b'STEP BY STEP CHRISTA LEST-LASSERRE, MATheHorse.com/Step-By-StepFooting FactsHow the surfaces we ride on affect our horses soundnessof different force types in various direc-tions and intensities that evolve through-Top show jumper Kent Far- out the milliseconds the hoof is in contact rington, pictured here aboardwith the surface. The hoof and the footing Gazelle, believes that workingare constantly moving and reacting to on different footing types helps prevent injuries. each others forces until the foot becomes airborne again, says Nathalie Crevier- Denoix, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVSMR, of the Equine Biomechanics and Muscu-loskeletal Pathology department of the Ecole Nationale Vtrinaire dAlfort (ENVA), in France. Using a force-measuring shoe on a moving horse, combined with 1,000-frame-per-second video recordings, Crevier-Denoix and her team have ana-lyzed in detail how hooves and surfaces react during the stance phase of a stride (when the foot is in contact with the ground). Their work reveals the multiple forces exerted in many directions, the ARND.NLvibration of the foot, speeds, acceleration and deceleration rates, and every angle I n tedious rush-hour traffic one Octoberminds fresh, alternating the workplaceof every structure within the leg and evening in Paris, American show jump- makes horses stronger and improves thefootjoints, tendons, ligaments, etc.at er and Olympic silver medalist Kenthealth of their ligaments and feet. any precise instant of the stance. With Farrington, dressed in a black suit and tie,Farrington puts this knowledge intowireless technology theyre collecting this spoke with me about footing. Uceko, hepracticewith good results. His horsesdata for each of the four feet during all said in his relaxed Chicago accent, likesUceko and Gazelle, for instance, have re- gaits, in straight lines and while turning big grassy fields. The 2017 Longinesmained sound and competing in five-starand jumping. Fdration Equestre Internationale (FEI)events well into their mid- to late teens. Dynamics vary between disciplines, Worlds Best Jumping Rider, on his wayStill, theres a lot scientists dont knowhorses, gaits, and even feet within the to claim his award at the Hotel de Ville,about footing and its connection to lame- same movement, she says. For example, explained how its important to know yourness and other health issues. Equestrians,they noted a distinct difference in the horse and his footingpreferences.event organizers, barn managers, andfoot-surface interaction between the At home in Wellington, Florida, Far- even researchers dont always agree onleading and trailing forelimbs during rington has two sand arenas, one grasswhich footing is best in which situations,canter and jumping. In jumping the field, and a dirt track. He trains his horsesand why. Whether its hard sand, softtrailing limb lands first and experiences on all four, as well as on trails. The idea,sand, dirt, mud, turf (grass), syntheticthe highest forces, which are vertical. he said, is to encourage good mentalmixes, concrete, or asphalt, each footingThe leading limb lands next and with-health by changing up the environments.has its own variants.stands lower forces, but it comes into the But equally important, he added, is pro- surface progressively and at an oblique moting good musculoskeletal health. The Limb-to-Surface Dynamic angleputting it at greater risk of injury, In his experience, he said, varyingTo understand the effects of footing onespecially if the footing doesnt cushion footing helps prevent injuries, notingequine locomotor systems, its importantthe blow appropriately.hed read recent scientific studies to sup- to visualize what happens when the hoofIs the footing deforming? Crevier-port this. So in addition to keeping theirhits the ground. Think of it as a collisionDenoix asks. If not, the foot is.32May 2020The Horse|TheHorse.com'