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Topic:Biomechanics
Biomechanics in horses refers to the study of the mechanical principles that govern movement and physical function in equine species. This field encompasses the analysis of gait, locomotion, and the forces exerted by and upon the horse's musculoskeletal system. Biomechanical studies often involve the use of motion capture technology, force plates, and computer modeling to assess how horses move and how various factors, such as conformation, training, and health status, influence their performance and soundness. Research in equine biomechanics contributes to understanding injury prevention, rehabilitation, and performance optimization. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the mechanics of movement, the impact of external and internal forces, and the applications of biomechanical analysis in equine care and management.
Kinetic Analysis in Horses With Deep Digital Flexor Tendinopathy Within the Digit Diagnosed by Magnetic Resonance Imaging. To determine the stance duration and ground reaction forces (GRF) of horses with deep digital flexor (DDF) tendinopathy at the level of the foot and compare the stance duration and GRF to those of clinically sound horses. Unassigned: Prospective clinical study. Unassigned: Sixteen horses (seven horses with bilateral forelimb lameness, four horses with unilateral forelimb lameness, and five horses with no lameness). Unassigned: Analyses of kinetic variables were performed on both forelimbs from sound horses and horses diagnosed with chronic DDF tendinopathy. Stance duration and longitudinal and...
Design of an electrospun tubular construct combining a mechanical and biological approach to improve tendon repair. Hand tendon injuries represent a major clinical problem and might dramatically diminish a patient's life quality. In this study, a targeted solution for flexor tendon repair was developed by combining a mechanical and biological approach. To this end, a novel acrylate-endcapped urethane-based polymer (AUP) was synthesized and its physico-chemical properties were characterized. Next, tubular repair constructs were developed using electrospinning of the AUP material with incorporated naproxen and hyaluronic acid (i.e. anti-inflammatory and anti-adhesion compounds, respectively), and with a tubul...
Determining Objective Parameters to Assess Gait Quality in Franches-Montagnes Horses for Ground Coverage and Over-Tracking – Part 1: At Walk. Ground coverage and over-tracking are two gait quality traits describing the forward movement of the front respectively the hind limbs in relation to stride length and over-tracking distance. To investigate the complex interplay of different movement patterns in ground coverage and over-tracking, limb and body kinematics of 24 Franches-Montagnes (FM) stallions were measured with 3D optical motion capture (OMC) on a treadmill during an incremental speed test at the walk (1.4-2.0 m/s). The significance and amount of explained variance of kinematic parameters on stride length and over-tracking di...
Effect of Water Depth on Limb and Back Kinematics in Horses Walking on a Water Treadmill. Water treadmill (WT) exercise is frequently used for training/rehabilitation of horses. There is limited study into the effect of water depth on limb/back kinematics warranting investigation. The objective was to determine the effect of walking in different water depths, at the same speed, on limb/back kinematics measured simultaneously in a group of horses. Six horses (age:15 ± 6.5 years) completed a standardized WT exercise session (19 minutes duration; speed:1.6 m/s; water depths: 0.0/7.5/21.0/32.0/47.0 cm). Ten waterproof light-emitting-diode tea-light-markers and reflective-spheres were ...
Electromyography of the Multifidus Muscle in Horses Trotting During Therapeutic Exercises. Thoracolumbar pain has been identified in both human and equine patients. Rehabilitation and conditioning programs have focused specifically on improving trunk and abdominal muscle function (1-5). Equine exercise programs routinely incorporate ground poles and training devices for the similar goals of increasing spinal and core stability and strength (6-8). The multifidus muscle has been an area of focus due to atrophy associated with disease (9). To date, there have been no reports on the activity of the multifidus muscle in horses in relation to therapeutic exercises. Our objectives were to ...
Standing horse posture: a longer stance is more stable. Horses stand for most of each day. Although they can use various leg configurations (postures), they usually stand with vertical legs. Why? We addressed this question with a 2D quasi-static model having three rigid parts: a trunk, massless fore-limbs and massless rear limbs, with hinges at the shoulders, hips, and hooves. The postural parameter we varied was ℓg, the distance between the hooves. For a given ℓg, statics finds an equilibrium configuration which, with no muscle stabilization (i.e. using minimal effort) is unstable. We assume a horse uses that configuration. To measure the neur...
Effect of Ground and Raised Poles on Kinematics of the Walk. Walking over poles is a commonly employed training and rehabilitation tool and it is crucial to understand its effect on equine locomotion, particularly joint range of motion (ROM). The study aimed to compare the effect of ground poles (GP) and raised poles (RP) on limb kinematics and poll, wither and pelvic ROM at walk. It was hypothesized that walking over poles would increase joint ROM but have no effect on poll, wither and pelvic ROM compared to no poles (NP). Forty-one horses were walked in-hand over NP, GP (10 cm) and RP (26 cm) in a crossover design. Limb kinematics were determine...
Trapezius Motor Evoked Potentials From Transcranial Electrical Stimulation and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation: Reference Data, Characteristic Differences and Intradural Motor Velocities in Horses. So far, only transcranial motor evoked potentials (MEP) of the extensor carpi radialis and tibialis cranialis have been documented for diagnostic evaluation in horses. These allow for differentiating whether lesions are located in either the thoraco-lumbar region or in the cervical myelum and/or brain. Transcranial trapezius MEPs further enable to distinguish between spinal and supraspinal located lesions. No normative data are available. It is unclear whether transcranial electrical stimulation (TES) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) are interchangeable modalities. Unassigned: To pr...
Polyacrylamide hydrogel lubricates cartilage after biochemical degradation and mechanical injury. Intra-articular injections of hyaluronic acid have been a mainstay of osteoarthritis treatment for decades. However, controversy surrounds the mechanism of action and efficacy of this therapy. As such, there has been recent interest in developing synthetic lubricants that lubricate cartilage. Recently, a synthetic 4 wt% polyacrylamide (pAAm) hydrogel was shown to effectively decrease lameness in horses. However, its mechanism of action and ability to lubricate cartilage is unknown. The goal of this study was to characterize the lubricating ability of this hydrogel and determine its efficacy ...
Effect of single and double hemitenotomy on equine deep digital flexor tendon length and strength in experimental load challenges. To evaluate a double hemitenotomy (DHT) technique as an alternative to complete deep digital flexor (DDFT) tenotomy. Methods: Experimental ex vivo study. Methods: Isolated DDFTs (n = 30) and cadaveric forelimbs (n = 16). Methods: In part 1, 15 isolated DDFT pairs were used. Two hemitenotomies were created in 1 DDFT while the other served as reference. Monotonic tensile load was applied. Tendon lengthening, load reduction, and load at failure were recorded. In part 2, 16 cadaveric forelimb pairs were subjected to DHT followed by complete tenotomy (CT) under monotonic compressive load. Diffe...
TRPV4 activation enhances compressive properties and glycosaminoglycan deposition of equine neocartilage sheets. To evaluate the effect of Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) cation channel modulation on mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC)-derived neocartilage. Unassigned: RT-PCR was performed to evaluate mRNA levels of chondrogenic, hypertrophic and candidate mechanoresponsive genes in equine neocartilage sheets exposed to pulses of the TRPV4 agonist (GSK101) at different concentrations (N = 10). Biochemical assays and mechanical tests (double indentation and unconfined compression) evaluated neocartilage properties (N = 5). Unassigned: GSK101 treatment (1 nM) increased leve...
Laterality in Horse Training: Psychological and Physical Balance and Coordination and Strength Rather Than Straightness. For centuries, a goal of training in many equestrian disciplines has been to straighten the horse, which is considered a key element in achieving its responsiveness and suppleness. However, laterality is a naturally occurring phenomenon in horses and encompasses body asymmetry, motor laterality and sensory laterality. Furthermore, forcibly counterbalancing motor laterality has been considered a cause of psychological imbalance in humans. Perhaps asymmetry and laterality should rather be accepted, with a focus on training psychological and physical balance, coordination and equal strength on bo...
Modelling fore- and hindlimb peak vertical force differences in trotting horses using upper body kinematic asymmetry variables. Differences in peak vertical ground reaction forces (dFz) between contralateral forelimbs and hindlimbs are considered the gold standard for quantifying weight-bearing lameness. However, measuring kinematics for the same purpose is more common and practical. Vertical movement asymmetries (VMA) of the horse's upper body have previously been correlated to fore- and hindlimb lameness. But the combined response of head, withers and pelvis VMA to fore- and hindlimb dFz has not yet been thoroughly investigated. Deriving the kinetic responses from kinematics would help the interpretation and understa...
Does Carrying a Rider Change Motor and Sensory Laterality in Horses? Laterality in horses has been studied in recent decades. Although most horses are kept for riding purposes, there has been almost no research on how laterality may be affected by carrying a rider. In this study, 23 horses were tested for lateral preferences, both with and without a rider, in three different experiments. The rider gave minimal aids and rode on a long rein to allow the horse free choice. Firstly, motor laterality was assessed by observing forelimb preference when stepping over a pole. Secondly, sensory laterality was assessed by observing perceptual side preferences when the hor...
A comparative study of different tissue materials for bioprosthetic aortic valves using experimental assays and finite element analysis. Extracting the mechanical behaviors of bioprosthetic aortic valve leaflets is necessary for the appropriate design and manufacture of the prosthetic valves. The goal of this study was to opt a proper tissue for the valve leaflets by comparing the mechanical properties of the equine, porcine, and donkey pericardia with those of the bovine pericardium and human aortic valve leaflets. Methods: After tissue fixation in glutaraldehyde, the mechanical behaviors of the pericardial tissues were experimentally evaluated through computational methods. The relaxation tests were performed along the tissue...
AK-2011 strain for the development of a vaccine against equine rhinopneumonitis. Equine rhinopneumonitis is an acute, highly contagious disease found virtually worldwide. The purpose of the studies presented in this paper is to develop a technology for the manufacture of a cell-derived equine rhinopneumonitis vaccine, as well as to assess the safety and immunogenicity of the newly developed vaccine in laboratory animals model. The object of the studies was the AK-2011 strain isolated from the horses suffering from rhinopneumonitis during an outbreak of abortions. The viability of the AK-2011 strain was assessed using a continuous line of calf trachea cells, a continuous li...
Three-Dimensional Modeling and In Silico Kinematic Evaluation of Interspinous Ligament Desmotomy in Horses. Interspinous ligament desmotomy (ISLD) has been shown to improve the comfort of horses diagnosed with overriding dorsal spinous processes (DSP), but its effects on spine mobility are unknown. To objectively quantify the change in mobility of thoracic vertebrae following ISLD using CT and medical modeling software. Prospective cadaveric manipulation of seven equine thoracolumbar spines collected from T11-L1. Spines were collected from T11-L1 with the musculature intact. Flexion and extension phases were achieved with a ratchet device calibrated to 2000N. Bone volume CT scans were performed ...
Gait quality scoring data of Franches-Montagnes stallions at walk and trot on a treadmill by experts of the breed and their reliability. This article presents the data obtained from the scoring of 24 stallions of the Franches-Montagnes (FM) horse breed by six experts of this breed. The experts scored six traits at walk and eight at trot from the video recordings of these stallions walking and trotting on a treadmill during an incremental speed test. The scores were given on a scale of one to nine. All experts scored the same videos twice (two scoring tests) with a time interval of two years, and without feedback from the first scoring. Video sequences were presented in a different order between first and second scoring. The int...
Comparison of Heel Movement Between two Different Glue-on Type Shoes and Nailed Shoes in Thoroughbreds. Gluing an aluminum shoe onto equine hooves has been known to restrict heel movement and might cause interference with shock absorption and blood flow to the hoof. To investigate the effects of new glue-on type shoes on heel movement, 2 experiments that compared forelimb heel movement between conventional nailed shoes and flexible polyurethane glue-on shoes or Hanton-type shoes, which had 2 side clips for adhesive, were conducted on separate days. A displacement sensor was fixed on the heel to measure the forelimb's mediolateral heel movement. Exercise consisted of walking at 1.7 m/s, trotting ...
A Preliminary Study on the Use of HD-sEMG for the Functional Imaging of Equine Superficial Muscle Activation during Dynamic Mobilization Exercises. Superficial skeletal muscle activation is associated with an electric activity. Bidimensional High-Density Surface Electromyography (HD-sEMG) is a non-invasive technique that uses a grid of equally spaced electrodes applied on the skin surface to detect and portray superficial skeletal muscle activation. The goal of the study was to evaluate the feasibility of HD-sEMG to detect electrical activation of skeletal muscle and its application during rehabilitation exercises in horses. To fulfil this aim, activation of the superficial descending pectoral and external abdominal oblique core muscles w...
Influence of screw head diameter on ex vivo fixation of equine lateral condylar fractures with 5.5 mm cortical screws. To determine the influence of screw head diameter on equine condylar fracture fixation with 5.5 mm cortical screws. Methods: Ex vivo, biomechanical study, blinded, matched-pair design. Methods: Fifteen pairs of equine third metacarpal (MC3) bones. Methods: Lateral condylar fractures were simulated by parasagittal osteotomies and repaired pairwise by 2 × 5.5 mm cortical screws of 8 mm (standard) or 10 mm (modified) head diameter. Interfragmentary compression at maximum screw insertion torque was measured. The instrumented specimens were pairwise stratified for biomechanical testing u...
Evaluating the Effect of Routine Hoof Trimming on Fore and Hind Hooves Impact Phase Kinetics. Imbalances and altered kinetics of the hoof result in lameness in horses. Previously, studies have focused on the midstance phase of a gait, hence, available information on the impact phase is scarce. This study aimed to investigate the effect of hoof trimming on the fore and hindhooves at the impact phase of the walk. Our objective was to compare the kinetic variables of force (N), contact area (cm), contact pressure (kPa), and peak contact pressure (kPa) before and after hoof trimming. Nine Arabian horses were walked straight over a pressure plate to collect the above kinetic variables for b...
The Effectiveness of Equine Therapy Intervention on Activities of Daily Living, Quality of Life, Mood, Balance and Gait in Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of equine therapy (ET) to detect changes in the activities of daily living, quality of life, mood, balance, and gait in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods: In the study, 17 participants with PD were recruited to participate in 10 sessions of ET. The inclusion criteria of the study were: second and third stages of the Hoehn and Yahr scale, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) greater than or equal to 24 points, and age up to 85 years. The outcome measures administered at the beginning and the end of treatment relied on mea...
Linear Discriminant Analysis for Investigating Differences in Upper Body Movement Symmetry in Horses before/after Diagnostic Analgesia in Relation to Expert Judgement. Diagnostic analgesia and lunging are parts of the equine lameness examination, aiding veterinarians in localizing the anatomical region(s) causing pain-related movement deficits. Expectation bias of visual assessment and complex movement asymmetry changes in lame horses on the lunge highlight the need to investigate data-driven approaches for optimally integrating quantitative gait data into veterinary decision-making to remove bias. A retrospective analysis was conducted with inertial sensor movement symmetry data before/after diagnostic analgesia relative to subjective judgement of efficacy ...
Still beyond a chance: Distribution of faults in elite show-jumping horses. This study aimed to identify factors that can influence show-jumping performance during top level competitions in the Western European League (2017/2018, CSI5*). The performance data of 144 riders and 222 horses were obtained from video records (FEI TV/ website). Riders with horses achieved a total of 9114 jumping-efforts over 320 obstacles including oxers (n = 142), oxers with water (n = 15), triple bars (n = 6), verticals (n = 136), verticals with water (n = 14) and walls (n = 7). Obstacles in the first round (FR) or in jump off (JO) were standing either as single (n = 6290) or as a combinat...
Multibody Computer Model of the Entire Equine Forelimb Simulates Forces Causing Catastrophic Fractures of the Carpus during a Traditional Race. A catastrophic fracture of the radial carpal bone experienced by a racehorse during a Palio race was analyzed. Computational modelling of the carpal joint at the point of failure informed by live data was generated using a multibody code for dynamics simulation. The circuit design in a turn, the speed of the animal and the surface characteristics were considered in the model. A macroscopic examination of the cartilage, micro-CT and histology were performed on the radio-carpal joint of the limb that sustained the fracture. The model predicted the points of contact forces generated at the level ...
Preliminary Study on the Connection Between the Mineral Profile of Horse Hooves and Tensile Strength Based on Body Weight, Sex, Age, Sampling Location, and Riding Disciplines. Hoof mineral profile is important as it could affect locomotion. Factors such as body weight, sex, age, and riding disciplines affect hoof mineral profile. In Mexico and globally, studies are needed on the characterization of mineral profile of hooves and tensile strength, as this could help to prevent overgrowth or microfractures. Therefore, in the present survey, 165 samples of equine hoof cuttings from different sex, ages, breeds, and riding disciplines from different regions of Mexico were analyzed for their mineral composition, and a universal testing machine was used to measure tensile s...
A Scoping Review of Equine Biomechanics Revisited. As techniques for equine biomechanical research have become more accessible and affordable, the literature published in this area has exploded. Literature reviews have become more popular of late and, more specifically, several literature reviews in areas related to equine biomechanics have been published. A scoping review is a relatively new approach, where a general aim is to map the body of literature on a topic area, accounting for criteria for inclusion and exclusion. However, problems can arise both in performing the review and in critiquing the findings. In this manuscript, the authors ...
Center of Mass Offset Enhances the Selection of Transverse Gallop in High-Speed Running by Horses: A Modeling Study. Horses use the transverse gallop in high-speed running. However, different animals use different gaits, and the gait preference of horses remains largely unclear. Horses have fore-aft asymmetry in their body structure and their center of mass (CoM) is anteriorly located far from the center of the body. Since such a CoM offset affects the running dynamics, we hypothesize that the CoM offset of horses is important in gait selection. In order to verify our hypothesis and clarify the gait selection mechanisms by horses from a dynamic viewpoint, we developed a simple model with CoM offset and inves...
Upper Body Movement Symmetry in Reining Quarter Horses during Trot In-Hand, on the Lunge and during Ridden Exercise. Veterinary lameness examinations often comprise assessing ridden horses. Quantitative movement symmetry measurements can aid evidence-based decision making. While these are available for ‘English’ style riding, they are not for ‘Western’ style riding. This quantitative observational study quantified movement symmetry in reining Quarter Horses (QHs). Movement symmetry of the head, withers and sacrum (differences between minima, maxima and upward amplitudes) were quantified with inertial sensors in N = 30 medium/high level reining QHs during trot in-hand, on the lunge and ridden by one e...
