Hoof slip duration at impact in galloping Thoroughbred ex-racehorses trialling eight shoe-surface combinations.
Authors: Horan, Coburn, Kourdache, Day, Carnall, Brinkley, Harborne, Hammond, Millard, Weller, Pfau
Journal: PloS one
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Hoof slip during galloping in shod ex-racehorses Researchers from the British Racing School used high-speed video analysis (1000 fps) to measure hoof slip duration at impact in 13 retired Thoroughbreds galloping across turf and artificial track surfaces whilst wearing four different shoe types: aluminium, steel, GluShu composite, and barefoot. Slip duration—the critical interval of horizontal hoof displacement immediately following ground contact—ranged from 18–21.5 milliseconds overall, though the leading hindlimb demonstrated notably shorter slip (18.3 ms) compared to other limbs, and slip extended 2.1–3.5 ms longer on turf than on artificial surfaces for the forelimbs and non-leading hindlimb. Aluminium shoes increased slip duration by 3.7 ms in the leading hindlimb relative to barefoot, with slip also inversely correlated to galloping speed in the leading forelimb. These findings underscore that hoof-ground interaction is profoundly limb-specific and surface-dependent, challenging the assumption that shoeing interventions produce uniform biomechanical effects across all four limbs—a distinction particularly important for farriers and veterinarians managing high-performance horses where uneven slip characteristics could contribute to asymmetrical loading patterns and injury risk.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Shoeing choices and track surface have asymmetric effects on different limbs during galloping—barefoot or alternatives to aluminium may reduce slip in the leading hindlimb, but turf naturally provides longer slip on forelimbs which may be desirable for energy dissipation
- •A 2–3.5 ms difference in slip duration between surfaces and shoes may be clinically meaningful for injury risk; farriers and trainers should consider individual limb biomechanics rather than applying one shoeing solution to all limbs
- •Leading and non-leading limbs respond differently to the same interventions, so assessment and management of traction must be tailored by limb function during the gallop, not applied uniformly
Key Findings
- •Mean hoof slip duration was 20.4-21.5 ms on forelimbs and non-leading hindlimb, but only 18.3 ms on leading hindlimb
- •Slip duration was 2.1-3.5 ms longer on turf than artificial track for forelimbs, but 2.5 ms shorter on turf for leading hindlimb
- •Aluminium shoes produced 3.7 ms longer slip duration than barefoot in the leading hindlimb
- •Speed showed significant negative correlation with slip duration in the leading forelimb, and shoe-surface effects on slip are limb-specific