Testing of horseshoe concussion pads.

In horse racing, the practice of using concussion pads to minimize impact force has been recommended, but their effectiveness in preventing injury has not been measured. A device was designed to test the effects of viscoelastic concussion pads by applying similar loads exerted by a horse. The forces and creep data collected from the device were analyzed with other previously gathered equine injury data to determine which material can best prevent injuries and if the pads are effective. From these data, we determined that the concussion pads reduced the impact force by up to 27% and were able to relax in time for successive hoof impacts