The influence of different horseshoes and ground substrates on mid-stance hoof orientation at the walk.
Authors: Reilly, van Eps, Stefanovski, Pfau
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary Reilly *et al.* (2024) investigated how different horseshoe designs and ground surfaces interact to alter hoof orientation during mid-stance at walk, using a triaxial accelerometer mounted on the dorsal hoof wall to track six horses across six shoe types (standard, egg bar, toe-wide, medial-wide, lateral-wide, and three-degree egg bar) on turf, sand, and hard ground. Both horseshoe design and substrate independently affected hoof orientation in the sagittal and transverse planes (p<0.001), with particularly strong interactions between the two factors; deformable substrates (turf and sand) increased sagittal plane angles by approximately 2.6° across all shoes, but egg bar shoes produced substantially greater increases of around 4.4–4.7°. In the transverse plane, all shoes showed a modest tendency for lateral sinking into soft ground, yet this behaviour was exaggerated with medial-wide shoes (2.0° on turf) whilst lateral-wide shoes counteracted it effectively (0.62° on turf, and marginal medial sinking on sand). These findings validate the biomechanical rationale behind therapeutic shoeing modifications, demonstrating that farriers can predictably modulate mid-stance hoof orientation through deliberate shoe and surface selection, though practitioners should note that substrate-specific responses vary considerably—a lateral-wide shoe's corrective effect on transverse plane sinking differs markedly between turf and sand. The study's limitation to walking gait on front hooves and relatively small sample size (n=6) suggests findings warrant cautious extrapolation to other gaits and hindlimbs.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Horseshoe selection directly influences how a horse's hoof orients during the stance phase—egg bar shoes produce notably greater changes in sagittal angle on soft ground, which may be useful therapeutically but requires careful consideration of the intended effect
- •Ground substrate properties matter significantly; deformable surfaces (turf and sand) produce different hoof behaviors than hard ground, so therapeutic shoeing outcomes will vary depending on where the horse works and rehabilitates
- •Medial and lateral-wide shoe extensions have opposite effects on transverse plane hoof orientation—lateral extensions reduce lateral sinking while medial extensions increase it—providing practical options for addressing medio-lateral imbalances during stance
Key Findings
- •Hoof angles were significantly affected by horseshoe type, ground substrate, and their combination (all p<0.001)
- •Sagittal plane angle increased 2.6° on deformable substrates (turf and sand) at mid-stance, with egg bar shoes producing the greatest increase of 4.37° on turf and 4.69° on sand
- •Medial-wide shoes increased lateral hoof sinking on deformable substrates (2.00° on turf; 1.79° on sand), while lateral-wide shoes reduced this sinking
- •Specific horseshoe and substrate combinations alter hoof orientation during mid-stance in walking horses, with potential therapeutic applications