A Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine researcher has pieced together a new picture of equine foot physiology that suggests vascular systems in horse hooves function in much the same way that air- or gel-filled shoes do.


“Moving liquids are the best way to dissipate energy, “ said Robert Bowker, a professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Anatomy Department. “That is why some of the major running shoe manufacturers market products that contain liquids in their soles.”


Bowker has theorized a “hemodynamic flow” process in which he proposes that much of the blood in horse feet fulfills purposes other than providing nutrients to hoof tissues.


“It dissipates energy within feet that is created during the act of galloping, trotting or walking,” he said

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