In vitro mechanical properties of different equine hoof wall crack fixation techniques

Hoof wall cracks need mechanical stabilisation to allow healing. Common tec hniques are fixation with screws, wires and plates or bonding of a patch ac ross the crack. An in vitro system to determine the shear properties of equ ine hoof crack repairs is described. The force and displacement at yield, s tiffness and ultimate force were determined for 4 repair techniques based o n an acrylic material, polyurethane patch attached with cyanoacrylate adhes ive, steel plate attached with screws and a transverse metal bar cut into t he hoof wall. The cyanoacrylate bonded patch repair had lower values for al l parameters measured (n = 8, P<0.05) and the other 3 repairs had similar m echanical properties, This study demonstrates that acrylic adhesive repairs can resist similar shear forces to traditional screw plate repairs without risk of penetrating into the sensitive structures of the foot. The transve rse bar mounted across the crack had similar resistance to shear as the muc h larger screw plate and plain bonding repair techniques. This novel techni que may be a useful adjunct to other repair methods.