The Application of the Self-Adjusting Palmar Angle Shoe for the Promotion of Sole Growth in Horse Feet

The objective of this case study was to determine if applying a self-adjusting palmar angle shoe (SAPAS) influenced sole thickness in horses as compared to using flat shoes or leaving horses unshod. Eighteen horses were allocated into 3 groups of 6 horses each. The front feet of the horses in 2 groups were shod with either a SAPAS or flat shoe in a 2 x 2 factorial crossover design with 5-wk periods. The third group remained unshod for the study. At the beginning and end of each period, the horses' front feet were radiographed to measure the sole thickness, as determined to be the distance between the sole and the distal tip of the third phalanx, and its change over time. The sole thickness of the horses shod with either shoe increased more than the sole thickness of the unshod horses (P = 0.003). Sole thickness increased when a SAPAS was applied after the flat shoe (P = 0.003), and sole thickness decreased when a flat shoe was applied after a SAPAS (P = 0.003).