Study into foot balance and lameness wins prize
A study into foot balance — defined as foot conformation, shape and anatomy — won the Royal Agricultural Society of England’s Eqvalan Duo Equine Thesis of the Year, presented at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire on 7 November.
Warwickshire College student Laura Corbin carried out her research on riding school horses and developed her own objective system to evaluate foot balance and its relation to lameness.
“Foot balance is often discussed among owners, but there still seems to be some confusion as to what foot shape is best,” said Laura.
Laura discovered that poor foot shapes, such as long toes, sheared heels or collapsed weak heels, seem to contribute to lameness, but warned further research should be undertaken before a definitive link can be claimed.
“Using the definitions and measurements from an earlier research paper (Turner and Stork, 1988), I measured the feet of 81 horses and created my own scoring system with a point for each foot imbalance they exhibited,” said Laura.
“Although this was only a small sample of horses, and I did not look at other aspects of conformation, the study appeared to show a relationship between foot imbalance and lameness.”
Her thesis will be presented at the National Equine Forum in March and will be available online soon afterwards.
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
Judges Professor Graham Suggett, director of equine development at the British Equestrian Federation, Dr Emma Batson of Merial Animal Health, Mars Horsecare’s Dr Pat Harris, and Alison Bridge (Horse & Rider) chose the winner from five finalists.
Laura is currently studying at the University of Edinburgh before embarking on a PhD.
Nottingham Trent student Charlotte White was runner-up with her dissertation: An investigation on occlusal secondary dentine thickness in horses of different ages.
This article was first published in Horse & Hound (20 November, ’08)
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
A self-confessed newshound, farmer’s daughter and journalist of many years' experience, Charlotte worked on regional papers before joining H&H in 2007. A regular rider, she visited Ireland in 2010 to investigate the fate of Irish horses through the recession, to much acclaim, and reported from the FEI General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro in 2011. She left Horse & Hound in March 2013.