Evaluation of Within- and Between- Session Reliability of the TekscanTM Hoof System With a Glue-on Shoe

Abstract

A current trend in equine research is technology development to minimize the subjective nature of gait analysis. One such technology is the Tekscan Hoof System, which records force and area loaded by the hooves during motion. The objective of this study was to determine the test-retest reliability of the Tekscan Hoof System between two sessions, and the recordings within those sessions. Four mature Standardbred geldings wore Tekscan Hoof System sensors on both front hooves, secured by glue-on shoes (SoundHorse Technologies). Horses were exercised in AM and PM sessions. In each session, horses walked and trotted for three recordings of at least 10 steps. Statistical analysis was performed in SAS 9.4 with fixed effects of gait, horse, leg, and recording nested within session (significance at P ≤ .05). Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC; 3,k) and confidence intervals between AM and PM sessions and recordings were calculated with SPSS. Average force and area were higher in AM sessions than PM sessions (P < .0001). Between AM and PM sessions, ICC for the walk had good reliability (0.96, 95% CI = 0.80 – 0.99) and excellent reliability at the trot (0.98, 95% CI = 0.91–0.99). Within the AM and PM sessions, reliability was excellent at both the walk, and trot (ICCs > 0.96). The Tekscan Hoof System has been found to have excellent reliability within sessions. Caution should be taken when comparing between sessions, as the system is found to have lower force and area output during later sessions due to potential sensor damage.