Trot Accelerations of Equine Front and Hind Hooves Shod with Polyurethane Composite Shoes and Steel Shoes on Asphalt.
Authors: Moore Lauren Veneta, Zsoldos Rebeka Roza, Licka Theresia Franziska
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary Polyurethane-composite shoe materials warrant consideration as a means of moderating impact forces during locomotion, particularly for horses experiencing forelimb strain. Moore and colleagues measured hoof accelerations in four horses trotting on asphalt whilst shod with either conventional steel shoes (with studs and toe grabs) or steel shoes overlaid with polyurethane, revealing significantly lower decelerations during the stance phase with polyurethane coverage (median -2.46 g versus -2.77 g). Steel shoes produced markedly greater deceleration forces in front hooves compared to hind hooves (-1.04 g versus 0.12 g at the 70th percentile), suggesting asymmetrical loading patterns that polyurethane shoes appeared to attenuate. Horses demonstrated improved kinematics with polyurethane shoes, adopting longer stride lengths and faster self-selected speeds. These findings indicate that composite shoe materials may help redistribute or dampen the excessive ground reaction forces concentrated in the forelimbs, though practitioners should note the modest sample size and controlled asphalt surface used; extrapolation to varied terrains and individual horses with different conformations or pathologies requires further investigation.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Polyurethane-covered shoes reduce impact deceleration compared to standard steel shoes, potentially decreasing stress on the musculoskeletal system during asphalt work
- •Front hooves experience significantly greater impact forces than hind hooves with steel shoes; polyurethane covering may help mitigate this asymmetry and reduce injury risk to front limbs
- •Consider polyurethane shoe coverings for horses working on hard surfaces like asphalt, particularly those with front limb soundness concerns
Key Findings
- •Polyurethane-covered shoes reduced decelerations during stance phase (median -2.46 g vs -2.77 g with steel shoes)
- •Steel shoes caused significantly greater decelerations in front hooves compared to hind hooves (70th percentile -1.04 g vs 0.12 g)
- •Horses trotted faster with longer strides when wearing polyurethane-covered shoes compared to steel shoes
- •Polyurethane shoes may help reduce overload in the front limbs of horses