Veterinarians and farriers at Michigan State University collaborated in an experiment designed to evaluate the reliability of the Tekscan pressure mapping system when used under a glue-on shoe for kinetic gait analysis.

Four sound Standardbred trotters were instrumented with the pressure measuring system under a SoundHorse Technologies glue-on shoe with experimental trials repeated in the morning and afternoon to measure force distribution under the hoof at a walk (1.5 m/s) and a trot (4.4 m/s) on arena footing. Comparisons of average force and area were made within and between the measurements.

As expected, forces measured at the trot were higher than those measured at the walk, and they varied significantly between horses. Reliability was excellent (within sessions) to good (between sessions) for force measurements at both the walk and trot. Reliability for area measurements ranged from excellent within sessions to poor between the morning and afternoon sessions. The authors attributed lower measurements and lower reliability in the afternoon sessions to deterioration of the sensors over time, which was evident when they were examined at the end of the day.

The authors concluded this system could be useful for research and clinical evaluations, but measurements should be taken in one session rather than multiple sessions over time.

— Logan AA et al. JEVS 2022;110:103862

Learn More

Gain more insight from Dr. Albert Kane by reading Research Journal in the March 2022 issue of American Farriers Journal.