Can Foot Balance Affect Equine Balance

Now that we have spoken about the compromised internal structures of the hoof capsule in my last group of blogs, how do we help the equine maintain its natural hoof capsule balance?

As we now know, the shape of the hoof capsule is governed by the animal's functional centre of mass and projected centre of pressure on the ground.

Let's look at what the industry does when these parameters are imbalanced and see if we can comprehend different strategies to enhance these functional loading issues.

Can we use different trimming and shoeing strategies to help complement the horse's biological system?

 Do we follow nature's formula for sustainable bioengineering, or are we trying to change things to suit our thoughts on how an equine foot should be balanced?

Understanding the biological needs of the individual hoof capsule and the loading aspect of the distal phalanx or pedial bone is so important to our farriering strategies because if we get them wrong, then the hoof capsule will change shape and the new loading stress on the animal's limbs will breakdown the external and internal structure of the hoof capsule and cause loading compensation patterns in the animal's upper body. Here, we are looking at it from a farrier's point of view, but it can and will also affect the bodywork's point of view.

As we are now finding out, any changes in the loading in the animal's limbs and any imbalance will have to be offset or corrected in the distal interphalangeal joint (coffin joint) and transferred through the distal phalanx or pedial bone to the ground beneath their feet.

However, we know that if the orthopaedic balance in the individual limb is incorrect, then the biological and physical structures of the distal phalanx and, therefore, the entire distal interphalangeal joint will be compromised. The result is that the animal has to compensate for that imbalance in its spine, including the muscular and neurological systems. These changes in the descending loading forces or tension in the muscular system will change the biological and physical factors of the gravitational forces on the body, changing the limb's swing phase and breakover timing.

Suppose these forces on the body are to be carried by the distal interphalangeal joint correctly. In that case, the descending orthopaedic stress must pass through the centre of the distal structures, and the distal phalanx should sit with equal pressure or force pushing at its base or circumference of its solar border. If that is not the case, then the animal's biological response would be to counteract these incorrect forces.  

These unconscious responses to imbalance will cause the animal to change its distal loading, which will bring about a change of degree, positive or negative, in the distal phalanx. This will be followed by a difference in the loading characteristics of the distal interphalangeal joint of each limb. The inappropriate orthopaedic loading will then have a flow-on effect in the upper body of the animal and the compensating distal interphalangeal joint, resulting in a reactionary change in the supporting structure of the hoof capsule we are working with.

As we continue with this line of hypothesising in the next group of my blogs, we will cover the effects of the upper body compensating for the dysfunctional loading of the distal Interphalangeal joint and how that must be added into the equation of equine balance: the neurological and bioengineering principles at work in the equine.

How do we help our horses maintain their natural hoof capsule balance?