{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,1]],"date-time":"2026-10-01T06:00:39Z","timestamp":1790834439315,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":18,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,1]],"date-time":"2026-10-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790812800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Vet. Sci."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Low hoof angles and discrepancies in the dorsal heel are linked to musculoskeletal breakdown, suspensory apparatus failure, and retirement in Thoroughbred racehorses. Evidence-based research on correcting hoof adaptations is limited, which leads to a reliance on therapeutic shoeing.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study aimed to test the hypothesis that morphological changes occur during active unshod training and that trimming immediately affects hoof angles.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Study design<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This is a controlled, quantitative, longitudinal study that uses a convenience sample.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      A total of 36 racehorses were divided into an unshod treatment group (\n                      <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f23) and a control group (\n                      <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f13) that remained shod between hoof-care cycles. Trimming followed a recognised standard. Photogrammetry was used to compare initial, endpoint, pre-, and post-trim lateral and solear images.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Trimming improved the dorsal hoof wall angle (DHWA), heel angle (HA), and the DHWA-HA difference (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.001) and altered solear morphometrics (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.001, treatment;\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.003, control). Quantified longitudinal, pre-trim treatment data at the end of the 90-day study revealed that the DHWA remained stable (51.22\u202f\u00b1\u202f3.28\u00b0 to 51.31\u202f\u00b1\u202f3.03\u00b0), while the HA increased (29.97\u202f\u00b1\u202f8.81\u00b0 to 34.62\u202f\u00b1\u202f7.77\u00b0) (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.005), and the DHWA-HA difference decreased (21.25\u202f\u00b1\u202f6.90\u00b0 to 16.69\u202f\u00b1\u202f6.44\u00b0) (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.001). Control group results were non-significant. A moderate negative correlation between the DHWA and age (\n                      <jats:italic>r<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f\u22120.412,\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.001) indicated that the DHWA decreased as the horses aged.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Main limitations<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The study utilised a convenience cohort of racehorses; a larger control group was preferred.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A 90-day period of unshod training restores hoof morphology, offering non-invasive solutions to mitigate hoof-angle-related injury, early retirement, and financial loss. Increased HA and a decreased DHWA-HA difference suggests that the stimulation of the frog, digital cushion (DC), and neuroreceptors drives hoof remodelling. Farriers are often pressured to manipulate the DHWA through trimming the dorsum, this study provides evidence that heel angle, and palmar hoof function should be prioritised. Immediate post-trim improvements imply that greater deterioration occurred during the hoof-care cycle in the control group, indicating that shorter cycles may be necessary for optimal hoof morphology. The findings show that age-related reduction in the DHWA persists for longer than has previously been reported.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fvets.2026.1863433","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,1]],"date-time":"2026-10-01T05:32:23Z","timestamp":1790832743000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Changes in hoof morphology in racing Thoroughbreds during a period of ninety days unshod"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Gavin R.","family":"Moody","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Gavin Moody Farriers Ltd","place":["Red lodge, Bury St Edmunds, United Kingdom"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Simon J.","family":"Curtis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Independent researcher","place":["Bury St Edmunds, United Kingdom"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"A. J.","family":"Northrop","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, Nottingham Trent University","place":["Southwell, United Kingdom"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jaime H.","family":"Martin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, Nottingham Trent University","place":["Southwell, United Kingdom"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1545","DOI":"10.2460\/ajvr.1998.59.12.1545","article-title":"Hoof size, shape, and balance as possible risk factors for catastrophicmusculoskeletal injury of thoroughbred racehorses","volume":"59","author":"Kane","year":"1998","journal-title":"Am J Vet Res"},{"key":"ref2","first-page":"531","volume-title":"THE HOOF\u2014\u201cHOW-TO\u201d AND SELECTED TOPICS, Proceedings of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP)","author":"Turner","year":"2006"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1017","DOI":"10.3390\/ani9121017","article-title":"Changes in hoof shape during a seven-week period when horses were shod versus barefoot","volume":"9","author":"Malone","year":"2019","journal-title":"Animals"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e450","DOI":"10.1002\/vetr.450","article-title":"Influence of trimming, hoof angle and shoeing on Breakover duration in sound horses examined with hoof-mounted inertial sensors","volume":"189","author":"Hagen","year":"2021","journal-title":"Vet Rec"},{"key":"ref5","volume-title":"The Effect of Loading upon Hoof Wall Growth and hoof Shape in the Thoroughbred Foal","author":"Curtis","year":"2017"},{"key":"ref6","first-page":"443","volume-title":"IN-DEPTH: RACING-RELATED LAMENESS. 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