Memory Foam Orthotic Can Comfort Horses

Ethylene-vinyl acetate — better known as memory foam — is noted for its softness and flexibility. Manufacturers use it for mattresses, pillows and shoe liners to provide comfort and support for human consumers. Lake Elmo, Minn., farrier Scott Lampert uses them for the same reasons with horses by placing a lightweight memory foam pad under a foot.

An experimental study with 22 ponies was conducted to investigate the effects of feeding a diet high in nonstructural carbohydrates (starch) on the laminae of lean ponies compared with obese ponies. The ponies were sorted into lean (body condition ≤4) and obese (body condition ≥7) groups and half of each group was fed either a low starch hay diet or a high starch diet with added sweet feed and plant sugars. After 7 days, laminar tissue samples were collected and analyzed to measure the activity of naturally occurring substances that trigger inflammation (inflammatory mediators) and the expression of genes that control inflammation.