Vet Comp Orthop Traumatol 2017; 30(05): 339-345
DOI: 10.3415/VCOT-17-01-0003
Original Research
Schattauer GmbH

The influence of aluminium, steel and polyurethane shoeing systems and of the unshod hoof on the injury risk of a horse kick

An ex vivo experimental study
Miriam Sprick
1   Equine Department, Vetsuisse-Faculty, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
,
Anton Fürst
1   Equine Department, Vetsuisse-Faculty, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
,
Fabio Baschnagel
2   Mechanical Systems Engineering Laboratory, Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
,
Silvain Michel
2   Mechanical Systems Engineering Laboratory, Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
,
Gabor Piskoty
2   Mechanical Systems Engineering Laboratory, Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
,
Sonja Hartnack
3   Section of Epidemiology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
,
Michelle A. Jackson
1   Equine Department, Vetsuisse-Faculty, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Received: 10 January 2017

Accepted: 09 June 2017

Publication Date:
23 December 2017 (online)

Summary

Objectives: To evaluate the damage inflicted by an unshod hoof and by the various horseshoe materials (steel, aluminium and polyurethane) on the long bones of horses after a simulated kick.

Methods: Sixty-four equine radii and tibiae were evaluated using a drop impact test setup. An impactor with a steel, aluminium, polyurethane, or hoof horn head was dropped onto prepared bones. An impactor velocity of 8 m/s was initially used with all four materials and then testing was repeated with a velocity of 12 m/s with the polyurethane and hoof horn heads. The impact process was analysed using a high-speed camera, and physical parameters, including peak contact force and impact duration, were calculated.

Results: At 8 m/s, the probability of a fracture was 75% for steel and 81% for aluminium, whereas polyurethane and hoof horn did not damage the bones. At 12 m/s, the probability of a fracture was 25% for polyurethane and 12.5% for hoof horn. The peak contact force and impact duration differed significantly between ‘hard materials’ (aluminium and steel) and ‘soft materials’ (polyurethane and hoof horn).

Clinical significance: The observed bone injuries were similar to those seen in analogous experimental studies carried out previously and comparable to clinical fracture cases suggesting that the simulated kick was realistic. The probability of fracture was significantly higher for steel and aluminium than for polyurethane and hoof horn, which suggests that the horseshoe material has a significant influence on the risk of injury for humans or horses kicked by a horse.

Supplementary Material for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.3415/VCOT-17-01-0003

ORCID iD MAJ: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2142-2942

 
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