Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

On Sep 1, 2005, at 9:40 AM, Linda Cowles wrote:

> Okay, here's the research:
>
> 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 in on asphalt at a  
> trot."

Have you read the actual paper or an abstract?  How big was the  
sample/how many horses participated? What sort of work had they  
participated in prior to the study, and what sort of testing  
methodology did they use?  Were they kept in box stalls or on  
pasture, and in what sort of weather/soil conditions?

> 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).

Structural alterations could be improvements or damage.  Comparing  
this to unshod hooves--on what kind of horses?  Working horses?  Idle  
horses?  Wild horses, in other words, what is the basis for "normal"?

When I asked him the other day, master farrier Henry Heymering says  
he thought there was one study that showed a slight increase in  
concussion from steel shoes... and the most reduction in concussion  
(over barefoot) from steel shoes with leather pads.... no studies  
that he knew of that indicate the slight difference either way is of  
any harm or benefit.

I probably can't reply until Monday, off to Massachusetts for a shoot.

regards,
Lynne

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