Assessment of the effect of horseshoes with and without traction adaptations on the gait kinetics of nonlame horses during a trot on a concrete runway.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of horseshoes with and without traction adaptations on the gait kinetics of nonlame horses during a trot on a concrete runway.

ANIMALS: 5 nonlame adult light-breed horses.

PROCEDURES: Kinetic data were obtained for each horse when it was trotted across a force platform within a concrete runway unshod (control) and shod with standard horseshoes; standard horseshoes with high profile-low surface area calks, with low profile-high surface area calks, and coated with a thin layer of tungsten carbide (TLTC); and plastic-steel composite (PSC) horseshoes. Kinetic data were obtained for the control treatment first, then for each of the 5 shoe types, which were applied to each horse in a random order. Kinetic variables were compared among the 6 treatments.

RESULTS: Body weight distribution did not differ among the 6 treatments. Compared with the control, the greatest increase in forelimb peak vertical force was observed when horses were shod with PSC shoes. In the hind limbs, the greatest increase in peak braking force was observed when horses were shod with PSC shoes, followed by the TLTC and low profile-high surface area calked shoes. The PSC shoes yielded the greatest coefficient of friction in both the forelimbs and hind limbs. Stance time was longest when horses were shod with standard shoes.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggested that PSC and TLTC shoes provided the best hoof protection and traction and might be good options for horses that spend a large amount of time traversing paved surfaces.