French Researchers Study the Egg Bar Shoe

The fashionable use of the egg-bar shoe on performance may have peaked, but arguments over how and if the shoe helps performance horses or hurts them will go on and on and on.

Professor Jean-Marie Denoix of France has long been a stickler about the use of egg bars depending on if the horse is laid up or competing and, if competing or turned out, what surface the horse is working on.

We now have a new report from the vet school at Alfort in Paris, conducted by Denoix, with Henry Chateau and Christine Degueurce. They took the egg bar out of the hard force-plate track, which is how the shoe was tested by Alan Wilson's Motion and Locomotion Laboratory at the Royal Veterinary College in England. The French group tested it in sand.

Alas, the report does not specify if steel or aluminum was used, and what the thickness and width of the bar was. We will try to obtain that information. It is also not known if they measured both front and hind effects of egg bars. The data published is only on the front feet.

They used four sound horses and found that, compared to normal shoes, the heels really did sink less into the sand with the egg bars and that the horses' heels were raised at mid-stance phase, compared to plain shoes. Maximal flexion of the coffin and pastern joints was increased and extension of the coffin joint at heel-off (aka "breakover") was reduced.

In three-dimensional analysis, the egg bar affected the medial quarter's sinking into the ground.

Based on these findings, Denoix's group felt justified in recommending egg bar shoes for horses working in soft footing who might benefit from these changes in joint angles or who would work better moving more "over" than "into" soft footing.

AAEP Update from Dr. Steve O'Grady

Here's some additional information from Dr. Steve O'Grady, who has been organizing the farrier conference at the upcoming AAEP Convention in San Antonio, Texas. Dr. O'Grady writes:

"The foot topics will kick off on Sunday afternoon December 3, 2006 with 3 X one and one half hour table topics. These are sessions on a given topic with two facilitators where a discussion is generated among the attendes.

"I will facilitate one on barefoot versus shod with Dr Dan Marks. This is a very controversial subject which will no doubt stimulate debate especially with farriers present.

"Two well veterinarians, Kent Carter and Tracy Turner will direct a session on foot lameness which always turns out to be a learning experience.

"Finally, Bill Moyer and well known farrier Rob Sigafoos will man a session on the management of various hoof wall defects. These two practitioners have a world of experience on crack repair.

"I will post highlights of the upcoming convention periodically in the near future. It should be a great experience for all."

--Steve O'Grady

Stranded Dutch Horses Rescue on BBC Site

Here's a link to some great stills and a video clip of the rescue of 100 horses stranded in floodwaters in Holland. I was stranded there myself, albeit in the comfort of the airport, earlier this week.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/6114596.stm

Link to a Great Article!

Everyone in the realm of Hoofcare & Lameness knows Michael Wildenstein, farrier at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine. Mike is a consulting editor here at the magazine and a great friend. He'll be hosting Cornell's highly-regarded farrier conference next weekend at the large animal hospital, which will attract farriers from all over the country.

Cornell posted a nice story and photos about Mike today on their site; here's the link:

http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Nov06/Wildenstein.profile.jg.html

Photo by Jason Koski/University Photo.

New Research: Raising Heels on Front vs. Hind Feet Have Different Effects

This just in: A new research report from the University of Vienna details a thoughtful project that many on the practical side of hoof research have wondered about for a long time.

At the recent International Conference on Equine Exercise Physiology (ICEEP) held in Fontainebleu, France in August 2006, researchers Girtler, Licka, Kicker, and Peham walked around to the back end of the horse to compare their colleagues' research findings from the front end.

They evaluated the horses barefoot, then added a 2 cm and finally a 4 cm wedge to the hind feet and worked the horses at a walk and a trot on a treadmill, with 8 markers per limb and 15 cycles per effort, per horse.

Among their findings: the angle of the coffin joint changed significantly between the walk and the trot; raising the heels increased the angle more at the walk than at the trot. Fetlock extension in the mid-stance phase was reduced when the wedges were added.

They concluded: "Raised heels decrease hind fetlock extension, which is different to the effect of raised heels on the fore fetlock. Additionally, raised heels led to a significant reduction of hock extension during stance phase at walk and trot, supporting the reported positive influence of raised heels in horses with spavin."

Good-bye to Cal Chilton

Hoofcare & Lameness just learned that friendly salesman Cal Chilton has left the employment of Vettec. I have hardly ever been to a farrier event on the east coastt without seeing his friendly face and Cal has been a wonderful friend and help to many exhibitors and event organizers--as well as to farriers interested in Vettec's excellent products.

It just won't be the same without you, Cal. Good luck and stay in touch!