Ronald Aalders wrote:Interesting line if thought but in my opinion not relevant.
I guess that depends on your perspective. Hoof horn integrity and pressure on the heels is highly relevant to me...as I am sure it is to you. Working with lameness sometimes has a way of changing the priorities...and as Tom just stated above, sometimes we rob Peter to pay Paul.
Ronald Aalders wrote:The idea behind the banana is not like the drawing seems to suggest to provide pressure on the toe and heels as such.
I realize that may not be the idea behind the shoe. I am sure the purpose of the shoe has more relevance with the musculoskeletal system, HPA, tendon tension, etc. Again, if the foot surface of the shoe were flat, this would be a non-issue.
Ronald Aalders wrote:True in cases where a full fit of the quarters on the shoe is not possible the weight will be borne by toe and heel,...
The effect at the toe and heel, although diminished when there is full wall contact, is still present. Imagine stuffing a sponge down into a funnel. The ends of the sponge get pushed toward the center of the funnel as the center prolapses down to try to find contact. Even if you cut the sponge to fit the contour of the funnel, as it is pressed into the funnel, the ends are pushed toward the center.
Ronald Aalders wrote:...but I fail to see why this has the effect you suggest. If the trim lowers the heels enough for the COA to be as close to the middle of the ground contact of the foot, the "bending in" effect does not occur. Why would it, or maybe better, why would it be more as compared with a regular shoeing job?
In soft footing, the effect would be diminished as more of the solar surface of the foot accepts load (unless a rigid pad was placed between the shoe and foot). However, the location of the COA is irrelevant to my point...and the effect does indeed occur. If the shoe itself accepts any portion of the weight bearing of that limb, the angle that the heel tubules come into the shoe is lower (than it would be if the foot surface of the shoe was flat), the vector into those tubules also changes (vs. flat foot surface). The lower the angle formed between the heel and the shoe, the more the forces come into those tubules closer to perpendicular...as such, the vector is more "forward" than "up".
Ronald Aalders wrote:I think that a banana offers even less of that "bending in" effect you suggest because the strain of the landing is less, well, I think it must be.
As long as weight is being borne on the shoe, regardless of the exact point of the shoe that is in contact with the ground, the shoe itself will disperse that weight across the bearing surface. If that bearing surface includes heel horn, the direction of force will be more forward on those tubules in the heel than a flat shoe.
Ronald Aalders wrote:(No budget for measurements.....) Because of that "air wedge" as Redden calls it.
In the absence of subjective measurement, I will stick with the laws of vector addition.

However, it would be nice to have Pat nail one up with a force plate sandwiched in there to show the effect.