reillyshoe wrote:The funny part is that your observation did NOT hold true for the horse we measured. The CoF did not move appreciably between the walk and the gait. The foot impact went from lateral at the walk to flat at the trot.
Was the force at impact the same at the walk as at the trot? What percentage of the total vertical weight component is absorbed at impact during the walk compared to what % is absorbed at the trot - over different periods of time.
The horse has to absorb the same or more (velocity) total ground force at the trot as it does at the walk, in a shorter period of time with fewer foot prints covering the same distance. Does the limb extend under the horse more at the trot than the walk? If so, then the foot itself may intercept the ground at a different angle because the entire limb is at a different angle.
With all respect to your vector diagrams,
They were pretty much the same as Rooney's.
I think the point is that theories abound in hoof care. Is the force system limited?
It provides information about the intersection of forces in a two dimensional plane at the foot print. Some of that information is helpful in an educational way. Some of it may be confusing because of the two dimensional aspect not accounting for the horizontal components of acceleration/momentum. It may be even more confusing because the horses weight centroid (center of gravity) changes its position relative to the foot print during all phases of loading during movement.
I do think it challenged the attendees to consider the individual variation of a limb, and the differences between their expectations and what the force measuring system observed.
What does the sensor show if you increase the hoof angle with a wedge?
The horse has a say in foot impact and loading, and it is difficult to incorporate this into any vector diagram or model theory of hoofcare.
I did not suggest a theory of hoof care in regards to the diagrams. A vector diagram illustrates a force component in a direction.
According to Pat Reilly, "the sensor only measures pressure."
The diagrams I have posted in the past illustrated the vertical gravity component only in relation to the horse's center of gravity and the foot print at mid stance. My point was to encouraged folks to consider the location of the horse's center of gravity when viewing ground force (pressure) measurements. I've yet to figure out why people are so intimidated by this idea.
No gravity, no pressure.
No pressure, no foot, no horse.