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Influence of Speed, Ground Surface and Shoeing Condition on Hoof Breakover Duration in Galloping Thoroughbred Racehorses

Horan, K; Coburn, J; Kourdache, K; Day, P; Harborne, D; Brinkley, L; Carnall, H; Hammond, L; Peterson, M; Millard, S; Pfau, T

Authors

K Horan

J Coburn

K Kourdache

P Day

D Harborne

L Brinkley

H Carnall

L Hammond

M Peterson

S Millard

T Pfau



Abstract

Simple Summary In the stride cycle of a horse, there is a period of time when the hoof pushes off from the ground surface and rotates through an angle of approximately 90 degrees before it is lifted off. This time period is known as hoof breakover. Using slow-motion video footage, this study measured breakover duration in retired Thoroughbred racehorses galloping at a range of speeds on two surfaces (artificial and turf) in four shoeing conditions (aluminium, barefoot, GluShu and steel). Hooves from different limbs were assessed separately in this asymmetric gait. Increasing speed was correlated with decreasing breakover duration, and this trend was more enhanced in the hindlimbs than in the forelimbs at high gallop speeds. Breakover duration was faster on the artificial surface compared to the turf surface for all limbs, under the ground conditions studied. The first limb to contact the ground surface after the suspension phase (the 'non-leading' hindlimb), was additionally influenced by shoeing condition and an interaction that occurred between shoeing condition and speed. Determining parameters that alter breakover duration will be important for lowering the risk of musculo-skeletal injuries, optimising gait quality and improving performance in galloping racehorses during both training and racing. Understanding the effect of horseshoe-surface combinations on hoof kinematics at gallop is relevant for optimising performance and minimising injury in racehorse-jockey dyads. This intervention study assessed hoof breakover duration in Thoroughbred ex-racehorses from the British Racing School galloping on turf and artificial tracks in four shoeing conditions: aluminium, barefoot, aluminium-rubber composite (GluShu) and steel. Shoe-surface combinations were tested in a randomized order and horse-jockey pairings (n = 14) remained constant. High-speed video cameras (Sony DSC-RX100M5) filmed the hoof-ground interactions at 1000 frames per second. The time taken for a hoof marker wand fixed to the lateral hoof wall to rotate through an angle of 90 degrees during 384 breakover events was quantified using Tracker software. Data were collected for leading and non-leading forelimbs and hindlimbs, at gallop speeds ranging from 23-56 km h(-1). Linear mixed-models assessed whether speed, surface, shoeing condition and any interaction between these parameters (fixed factors) significantly affected breakover duration. Day and horse-jockey pair were included as random factors and speed was included as a covariate. The significance threshold was set at p < 0.05. For all limbs, breakover times decreased as gallop speed increased (p < 0.0005), although a greater relative reduction in breakover duration for hindlimbs was apparent beyond approximately 45 km h(-1). Breakover duration was longer on turf compared to the artificial surface (p

Citation

Horan, K., Coburn, J., Kourdache, K., Day, P., Harborne, D., Brinkley, L., Carnall, H., Hammond, L., Peterson, M., Millard, S., & Pfau, T. (2021). Influence of Speed, Ground Surface and Shoeing Condition on Hoof Breakover Duration in Galloping Thoroughbred Racehorses. Animals, 11(9), https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11092588

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Aug 31, 2021
Publication Date 2021
Deposit Date Dec 15, 2021
Publicly Available Date Dec 15, 2021
Print ISSN 2076-2615
Electronic ISSN 2076-2615
Publisher MDPI
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 11
Issue 9
DOI https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11092588
Keywords racehorse; hoof; breakover; gallop; shoeing condition; surface; speed; DIGITAL FLEXOR TENDON; NAVICULAR BONE; KINEMATICS; PRESSURE; HORSES; INJURY; UNROLLMENT; FORELIMB; KINETICS; BALANCE
Public URL https://rvc-repository.worktribe.com/output/1553265

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