Abstract
Objective—To develop an instrument that could be sandwiched between the hoof and shoe of horses and that would reliably measure vertical ground reaction forces and three-dimensional acceleration at the walk, trot, and canter.
Animals—5 clinically sound Thoroughbreds.
Procedures—The recording instrument (weight, 350 g) consisted of 2 metal plates, 2 bolts, 4 load cells, and 3 accelerometers. It was mounted to the hoof with a glue-on shoe and devised to support as much load exerted by a limb as possible. The load cells and accelerometers were wired to a 16-channel transmitter, and transmitted signals were received and amplified with a telemetry receiver.
Results—The recording instrument could measure in real time the 4 components of the ground reaction force or their resultant force along with acceleration in 3 dimensions as horses walked, trotted, or cantered on a treadmill. Patterns of force-time curves recorded for consecutive strides were similar to each other and to those previously reported, using a force plate.
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—The recording instrument developed for use in the present study allowed us to record vertical ground reaction force and acceleration in 3 dimensions in horses at the walk, trot, and canter. (Am J Vet Res 2000;61:979–985)
