Hoof motion (Full) 2020
Nature originally intended horses to have four toes, then three and over time it has been reduced to one toe. That is evolution.
The horse is an escape animal, i.e. in case of danger it runs away in the opposite direction to the danger, straight ahead and as fast as possible. This is the horse's great strength. In curves and especially in tight radii, things look a bit different. This is where our invention, namely the Eggplate, comes into play.
Eggplate - one step ahead of evolution!
With today's use of horses in the various equestrian sports, it is so that a lot is demanded of the horses and they have to work mainly in curves. Horses must therefore be able to master very tight radii as quickly as possible. My goal is to be able to give the horse the comfort that it feels as good in the curve as if it were running straight ahead. We often find, especially with older horses that have been used a little more in sport and may have a health history, that lameness becomes apparent primarily on the volte and only secondarily when walking straight ahead. With the Eggplate we have developed something that gives the horses the same comfort in curves as when walking straight ahead. The proof is that when we x-ray the horse standing on two legs we see that the joint gaps remain parallel. When we lift one leg, the joint space normally becomes narrow on the outside, but with the Eggplate it remains parallel.
We have created a slow motion video. It shows the horse with old eggplates, without iron, with fullrocker shoeing and finally with new eggplates. We filmed each jump and landing. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Thomas, Valerio, Jeremy and Rachel for their active support. We have also recorded our findings.
X-ray images were also taken for each fitting. Below you will find these with our analyses.
Findings
- Fitting: Eggplate old
- Fitting: without iron
- Fitting: with full rocker
- Fitting: Eggplate new
Slowmotion video
We have made and analysed x-rays of these experiments. These are standard pictures also in sand under tournament conditions. The respective pictures are listed below with the corresponding comments.
X-ray pictures
- Fitting: Eggplate old
- Fitting: without iron
- Fitting: with full rocker
- Fitting: Eggplate new
X-ray image 1 (Eggplate old)
Due to the shoeing, the aluminium plate in the toe area was able to wear off and the horse was able to approach a toe direction or a rolling point there, as he likes it.
The X-ray shows that the position could be maintained, even optimally with the straight lateral toe axis. What also got better is the rolling point.
Altogether the absolutely most comfortable shoe the horse had.
X-ray image 2 (Eggplate old)
The joint gaps are parallel, even better than with the new eggplate. The reason for this is that the Eggplate - because it is made of aluminium and therefore not so strong, but very flexible - wears down in this way and direction, as the horse wants and steers through its natural movement.
X-ray image 3 (Eggplate old)
Here is where the extreme difference can be seen: because the direction of the toe in the toe area of this fitting has worn so much, the toe sinks in even further. It is interesting that the horses like it so much. We have measured the distance of the jump length, resp. jump phase and with the old eggplate the horse jumps the total length of the jump 1.30m further than when unshod.
X-ray image 4 (Eggplate old)
Joint gaps in the soft ground where it becomes a bit tighter on the outer side than on the inner side as with the previous fittings.
X-ray image 1 (without iron)
This X-ray shows us the lateral view with positive palmar angle
and the straight lateral toe axis
X-ray image 2 (without iron)
The Dorsopalmare picture (DP), from front to back, shows in
this situation very nicely the parallel hoof joint clefts and
crown joint clefts.
X-ray image 3 (without iron)
Left Front (LF), x-rayed without iron in the sand and there we see:
- the palmar angle increases
- the toe axis breaks a bit forward
- the reason is because the hoof sinks in the toe area
X-ray image 4 (without iron)
This DP image is used to assess the joint space. In this situation, i.e.
in soft ground, the joint gap on the outer side became a little
narrower because the hoof sank in more on the inner side and
because the resistance from this wooden block was not there.
X-ray image 1 (full rocker)
Same situation regarding the palmar angle, we have a good
roll-off point, just as we want it.
X-ray image 2 (full rocker)
DP, we got the joint gaps nice and parallel
X-ray image 3 (full rocker)
x-rayed in the sand, the toe sinks in a little less than unshod,
makes a little more resistance with the horseshoe which
covers the hoof in the front
X-ray image 4 (full rocker)
Parallelism of the joint gaps is approximately comparable with
full dry travels as without iron
X-ray image 1 (new Eggplate)
X-ray image identical to the upper palmar angles remains the
same, toe axis nice and straight
X-ray image 2 (new Eggplate)
Hoof joint clefts and crown joint clefts nicely parallel, better than
with full rocker shoeing or if without iron, because of the pombing
of this iron, which itself can be compensated.
X-ray image 3 (new Eggplate)
In the sand, the toe sinks in, roughly identical to full rockers.
Slightly less than without iron but similar to full rockers.
X-ray image 4 (new Eggplate)
This DP image shows that the joint gaps behave approximately the
same as with the full rocker shoeing and when the horse has no
iron. On the outer side, it has become a little tight because the
pressure from the horse's leg has been more intense on the inner side.