Results from a recent pilot study suggest that vibrating plates could help increase hoof growth rates when used consistently, but variably. | Photo: Erica Larson/The Horse

If you’re looking for a way to speed your horse’s hoof growth to grow lesions out faster or obtain sufficient hoof horn for trimming and shoeing, you might want to send him some good vibrations. Results from a recent pilot study suggest that vibrating plates could help increase hoof growth rates when used consistently, but variably.

In the study, Bart Halsberghe, VS, Dipl. ABVP (equine practice), Cert. ISELP, of Peninsula Equine Medical Center, in Menlo Park, California, subjected 10 horses to whole body vibration (WBV) for 30 minutes per day, twice a day, five days a week, for 60 days, in addition to their regular exercise routines. He observed a significant increase in hoof growth rates during the first 30 days of treatment; growth rates slowed or plateaued during the second month of treatment.

“I attribute this to adaptation of the body to the stimulus, which was unchanged for the total duration of the 60-day treatment,” he explained