What’s Inside the Equine Digital Cushion?

The digital cushion, located in the rear of the hoof, protects the foot’s complex bone and soft-tissue structures.
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Your horse’s hooves are complex structures that contain several important bone and soft tissue structures, all protected by the thick, elastic digital cushion. | Photo: iStock
Your horse’s hooves are complex structures that contain several important bone and soft tissue structures, all protected by the thick, elastic digital cushion. Veterinarians know this important piece of anatomy, located above in the rear part of the hoof, absorbs energy and forces placed on the hoof, but there’s much about the digital cushion that remains unclear.

Recently, Babak Faramarzi, DVM, CVA, MSc, PhD, and colleagues conducted a study to gain a better understanding of the digital cushion’s connective, nervous, and adipose (fat) tissues, as well as vascular components. He presented the results at the 2016 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, held Dec. 3-7 in Orlando, Florida.

“Previous studies are inconsistent, with some claiming that digital cushion (DC) is primarily a fat pad,” said Faramarzi, an associate professor at the Western University of Health Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine, in Pomona, California. “Collectively, these studies represent disagreement about the architecture of the DC. Our results showed that the composition/structure is far more complicated.”

He recently collected samples from the hooves of 24 clinically sound Quarter Horses euthanized for reasons unrelated to the study. They examined samples from four regions of the digital cushion—axial-proximal (top center), axial-distal (bottom center), abaxial-lateral (outer edge), and abaxial-medial (inner edge)—via light microscopy

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Written by:

Erica Larson, former news editor for The Horse, holds a degree in journalism with an external specialty in equine science from Michigan State University in East Lansing. A Massachusetts native, she grew up in the saddle and has dabbled in a variety of disciplines including foxhunting, saddle seat, and mounted games. Currently, Erica competes in eventing with her OTTB, Dorado.

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