Kane A J, Stover S M, Gardner I A, Case J T, Johnson B J, O'Brien M J, Read D H, Ardans A A
Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Cell Biology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis 95616, USA.
Am J Vet Res. 1996 Aug;57(8):1141-6.
To develop a standard technique for evaluation of racehorse shoes, to assess homotypic variation (interlimb variation) in shoe characteristics, and to determine whether shoe characteristics varied with age and sex.
Cross-sectional study.
Thoroughbred racehorses (n = 201) that died or were euthanatized at California racetracks between August 1992 and July 1994.
Shoe characteristics were measured on horses examined after death. Percentage of agreement was used to compare shoe characteristics between limbs (homotypic variation). Using chi 2 analysis, shoe characteristics were compared between horses grouped by age and sex.
Toe grabs were present on 90.5% of horses, and rim shoes were present on 15.9% of horses. Heel traction devices were less frequent on front (2.5%) than rear (6%) hooves. Pads were present on 24.9% of horses, with bonded rim pads most common. Special types of shoes were present cn 5% of horses. Percentage of agreement between left and right front hooves and between left and right rear hooves was high (20/25 variables; % agreement > or = 99). In contrast, percentage of agreement between left front and left rear hooves and between right front and right rear hooves was low (2/25 variables; % agreement > or = 99). Presence of a pad was significantly (P < 0.05) associated with age, and several shoe variable (size, presence of a special shoe, overall wear matched) were significantly (P < 0.05) associated with sex.
Except for variables related to special shoes, wear, and weight, 1 shoe for the respective fore- or hind limbs could be used as an indicator for the contralateral shoe worn by Thoroughbred racehorses without substantial loss of information. However, 1 shoe could not be used as an indicator for shoe characteristics of all 4 limbs. Some shoe characteristics are associated with age and sex, and these variables should be considered possible confounders in studies of shoe characteristics.
制定一种评估赛马蹄铁的标准技术，评估蹄铁特征的同型变异（四肢间变异），并确定蹄铁特征是否随年龄和性别而变化。
横断面研究。
1992年8月至1994年7月间在加利福尼亚赛马场死亡或被安乐死的纯种赛马（n = 201）。
在马匹死后检查时测量蹄铁特征。用一致性百分比来比较四肢间的蹄铁特征（同型变异）。使用卡方分析，比较按年龄和性别分组的马匹之间的蹄铁特征。
90.5%的马匹有趾扣，15.9%的马匹有边缘蹄铁。前蹄（2.5%）上的后跟牵引装置比后蹄（6%）上的少。24.9%的马匹有蹄垫，其中粘结边缘蹄垫最为常见。5%的马匹有特殊类型的蹄铁。左右前蹄之间以及左右后蹄之间的一致性百分比很高（20/25个变量；一致性百分比≥99%）。相比之下，左前蹄与左后蹄之间以及右前蹄与右后蹄之间的一致性百分比很低（2/25个变量；一致性百分比≥99%）。蹄垫的存在与年龄显著相关（P < 0.05），几个蹄铁变量（尺寸、特殊蹄铁的存在、整体磨损匹配情况）与性别显著相关（P < 0.05）。
除了与特殊蹄铁、磨损和重量相关的变量外，纯种赛马相应前肢或后肢的一只蹄铁可作为对侧蹄铁的指标，而不会有大量信息丢失。然而，一只蹄铁不能作为所有四肢蹄铁特征的指标。一些蹄铁特征与年龄和性别相关，在蹄铁特征研究中，这些变量应被视为可能的混杂因素。
