[RC] The Science of Sport Boots...please READ! - Kripin6904
I read this in a magazine article, and thought I would
share it with you all...hope you enjoy!!
Sport boots are designed to safeguard a horse's
tendons, suspensory ligaments and other lower leg structures. Products
vary, but most of these boots extend from just above the coronary band to just
below the the knee. Virtually all sport boots are structured to absorb
shock, support the suspensory ligament and protect the lower leg from trauma
without interfering with a horse's gait and flexibility.
The earliest research into the function if the sport
boots was commissioned by Professional's Choice, one of the first companies to
manufacture these products. In the late 1980s, a study conducted by
William Crawford, DVM, at the University of Madison-Wisconsin, devised an
experiment to measure the shock-absorbing capacity of the company's Sports
Medicine Boots. He used a device to test the concussion of ground impact
on 6 equine cadaver legs, both with and without the boot. The data showed
that the boots absorbed 20% - 26% of impact energy placed on the
legs.
A 1998 study conducted by Michael Collier, DVM, at the
Equine Sports Medicine Laboratory at Oklahoma State University, produced similar
findings. When Collier tested newer models of Professional's Choice boots
again using equine cadaver legs to measure concussive forces, he also found that
the boots could absorb up to a quarter of the impact
energy.
Both studies suggested that, over time, the
shock-absorbing capacity if the boots increases, possibly due to the fact that,
with repeated use, the boots conform to the shape of the horses
legs.
The most recent research into sport boots focussed on
their effect on fetlock joint angles, a critical concern for jumpers who place
great force on the fetlock joint when leaving the ground and landing. In a
study published last year, researchers at the University of Veterinary
Medicine in Vienna, Austria, measured the maximum extension of the fetlock joint
at the walk and trot in 26 horses, first while they were barelegged and then
when they were wearing 3 types of sport boots and one protective
boot.
The researchers found that the boots reduced the
maximum extension of the fetlock about 1 degree at the walk to 1.5 degrees at
the trot, which suggested that they also reduce tension in the superficial
digital flexor tendon and suspensory ligament. The researchers concluded
that the boots could make a significant difference between a healthy step and a
tendon strain.
Hope everyone learned a little when reading this, let
me know what you think??
Personally I am thinking about trying them out in
Endurance.