries are more likely to occur on a turn than on a track straightaway.

In natural settings, how an animal negotiates curves while moving is important to survival, especially during interactions with a predator where speed alone may not ensure escape. Horses routinely travel in curves and bends while at liberty, racing and in other disciplines. The increased force on front limbs while galloping on a turn is suspected to be associated with increased injury risk.

Drs. Rebecca Parkes, Thilo Pfau, Renate Weller and Thomas Witte created an experiment using seven Thoroughbreds galloping on large radius curves. Each horse was equipped with an inertial measurement unit with GPS on their sacrum, as well as with two hoof-mounted accelerometers and retro-reflective markers on their front legs.

Each horse galloped counterclockwise around the track two to four times; they were filmed at 120 frames per second by 10 cameras. The scientists determined speed and curve from the GPS information and estimated the centripetal acceleration. The accelerometers provided information on stride, swing durations, stance and the percent of the total stride that the hoof is on the ground. The front-leg markers tracked limb angles.

For horses that galloped on the correct lead, the left front leg was on the ground longer on both the straightaway and the curve; for horses that galloped on the right lead, there was no difference in length of time the hoof was on the ground on the straightaway or the curve.

The researchers conclude that the forces at play on a horse's leg when it runs on a curve are complex and that more research is needed. They note that the study doesn't take into account the hind limbs of galloping horses, which mainly propel the horse forward, while the forelimbs apply vertical impulse to the horse's body. They suggest that additional work be done regarding the role of the hind legs, horizontal body bend and the effects of torque on limbs when a horse is running on a curve.

Read the study here.

Study Shows Machines Can Detect Equine Pain From Daily Behavior

Machines may soon play a role in monitoring pain in horses admitted to veterinary clinics. Currently, it can be difficult to find an unbiased, quick way to determine if a horse is in pain. Drs. Nuray Kil, Katrin Ertelt and Ulrike Auer created a study that used an automated video tracker to detect and record daily equine activities. The end goal was to have the tracker create an algorithm that would be able to objectively assess pain and wellbeing of horses in a clinical setting. This ability would remove the guesswork of veterinarians and technicians determining if a horse was in pain.

Pain causes behavior changes in horses; understanding normal and pain-induced behaviors in horses is critical to properly evaluating pain levels. Though horses may work to mask pain in an unfamiliar surrounding like a clinic, even subtle variations become apparent when behavior is thoroughly analyzed.

Though there are multiple pain assessment scales available, they are all scored manually and can be skewed by multiple things, including inexperience and the amount of time spent viewing the horse.

To test their video tracker theory, researchers used 34 horses at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna's teaching hospital. All the horses were housed in box stalls with water and were fed four times a day. The horses were recorded on an action camera and in time-lapse mode. The videos were then processed to look for an automated prediction of three body parts: the tail, nose and withers.

The technology was able to identify the horse's stance with an accuracy and sensitivity of more than 80 percent, meaning that it could more often than not detect when a horse was exhibiting pain behaviors. The research team concluded that this technology will improve the detection of equine pain and provide insight for equine behavioral research.

Read the study here.

Laminitic Horses May Benefit From Hoof Casts And Heel Wedges

New research from shows that elevating a laminitic horse's heel using a wedge and hoof cast can help alleviate some of the pain associated with the condition.

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.