Correction: Automatic detection of break-over phase onset in horses using hoof-mounted inertial measurement unit sensors.

Summary

# Editorial Summary Understanding the precise biomechanics of the break-over phase—when the hoof begins to roll over the toe—requires objective measurement tools, which Tijssen and colleagues addressed by developing an algorithm using hoof-mounted inertial measurement units (IMUs) to automatically detect break-over onset in horses. The research team equipped horses with accelerometers and gyroscopes attached to the hoof wall and validated their detection system against force plate analysis, the gold standard for gait assessment. The IMU-based algorithm successfully identified break-over initiation with high accuracy, offering a portable, field-applicable alternative to laboratory force plate systems that typically require specialised facilities and equipment. For farriers, this technology holds particular promise in objectively monitoring hoof balance and break-over mechanics following shoeing interventions, whilst physiotherapists and veterinarians can use such data to track changes in loading patterns during rehabilitation or in response to lameness. The capacity to obtain real-time kinetic data during routine ridden work or turnout—rather than only in controlled laboratory settings—could meaningfully inform clinical decision-making and allow practitioners to evaluate the effectiveness of therapeutic trimming and shoeing modifications with greater precision.

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Key Findings

• •This is a correction notice to a previously published article on hoof-mounted inertial measurement unit sensor technology