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Topic:Gait Analysis
Gait analysis in horses involves the systematic study of the movement patterns of horses to assess their locomotion. This analysis is often conducted using advanced technologies such as motion capture systems, force plates, and high-speed cameras to collect quantitative data on various aspects of gait, including stride length, limb movement, and joint angles. Gait analysis is utilized in veterinary medicine, performance evaluation, and rehabilitation to identify abnormalities, improve performance, and monitor recovery from injury. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore methodologies, applications, and findings related to gait analysis in equine science.
Head and trunk movement adaptations in horses with experimentally induced fore- or hindlimb lameness. The kinematic patterns of head and trunk were studied in horses during induced supporting limb lameness to understand the mechanisms horses use to compensate for lameness and to evaluate different symmetry indices for their significance as lameness indicators. Using the locomotion analysis system CODA-3 the kinematics of 11 clinically nonlame Dutch Warmblood horses were recorded while walking (1.6 m/s) and trotting (3.5 m/s) on a treadmill. A transient lameness model, evoking pressure induced pain on the hoof sole, was used to induce 3 degrees of fore- and hindlimb lameness. Peak vertical disp...
Limb movement adaptations in horses with experimentally induced fore- or hindlimb lameness. The kinematic patterns of all limbs of 11 clinically nonlame Dutch Warmblood horses were studied during induced supporting limb lameness to gain insight into the compensation mechanisms horses use to manage lameness and to test kinematic limb variables for their significance as lameness indicators. Using the locomotion analysis system CODA-3, the kinematics of the horses were recorded while walking (1.6 m/s) and trotting (3.5 m/s) on a treadmill. A transient lameness model, evoking pressure on the hoof sole, was used to induce 3 degrees of fore- and hindlimb lameness. Joint angle patterns and ...
Energy comparison between trot, bound, and gallop using a simple model. In this paper, the dynamics of quadruped trot, gallop, and bound will be examined using a simple model for the quadruped. The body of the quadruped is modeled as a uniform bar and the legs are modeled by massless springs. It will be shown that symmetry can be used to study the locomotion of this system. Using symmetry, a technique will be developed to obtain periodic solutions for each of the gaits of the quadruped model. These periodic solutions will be computed at various speeds. The energy levels will be compared for each of the gaits. The exchange of energy between its different forms will...
Kinematic differences between the distal portions of the forelimbs and hind limbs of horses at the trot. In literature, it has been hypothesized that the concussion at impact in the equine forelimb is larger than that in the hind limb, and therefore, eventually more clinical lameness may develop in the distal portion of the forelimbs. As the functional anatomy of the distal forelimb and hind limb segments is similar, a study was undertaken to compare the kinematics of hoof and fetlock in the forelimbs and hind limbs. For this purpose, the trot of 24 clinically normal (sound) horses on a treadmill (4 m/s) was recorded, using modern gait analysis equipment. It appeared that vertical hoof velocity a...
Bilateral lameness in horses–a kinematic study. The kinematic pattern of mild bilateral lameness was studied by inducing a supporting limb lameness in both fore-limbs of 11 sound Dutch Warmblood horses. The kinematics of the horses were recorded while they trotted (3.5 m/s) on a treadmill. The locomotion analysis system CODA-3 was used to determine the temporal stride patterns, limb movements as well as head and trunk movement patterns. The transient lameness model, by which pressure-induced pain is evoked on the hoof sole, was used. Differences between left and right limbs as well as between the sound and the lame condition were tested usi...
Effects of high doses of oxytetracycline on metacarpophalangeal joint kinematics in neonatal foals. Thirteen clinically normal Belgian-type foals were used to study the effects of high doses of oxytetracycline on metacarpophalangeal joint kinematics. Seven foals (treatment group) received 2 doses of oxytetracycline (3 g, IV). The first dose was given when foals were 4 days old; the second dose was given 24 hours later. Six foals (control group) received 2 doses of saline (0.9% NaCl) solution (15 ml, IV) at equivalent time periods. All foals were videotaped at a walk twice: immediately prior to the first treatment and 24 hours after the second treatment. The tapes were digitized, and metacarp...
Biokinematic effects of collection on the trotting gaits in the elite dressage horse. Trot in hand, working trot, collected trot, passage and piaffe of 6 Grand Prix dressage horses were recorded by high speed film (250 frames/s). Angular patterns and hoof trajectories of the left fore- and hindlimbs were analysed and presented as mean and standard deviation (s.d.) curves. Speed and stride length decreased and fore- and hind stance phase durations increased with collection resulting in no suspension in piaffe. The diagonal advanced placement was positive in all gaits except for piaffe. Most of the changes in forelimb angular patterns were effects of reduction in forelimb pendula...
Predictive value of foal kinematics for the locomotor performance of adult horses. The gait of 24 horses was recorded on a treadmill when they were trotting at 4 m sec-1, first when they were four months old and again when they were 26 months. The data recorded at four months were used to predict the locomotion of the adult horses, and the predictions were assessed against the data recorded at 26 months. The locomotion of the foals and the adults appeared to be closely related, when the differences in segment length and joint angles due to growth were taken into account. The duration of swing, the total range of protraction and retraction, and the maximum tarsal flexion coul...
Parameters of forelimb ground reaction force in 48 normal ponies. Recordings of forelimb ground reaction forces were made from 48 normal ponies moving at the trot, to evaluate the relationships between bodyweight, vertical ground reaction forces, the timing of individual events within the stance phase and the total contact time. There were highly significant correlations between the mean vertical ground reaction forces and bodyweight. The mean vertical ground reaction forces, corrected for bodyweight, were inversely correlated with the total contact time suggesting that higher trotting speeds may be associated with greater vertical ground reaction forces. Th...
How the horse moves: 2. Significance of graphical representations of equine hind limb kinematics. Kinematic data of the equine hind limb are presented graphically and related to functional aspects of the hind limb in locomotion. The trot of 24 two-year-old Dutch Warmblood horses was recorded at 4 m/s on a high-speed treadmill using kinematic analysis equipment. Joint angle-time, angle-angle, stick and marker diagrams were used to present graphically the data following standardised procedures. As the kinematic data were expressed with reference to the joint angles of the horse standing squarely and were time-standardised to the duration of the stride cycle, mean joint curves for the total g...
How the horse moves: 1. Significance of graphical representations of equine forelimb kinematics. The kinematics of 24 two-year-old Dutch Warmblood horses were recorded at the trot (4 m/s) on a high-speed treadmill to study the coordination of joints within the equine forelimb. Joint angle-time, angle-angle, stick, and marker diagrams were used to show forelimb motion graphically. Because the kinematic data referred to the joint angles of the horse standing squarely and were time-standardised to the duration of the stride cycle, mean joint curves could be calculated for the total group. The motion of each segment in the equine forelimb during a complete stride is described and its function...
Camera speeds for optoelectronic assessment of stride-timing characteristics in horses at the trot. Quantitated locomotion analysis is increasingly being used during assessment and treatment of gait disorders in human beings. Locomotion analysis is also thought to have potential for enhancing the assessment of lameness in horses. Availability of high-speed video recording systems has simplified the process of quantitated locomotion analysis; however, the high cost of such systems has limited their use for routine clinical assessment in horses. The temporal resolution of 500- to 1,000-images/s (Hz) recording systems is beyond what has been considered necessary for precise quantitation of shor...
Equine hoof function investigated by pressure transducers inside the hoof and accelerometers mounted on the first phalanx. The dampening of hoof impact was investigated by measuring the accelerations transmitted through structures of the hoof in horses trotting freely on an asphalt tarmac. The hoof dampened the vibrations transmitted to the first phalanx. Shoeing decreased the viscous dampening and increased the median power frequency and the maximal amplitude of the vibrations transmitted to the first phalanx. The pressure inside the digital cushion of the foreleg was recorded. The pressure dropped during the stance phase, indicating expansion of the hoof. The expansion of the hoof was not produced by frog or sol...
Semi-quantitative analysis of hoof-strike in the horse. The initial forelimb loading of a horse trotting at 3.7 ms-1 on a treadmill was studied by use of an instrumented shoe, accelerometers and high-speed cinematography. At the beginning of the stance phase the forelimb was loaded successively from the hoof. This is suggested to be an important factor for effective shock force absorbency in the extremities. Shearing forces may appear in the carpus before the onset of the longitudinal loading of the limb. These forces are proposed to depend on speed, locomotion pattern and the friction and hardness of the surface. It is suggested that shearing forc...
Biokinematic analysis of the Swedish Warmblood riding horse at trot. The trotting gait of 4 approved Swedish Warmblood stallions with a mean gait score > or = 8.67 (maximum score = 10) at official performance tests was recorded by high speed film (approximately 250 frames/sec). Angular patterns and hoof trajectories of the left fore and hind limbs were analysed, and presented as mean and standard deviation curves. The horses had a mean stride duration of 794.0 msec (sd 13.7) and the mean diagonal advanced placement was +29.8 msec (sd 7.6). The variation in angular patterns between the horses was greatest during the swing phase. The trajectory of the hind hoof r...
Kinematics of treadmill versus overground locomotion in horses. A kinematic analysis was carried out to compare treadmill and overground locomotion in horses at the trot. Stride variables and limb and trunk movements of 10 Dutch Warmblood horses were measured using the CODA-3 gait analysis system. Overground recordings were made on a rubber ground surface and on an asphalt track. Treadmill recordings were taken after a controlled habituation programme and at the same velocities as measured overground. On asphalt, a shorthened stride duration and a decreased vertical displacement of the withers were found compared with those on rubber ground. On the treadmi...
The effect of toe weights on linear and temporal stride characteristics of standardbred trotters. Toe weights are applied to influence the stride characteristics of trotters. The quantitative effect of 88-g toe weights on the stride characteristics of Standardbred trotters was evaluated in a kinematic study using a CODA-3 analysis system. Six trotters were studied at a speed of 11 m/s on a treadmill. Temporal gait variables, joint angles, and the trajectories of the forelimb hoof were calculated. The stride patterns of the individual trotters were assessed by a judge and compared to the CODA-output. Those trotters with poor flexion of the carpal joint during the swing phase or with insuffi...
Comparison of the stride kinematics of the collected, working, medium and extended trot in horses. Highly-trained dressage horses were studied to test the hypothesis that stride length is altered independently of stride duration in the transitions between the collected, working, medium and extended trot. Six well-trained dressage horses were filmed at a frame rate of 150 frames/s performing the collected, working, medium and extended trots in a sand arena. Temporal, linear and angular data were extracted from the films, with 4 strides being analysed for each horse and gait type. There were no significant asymmetries between the left and rights limbs or diagonals when data from the whole gro...
Kinematic detection of superior gait quality in young trotting warmbloods. This study was conducted to identify objective criteria to select young horses with a good gait, which is a prerequisite for good performance in adult horses. The trot of 24 26-month-old Dutch Warmbloods, led on a loose shank, was subjectively scored by a judge and objectively assessed on a treadmill by using kinematic analysis equipment. It appeared that forelimb and hind limb stride and swing duration, scapula rotation, forelimb maximal fetlock extension, forelimb maximal retraction, hind limb maximal protraction, maximal stifle flexion, and maximal tarsal flexion significantly correlated wi...
Effects of hylan on amphotericin-induced carpal lameness in equids. In this double-blind study, the effectiveness of and dose response to intra-articular administration of modified hyaluronan (hylan) was determined in an equine carpal lameness model over a 23-day period, using a computerized three-dimensional motion analysis system, synovial fluid variables, and synovial histologic examination. In 24 clinically sound horses, baseline motion data was acquired from horses trotting at 4 m/s on a high-speed treadmill. Then, to induce lameness, 25 mg of amphotericin B in 5 ml of sterile water was injected into the left middle carpal joint of each horse every other ...
Computer-assisted three-dimensional gait analysis of amphotericin-induced carpal lameness in horses. Motion of 6 clinically sound horses trotting at a speed of 4 m/s on a treadmill was captured by video cameras before and 9, 16, and 23 days after amphotericin-induced lameness to determine the quantitative variables of three-dimensional computer-assisted image analysis that objectively describe carpal lameness. Amphotericin-B was used to induce lameness, and phenylbutazone (2.2 mg/kg of body weight, PO, once) and butorphanol tartrate (0.1 mg/kg IM, q 6 h, to effect) were used to control discomfort. Four 60-Hz cameras were symmetrically placed around the treadmill to capture 6 seconds of images...
Stride length and respiratory tidal volume in exercising thoroughbred horses. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that locomotor-respiratory coupling in horses may provide a basis for the appropriate matching of lung ventilation to running speed and metabolic power. This was achieved by determining the effect on respiratory frequency and tidal volume in thoroughbred horses of changing running speed while maintaining a constant metabolic demand by also varying the incline of the treadmill. This procedure was performed at three different speeds at two different levels of metabolic rate. It appears that, in response to metabolic demands which are not direc...
Ground reaction force patterns of Dutch Warmbloods at the canter. Ground reaction force (GRF) patterns from 20 clinically sound Dutch Warmbloods were recorded at the right fore-leading canter, and a standard horse was composed. These GRF data for the standard can be used for evaluation of jumping horses. The GRF patterns were asymmetric for all 4 limbs. The leading right forelimb decelerated the body. The trailing left forelimb propelled the body and decelerated it slightly. The trailing left hind limb propelled, and the leading right hind limb contributed to deceleration and propulsion. Referred to the maximal vertical load of the leading right forelimb, th...
Ground reaction force patterns of Dutch warmblood horses at normal trot. This study was undertaken to establish limb loading patterns of sound horses at the trot, to provide a data base against which results for lame horses could be compared. Ground reaction force (GRF) data were collected from 20 clinically sound Dutch Warmblood horses. The data from at least 5 stance phases of each limb were averaged after standardisation to the animal's body mass and to the stance phase duration and resulted in 'representative' GRF data. The symmetry in the vertical GRF peak amplitudes, impulses and the stance phase duration comparing left and right limbs exceeded 97%. By averag...
Shortening of the forelimb in the horse during the stance phase. Compressions in the forelimb of a horse trotting at 3.7 m/s were studied using high-speed cinematography. From a diagram of shortenings it has been concluded that successive loadings in the longitudinal direction from below signify longer impact time and smaller impact forces compared to a theoretically stiff limb. It is proposed that the limb takes up the impact force passively until the onset of loading at the elbow joint, i.e. 30 ms following first contact.
Recommended terminology for researchers in locomotion and biomechanics of quadrupedal animals. This paper summarizes recommendations for terminology to be used in the description of quadrupedal locomotion and selected aspects of biomechanics. Directional terms and planes of the body (anatomical position, spatial reference systems), joint angulation, conformation, general locomotion terminology, phases of the stride and limb cycle (e.g. step, cadence) and terminology for the description of jumping are described.
Relationship between locomotor forces, hoof position and joint motion during the support phase of the stride of galloping horses. Three methods were used simultaneously to determine the relationships between the vertical forces exerted on the hooves and the positions of the limbs and hooves at the times of peak vertical forces from 2 horses galloping on a track straightaway. Vertical forces were recorded from an instrumented shoe, fetlock joint motion was measured with an electrogoniometer and the angles of the carpus, fetlock and hoof were determined from slow-motion films. At hoof contact, the mean angles of the carpus and fetlock were 181-182 degrees and 199-206 degrees, respectively. Peak vertical forces on the heel ...
Surface strain on the dorsal metacarpus of thoroughbreds at different speeds and gaits. Stacked rectangular rosette strain gages were used to measure surface bone strain on the dorsomedial cortex of the third metacarpal bones in 6 adult Thoroughbred horses during treadmill exercise. The peak principal compressive and tensile strains, angle of the peak strains and strain rate during loading were calculated and compared with speed and gait. At speeds from 4 to 14 m/s loading on the metacarpus resulted in compression of the dorsomedial cortex. Tension only occurred consistently in 1 forelimb of 1 horse at the walk (2 m/s). The angle of peak compression was within 10 degrees of the l...
Comparison of the damping effect of different shoeing by the measurement of hoof acceleration. The purpose of this study was to compare the damping effect of 16 types of shoeing by measuring hoof acceleration parameters on two trotting horses. At impact, maximal deceleration had extreme values such as 188 m/s2 (+/- 55) for the most damping combination (p < 0.01) and 746 m/s2 (+/- 14) for the steel shoe (mean = 551 m/s2 +/- 125). After the shock, the hoof was exposed to a mean vibrating acceleration at 418 Hz (+/- 84) which was progressively damped in 37.3 ms (+/- 10.5). According to these results, the damping ability of different farriery products significantly reduces (p < 0.05) shocks...
