A preliminary case study of the effect of shoe-wearing on the biomechanics of a horse's foot.

ABSTRACT: Horse racing is a multi-billion-dollar industry that has raised welfare concerns due to injured and euthanized animals. Whilst the cause of musculoskeletal injuries that lead to horse morbidity and mortality is multifactorial, pre-existing pathologies, increased speeds and substrate of the racecourse are likely contributors to foot disease. Horse hooves have the ability to naturally deform during locomotion and dissipate locomotor stresses, yet farriery approaches are utilised to increase performance and protect hooves from wear. Previous studies have assessed the effect of different shoe designs on locomotor performance; however, no biomechanical study has hitherto measured the effect of horseshoes on the stresses of the foot skeleton in vivo. This preliminary study introduces a novel met

SUBMITTER: Panagiotopoulou O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4950542 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature