Pressure Plate Evaluation of Forelimb Toe‐Heel and Medio‐Lateral Hoof Balance on a Hard Versus a Soft Surface in Sound Ponies at the Walk and Trot

Abstract

This publication is a compilation of all Research Abstracts presented at the Ninth International Conference on Equine Exercise Physiology. Unlike previous ICEEP conferences there will not be a conference proceedings of full length manuscripts. These abstracts succinctly summarise a wide array of investigations relevant to the equine athlete, and will be useful to veterinarians and others involved in management of horses used for sport, work and competition. The abstracts encompass the topics of Applied Physiology; Biochemistry, Haematology, Endocrinology, and Thermoregulation; Cardiovascular and Respiratory; Muscle and Bone; Nutrition; Genomics, Proteomics, and Metabolomics; Biomechanics and Locomotion; as well as Physiotherapy, Rehabilitation, and Equitation science.The International Committee of ICEEP publishes these abstracts so that the most recent scientific information is available to a wide audience, including veterinarians, physiotherapists, trainers, owners and riders.The Introduction:The ability to accurately assess equine oxygen consumption (VO2) under field conditions has been limited by the need for unrestricted gas exchange.Methods: Two variations of a mask and an associated electronics control module (ECM) were designed to enable breath-by-breath measurement of airflows with two 8.0 cm diameter pneumotachometers located 7.5 cm in front of each narus and connected to differential pressure transducers mounted on the outside of the mask. The ECM was comprised of electronics for signal filtering to the flow transducers, an oxygen sensing cell, and an analog-to-digital converter all powered by a lithium-ion battery. The battery also powered a pump connected to gas sampling ports between the nares and pneumotachometers. Airflow and oxygen content of inspired and expired gases were recorded through the ECM and electronically transferred to a notebook. VO2 was determined from these recordings by an operator using a customized software analysis program. One mask encased the lower head (E). The other left the jaw free so horse could wear a bit and be ridden (R). Multiple treadmill exercise tests were undertaken by 6 horses to measure VO2max and blood gases. Each mask was worn twice and results compared to those from an open flow-through system (O) by 2-way RMANOVA (P<0.05). Utility of the system was evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficient of 4 independent raters.Results: Blood gases and VO2max (152.0 ± 4.0 (mean ± SEM; O), 147.7 ± 4.3 (E), 150.7 ± 3.3 (R) ml/(kg.min) were not different between masks. VO2 measures were reproducible for each mask. Agreement between the 4 raters was excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.99). Conclusions:Masks capable of measuring VO2 during field exercise were developed, tested and found accurate by multiple users.Ethical Animal Research: Studies performed were approved by the Institution's Animal Care and Use Committee (protocol #3807). Sources of funding: Institutional sources. Competing interests: Washington State University has filed notice of i...

Ground Reaction Forces: The Sine Qua Non of Legged Locomotion

“…It is sometimes called the point of zero moment. On a firm surface, the hoof is peripherally loaded, but on soft, deformable arena footing the entire sole surface of the hoof participates in load-bearing with a more equal force distribution between the toe and heel region and between the medial and the lateral sides especially at impact [33]. Regardless of the pressure distribution pattern, the COP represents the centroid of the forces beneath the hoof.…”

Biomechanische aspecten met betrekking tot hoefbeslag bij paarden

“…Er kan dan ook verondersteld worden dat de technologische vooruitgang uiteindelijk de paardendierenarts en hoefsmid zal kunnen voorzien van objectieve en kwantitatieve meetinstrumenten die routinematig gebruikt kunnen worden om de beweging van het paard en technieken uit de hoefsmederij te beoordelen (Roepstorff, 2012). In dit opzicht biedt bijvoorbeeld een drukplaat met een hoge dichtheid aan sensoren en een hoge meetfrequentie unieke perspectieven om de symmetrie van de belasting van de ledematen te beoordelen, het contactoppervlak van de hoef met de bodem te beoordelen, de drukverdeling onder de hoef te bestuderen en om de teen-hiel en mediolaterale hoefbalans van de verticale kracht te analyseren, zelfs op een zandbodem (Oosterlinck et al, 2010;2011;2012;2014;Oomen et al, 2012). Dit biedt mogelijkheden om subtiele afwijkingen in hoefbalans op te sporen bij paarden met een abnormale hoefconformatie (Oosterlinck et al, 2015).…”

“…Kwantitatieve analyse heeft echter aangetoond dat laterale hiellanding zeer vaak voorkomt (Van Heel et al, 2004;Parks, 2011a). Recent onderzoek gebruikmakend van drukplaatanalyse heeft objectief en dynamisch inzicht verschaft in de teen-hiel-en mediolaterale hoefbalans van normale, gezonde sportpaarden in stap en in draf op een harde bodem en van normale, gezonde pony's in stap en in draf op een zandbodem (Oosterlinck et al, 2013(Oosterlinck et al, , 2014. In tegenstelling tot wat vaak verondersteld wordt, is aangetoond dat de belasting bij normale hoeven die visueel vlak/symmetrisch lijken te landen, niet gelijk verdeeld is en de laterale zijde zwaarder belast wordt (Oosterlinck et al, 2013).…”

Science in brief: Highlights from the biomechanics and physiotherapy abstracts at the International Conference on Equine Exercise Physiology

“…In a longitudinal study of 2‐year‐old Thoroughbred racehorses in training, turf and peat moss training surfaces caused an increase in stride length . Using a pressure mat, vertical force and pressure measurements synonymous with damping decreased on a surface covered with 50 mm of sand/synthetic material, while contact area increased when compared with a surface covered with a rubber mat . A new design of instrumented horseshoe was used to explore surface reaction profiles during gallop on a sand track compared with a grass track .…”