Research from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) in the United Kingdom has advanced hoof balance from a farrier's art form to a measurement of pressure inside the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint (coffin joint). Someday a horse's ideal balance might be determined by a pressure reading of this type.

Excess intra-articular pressure and/or joint fluid volume of the DIP joint is a common, chronic problem in performance and older horses that can lead to osteoarthritis. Excess joint pressure also might alter blood flow in the hoof capsule and destabilize the joint.

RVC researchers created a protocol to determine the amount of pressure in the DIP joint of "balanced" hooves and what effect imbalance of the hoof would have on the same joint's pressure.

Using cadaver legs and a hydraulic vise, they found that balanced, level hooves had a slightly negative pressure and hypothesized that imbalance would cause an undesired increase in pressure