Foot placement of the equine forelimb: Relationship between foot conformation, foot placement and movement asymmetry

Wilson, Alan M.; Agass, Rachel; Vaux, S; Sherlock, E; Day, Peter; Pfau, Thilo; Weller, R.

doi:10.1111/evj.12378

Cited by 26 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Dorsopalmar and lateromedial foot placement did not vary significantly across the three surfaces at walk or trot so Hypothesis 2 is not supported. ‘Mixed’ dorsopalmar and lateromedial foot‐placement classifications were most common at trot which is in agreement with previous work . However, at walk our results differ from previous work as we reported ‘flat’ as the most common classification whereas others reported ‘mixed’ .…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

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Does ‘hacking’ surface type affect equine forelimb foot placement, movement symmetry or hoof impact deceleration during ridden walk and trot exercise?

Barstow

Bailey

Campbell

et al. 2018

Equine Veterinary Journal

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

“…lateral heel. While it is generally accepted that a well‐balanced foot should land flat, to evenly distribute limb force , previous work suggests that, at trot, lateral foot placement is most common in the forelimbs and that horses show inconsistencies in foot‐placement, which is not influenced by foot confirmation or lameness .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does ‘hacking’ surface type affect equine forelimb foot placement, movement symmetry or hoof impact deceleration during ridden walk and trot exercise?

Barstow

Bailey

Campbell

et al. 2018

Equine Veterinary Journal

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“…Also, our IMU approach demonstrated a better overall accuracy in detecting the hoof‐off moment. We suggest that this can be explained by the fact that the motion capture detection algorithm is more affected by hoof conformation and variation in foot placement 22, since the algorithm depends on how the toe/heel are elevated from the ground and this can be affected by hoof conformation, whereas the IMU measures the actual limb movement resulting from the hoof‐off event. Recent research reported that there was a high degree of variation in foot placement in horses 22, 23 and this is thus more likely to affect our described motion capture algorithm than the IMU method.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Validation of distal limb mounted inertial measurement unit sensors for stride detection in Warmblood horses at walk and trot

Bragança

Bosch

Voskamp³

et al. 2016

Equine Veterinary Journal

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SummaryBackgroundInertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor‐based techniques are becoming more popular in horses as a tool for objective locomotor assessment.ObjectivesTo describe, evaluate and validate a method of stride detection and quantification at walk and trot using distal limb mounted IMU sensors.Study designProspective validation study comparing IMU sensors and motion capture with force plate data.MethodsA total of seven Warmblood horses equipped with metacarpal/metatarsal IMU sensors and reflective markers for motion capture were hand walked and trotted over a force plate. Using four custom built algorithms hoof‐on/hoof‐off timing over the force plate were calculated for each trial from the IMU data. Accuracy of the computed parameters was calculated as the mean difference in milliseconds between the IMU or motion capture generated data and the data from the force plate, precision as the s.d. of these differences and percentage of error with accuracy of the calculated parameter as a percentage of the force plate stance duration.ResultsAccuracy, precision and percentage of error of the best performing IMU algorithm for stance duration at walk were 28.5, 31.6 ms and 3.7% for the forelimbs and −5.5, 20.1 ms and −0.8% for the hindlimbs, respectively. At trot the best performing algorithm achieved accuracy, precision and percentage of error of −27.6/8.8 ms/−8.4% for the forelimbs and 6.3/33.5 ms/9.1% for the hindlimbs.Main limitationsThe described algorithms have not been assessed on different surfaces.ConclusionsInertial measurement unit technology can be used to determine temporal kinematic stride variables at walk and trot justifying its use in gait and performance analysis. However, precision of the method may not be sufficient to detect all possible lameness‐related changes. These data seem promising enough to warrant further research to evaluate whether this approach will be useful for appraising the majority of clinically relevant gait changes encountered in practice.

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“…Guidance in achieving mediolateral balance of the equine foot refers to the trimming of the medial and lateral walls, to ensure that the live sole of the foot is level with the ground [35] and the hoof is in balance with the limb column [27], as opposed to the postulation that balance is attained through the attainment of symmetrical wall lengths [29]. More recent studies have found that subtle asymmetries manifested as a more upright medial wall and a more angled lateral wall are common within the domestic horse population [8,36,37,38,39] and reflect the lateral landing and unrollment pattern of the foot observed in sound horses [17,40]. Our results support the practice of trimming according to the live sole, with a more inclined conformation, without altering the mediolateral balance of the foot, to promote soundness and not change the wall lengths.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does a 4–6 Week Shoeing Interval Promote Optimal Foot Balance in the Working Equine?

Lesniak

Williams

Kuznik

et al. 2017

Animals

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Simple SummaryHoof shape is linked to an increased risk of lameness in the horse and has been shown to adapt to different loading patterns associated with the workload and shoeing interval length. This study investigated how different measurements of the hoof wall and the hoof pastern axis angle changed with work in riding school horses, across a four to six week shoeing/trimming interval. The dorsal hoof wall, and weight bearing and coronary band lengths reduced in size post-shoeing/trimming. This, combined with the increase to the inner and outside hoof wall heights on the digital images despite trimming, suggests that shoeing/trimming increased the vertical orientation of the hoof during the shoeing interval investigated. At the same time, increases in the dorsal hoof wall angle, heel angle, and heel height occurred, promoting a more correct dorsopalmar balance. The changes observed are consistent with the workload of the horses studied. The results suggest that a regular farriery interval of no more than six weeks could prevent excess loading of the structures within the hoof, reducing long term injury risks through cumulative, excessive loading in riding school horses.AbstractVariation in equine hoof conformation between farriery interventions lacks research, despite associations with distal limb injuries. This study aimed to determine linear and angular hoof variations pre- and post-farriery within a four to six week shoeing/trimming interval. Seventeen hoof and distal limb measurements were drawn from lateral and anterior digital photographs from 26 horses pre- and post-farriery. Most lateral view variables changed significantly. Reductions of the dorsal wall, and weight bearing and coronary band lengths resulted in an increased vertical orientation of the hoof. The increased dorsal hoof wall angle, heel angle, and heel height illustrated this further, improving dorsopalmar alignment. Mediolateral measurements of coronary band and weight bearing lengths reduced, whilst medial and lateral wall lengths from the 2D images increased, indicating an increased vertical hoof alignment. Additionally, dorsopalmar balance improved. However, the results demonstrated that a four to six week interval is sufficient for a palmer shift in the centre of pressure, increasing the loading on acutely inclined heels, altering DIP angulation, and increasing the load on susceptible structures (e.g., DDFT). Mediolateral variable asymmetries suit the lateral hoof landing and unrollment pattern of the foot during landing. The results support regular (four to six week) farriery intervals for the optimal prevention of excess loading of palmar limb structures, reducing long-term injury risks through cumulative, excessive loading.

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Foot placement of the equine forelimb: Relationship between foot conformation, foot placement and movement asymmetry

Cited by 26 publications

References 34 publications

Does ‘hacking’ surface type affect equine forelimb foot placement, movement symmetry or hoof impact deceleration during ridden walk and trot exercise?

Does ‘hacking’ surface type affect equine forelimb foot placement, movement symmetry or hoof impact deceleration during ridden walk and trot exercise?

Validation of distal limb mounted inertial measurement unit sensors for stride detection in Warmblood horses at walk and trot

Does a 4–6 Week Shoeing Interval Promote Optimal Foot Balance in the Working Equine?

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