Effects of Horseshoes on Dynamic Hoof Angles

In collaboration with faculty at the University of Calgary, researchers from New Bolton Center in Pennsylvania conducted an experiment to measure differences in dorsal-palmar and medial-lateral hoof angles at midstance after applying six different types of shoes and walking the horses over tracks of rubber pavers, turf and sand.

Six horses actively being used in competition without signs of lameness were alternately shod in a randomized cross-over manner with flat; toe-, medial- or lateral-wide; egg bar and wedged egg-bar shoes. An accelerometer was attached to the dorsal hoof wall to measure hoof orientation while standing and at midstance.

On the hard surface, dorsal hoof angles were similar when standing and at a walk’s midstance. All the shoes on both deformable surfaces significantly affected hoof angles at midstance, with all combinations pitching the hoof forward for an increase in hoof angle. All the shod conditions also revealed lateral sinking of the hoof at midstance.

Dorsal hoof angle increased the most on both turf and sand, with egg bars producing a greater hoof wall increase than wedged egg bars. The egg bar also increased lateral sinking of the hoof into the sand surface. As one would expect the medial-wide shoe increased lateral sinking. The lateral-wide shoe produced a slight increase in medial sinking on the sand, but only slightly decreased the lateral sinking seen on the turf with the flat shoe.

 —  Reilly PT et al. EVJ 2023:13990e

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