Do Metal
Shoes Amplify Concussion?
Common sense tells us that metal shoes amplify concussion while they disable the healthy hoofs natural ability to absorb concussion.
Would we choose to put metal "tires" on cars, bycycles or other vehicles if we had the choice? If given the choice between rubber or leather soled shoes or walking on metal cleats on hard trail, which do you prefer? If you need cleats, would you choose to leave them on your feet for periods of 6 to 8 weeks?
Of course not.
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YouTube - Seeing is Believing.... |
Highspeed shod touchdown - ouch |
Highspeed video recording barefoot horse trot touchdown |
A barefoot horse trotting on asphalt... see any concussion transmission? |
Highspeed video recording troting barefoot horse touchdown |
Real time Hoofmechanism nonshod Icelandic horse gate toelt |
Highspeed recording fullblood horse training barefoot When watching this, check out the smooth, fluid movement and the lack of resistance in the horses body
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Barefoot horse slow motion loping and trotting on gravel |
Science backs up Common Sense
Below are the results of studies performed at research and teaching institutes that confirms what we should know using common sense.
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Scientist
Luca Bein at the University of
Zurich in 1983 brought to light
interesting findings about shock
absorption in the hoof, comparing
it in unshod and shod (with various
materials) hooves.
According to
his study, a hoof shod with a
normal metal shoe lacks 60-80%
of it natural shock absorption.
He also found that "A
shod foot moving on asphalt
at a walk receives three times
the impact force as an unshod
foot moving on on asphalt at
a trot."
Another study in 19190 by Rudolf
Zierold, working at the institute
of Professor Lungwitz in Dresden,
published the dissertation "About
the Sensitive and Insensitive
Laminae of the corium of the
Horse".
Zierold found that, in outwardly
appearing perfectly healthy,
shod hooves, the sensitive laminae
showed a significant increase
in structural alterations when
compared to that of unshod hooves,
regardless of the age of the
horse.
He furthermore stated that
the implications of structural
alterations in the lamellae
of the corium are serious and
far-reaching, when one considers
that the entire weight of the
horse (and far more, at faster
gaits or jumps) is suspended
by this connection between laminar
corium and laminar horn (ie.the
connective layer between the
coffin bone and hoof capsule).
Any pathological alterations
from the normal, healthy structure
predisposes toward numerous
hoof problems (for example,
coffin bone rotation).
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See
also
www.pubmed.com - search for
In vitro transmission and attenuation
of impact vibrations in the distal
forelimb
That metal shoes increase concussion
/ vibration is not in question,
it is long proven and accepted
- this is a main reason for
the development of all manner
of pads and even rubber shoes
in an attempt to prevent increased
concussion - indeed pads have
been show to offer less concussion,
but do not negate the other
negative effects on the hoof
Risa
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In
vitro transmission and attenuation
of impact vibrations in the distal
forelimb.
Equine Vet J Suppl. 1999 Jul;30:245-8.
PMID: 10659261 [PubMed - indexed
for MEDLINE] |
Willemen
MA, Jacobs MW, Schamhardt
HC. Related Articles, Links
In
vitro transmission and attenuation
of impact vibrations in the
distal forelimb.
Equine Vet J Suppl. 1999 Jul;30:245-8.
PMID: 10659261 [PubMed - indexed
for MEDLINE]
Equine
Biomechanics Research Group,
Utrecht University, The Netherlands.
An in vitro model was developed
and validated in vivo to quantify
the attenuation (dampening)
of impact vibrations, transmitted
through the lower equine forelimb
and to assess the effects of
horseshoeing on this attenuation.
The transsected forelimbs of
13 horses were equipped with
custom-made hollow bone screws
in the 4 distal bones, on each
of which a tri-axial accelerometer
could be mounted. The limbs
were then preloaded while the
impact was simulated by dropping
a weight on the steel plate
on which the hoof was resting.
At the hoof wall, the distal,
middle and proximal phalanx
and at the metacarpal bone,
the shock waves resulting from
this impact were quantified.
To assess the damping effects
of shoeing, measurements were
performed with unshod hooves,
hooves shod with a normal flat
shoe and hooves shod with an
equisoft pad and a silicone
packing between hoof and pad.
The in vitro model was validated
by performing in vivo measurements
using one horse, and subjecting
the limb of this horse to the
same in vitro measurements after
death. Approximately 67% of
the damping of impact vibrations
took place at the interface
between the hoof wall and the
distal phalanx. The attenuation
of impact vibrations at the
distal and proximal interphalangeal
joints was considerably less
(both 6%), while at the metacarpophalangeal
joint 9% of the amplitude of
that at the hoof wall was absorbed,
leaving approximately 13% of
the initial amplitude at the
hoof wall detectable at the
metacarpus. Compared to unshod
hooves the amplitude at the
hoof wall is 15% higher in shod
hooves. No differences could
be observed between shoe types.
At the level of the first phalanx
and metacarpus the difference
between shod and unshod vanished;
it was therefore concluded that,
although shoeing might influence
the amplitude of impact vibrations
at the hoof wall, the effect
of shoeing on the amplitude
at the level of the metacarpophalangeal
joint is minimal.
PMID: 10659261 [PubMed - indexed
for MEDLINE]
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Related articles
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Display&dopt=pubmed_pubmed&from_uid=10659261 |
Equine
Vet J. 1994 Sep;26(5):362-6. Related
Articles, Links
Equine
hoof function investigated by
pressure transducers inside the
hoof and accelerometers mounted
on the first phalanx.
Dyhre-Poulsen P, Smedegaard
HH, Roed J, Korsgaard E.
Department of Medical Physiology,
Panum Institute, University
of Copenhagen, Denmark.
The dampening of hoof impact
was investigated by measuring
the accelerations transmitted
through structures of the hoof
in horses trotting freely on
an asphalt tarmac. The hoof
dampened the vibrations transmitted
to the first phalanx. Shoeing
decreased the viscous dampening
and increased the median power
frequency and the maximal amplitude
of the vibrations transmitted
to the first phalanx. The pressure
inside the digital cushion of
the foreleg was recorded. The
pressure dropped during the
stance phase, indicating expansion
of the hoof. The expansion of
the hoof was not produced by
frog or sole weight bearing
because this would have increased
the intra-digital cushion pressure.
The pressure theory of hoof
function must presumably therefore
be rejected. Shoeing the horses
augmented the intra-digital
cushion pressure drop and probably
impaired the movements of the
hoof wall.
PMID: 7988538 [PubMed - indexed
for MEDLINE] |
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Acta
Anat (Basel). 1993;146(2-3):109-13.
Related Articles, Links
Comparison
of the damping effect of different
shoeing by the measurement of
hoof acceleration.
Benoit P, Barrey E, Regnault
JC, Brochet JL.
ENVA-Laboratoire de physiologie
sportive, Maisons-Alfort, France.
The purpose of this study was
to compare the damping effect
of 16 types of shoeing by measuring
hoof acceleration parameters
on two trotting horses. At impact,
maximal deceleration had extreme
values such as 188 m/s2 (+/-
55) for the most damping combination
(p < 0.01) and 746 m/s2 (+/-
14) for the steel shoe (mean
= 551 m/s2 +/- 125). After the
shock, the hoof was exposed
to a mean vibrating acceleration
at 418 Hz (+/- 84) which was
progressively damped in 37.3
ms (+/- 10.5). According to
these results, the damping ability
of different farriery products
significantly reduces (p <
0.05) shocks and vibrations
at hoof impact in the athletic
horse caused by runs on asphalt
or similar surfaces. In practice,
the use of the most efficient
shoeing should help to reduce
the incidence of the over-used
joint diseases in the athletic
horse caused by runs on hard
surfaces.
PMID: 8470451 [PubMed - indexed
for MEDLINE] |
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