Kinesiology in horses involves the study of movement and mechanics in equine bodies, focusing on how muscles, bones, tendons, and ligaments work together during various activities. This field examines the biomechanics of equine locomotion, analyzing gait patterns and the efficiency of movement. Researchers in equine kinesiology investigate factors influencing performance, injury prevention, and rehabilitation strategies. The study of kinesiology in horses contributes to understanding how physical forces affect equine anatomy and physiology. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the principles, applications, and implications of kinesiology in equine health and performance.
Luomala T.Fascia is a complex and intriguing tissue, which can take on structural properties of being loose or dense, irregular or regular. Fascia functions by connecting, separating, and uniting different structures of the body. Myofascial dysfunction can be a significant source of pain and can be categorized as densification, adhesion, and fibrosis. Digital palpation and treatment of myofascial disorders can be provided via superficial or deep techniques. Different myofascial treatment techniques include slow and fast techniques, which can be applied at different depths, angles, and rhythms.
Biau S, Burgaud I.Kinesiology taping (KT) has been used on human subjects for many years. More recently, KT has been used in sport horses. The physiological mechanisms involved remain unclear and its benefits are controversial. Objective: To investigate the effects of application of kinesiology taping to abdominal muscles on locomotor parameters before and after lungeing exercise in horses. Methods: Cross-over study. Methods: Eleven horses were tested twice, once with an application of KT without tension on abdominal muscles (condition 1) and once with a facilitation application of KT on abdominal muscles (cond...
Translation: The 2nd edition of this specialized book by Renate Ettl includes basic knowledge about the use of kinesiological tapes, ranging from their foundations to specific applications in horses. The reader is vividly introduced to the material and adhesive properties of the tapes, the various application techniques, and their correct application. The book is mainly aimed at manual therapists and veterinarians, but interested horse owners can also gain insight into the "world of colorful strips" with this work.
Part 1 of the book provides foundational knowledge necessary for the correct...
Tabsuri T, Thawinchai N, Peansukmanee S, Lugade V.Children with cerebral palsy (CP) have poor postural control. Horseback riding (HR) is an alternative treatment shown to improve postural control among children with CP. However, there is a paucity of research investigating the underlying mechanisms responsible for improving postural control during HR. What are the three-dimensional biomechanical responses of the trunk and pelvis during HR among children with CP and with typical development (TD)? The participants, aged 4-12 years old, were inexperienced horseback riders, consisting of 10 children with TD and 10 children with spastic diplegia C...
Byström A, Hardeman AM, Serra Bragança FM, Roepstorff L, Swagemakers JH, van Weeren PR, Egenvall A.Work on curved tracks, e.g. on circles, is commonplace within all forms of horse training. Horse movements in circles are naturally asymmetric, including the load distribution between inner and outer limbs. Within equestrian dressage the horse is expected to bend the back laterally to follow the circle, but this has never been studied scientifically. In the current study 12 horses were measured (optical motion capture, 100 Hz) trotting on left and right circles and on the straight without rider (soft surface). Data from markers placed along the spine indicated increased lateral bending to the...
Marin F.Motion is key to health and wellbeing, something we are particularly aware of in times of lockdowns and restrictions on movement. Considering the motion of humans and animals as a biomarker of the performance of the neuro-musculoskeletal system, its analysis covers a large array of research fields, such as sports, equine science and clinical applications, but also innovative methods and workplace analysis. In this Special Issue of Sensors, we focused on human and animal motion-tracking using inertial sensors. Ten research and two review papers, mainly on human movement, but also on the locomot...
Elmeua González M, Šarabon N.Equestrian sports have been a source of numerous studies throughout the past two decades, however, few scientists have focused on the biomechanical effects, including muscle activation, that the horse has on the rider. Because equitation is a sport of two (the horse-human dyad), we believe there is a need to fill in the knowledge gap in human biomechanics during riding. To investigate the differences between novice and advanced riders at a neuromuscular level we characterized the motor output of a set of riders' key muscles during horse riding. Six recreational riders (24 ± 7 years) and nine ...
Ericson C, Stenfeldt P, Hardeman A, Jacobson I.Kinesiotape theoretically stimulates mechanoreceptive and proprioceptive sensory pathways that in turn may modulate the neuromuscular activity and locomotor function, so alteration of activation, locomotion and/or range of motion (ROM) can be achieved. The aim of this study was to determine whether kinesiotape applied to the abdominal muscles would affect the ROM in flexion-extension (sagittal plane) in the thoracolumbar back of horses at trot. The study design was a paired experimental study, with convenient sample. Each horse was randomly placed in the control or the intervention group and t...
Oliver GD, Gilmer GG, Barfield JW, Brittain AR.Although polo is a well-known equestrian sport, it is fundamentally misunderstood. The purpose of this study was to examine trunk and upper extremity kinematics and segmental velocities during the offside forehand polo swing between male and female athletes. Ten female and 17 male professional polo athletes volunteered. An electromagnetic tracking system collected kinematic data at 100 Hz while participants performed three offside forehand polo swings from a stationary wooden horse. One-way ANOVAs revealed statistically significant differences (<0.05) in all kinematic variables and segmenta...
Fortier Guillaume J, Laroche D, Babault N.The objective of this study was to identify the key biomechanical patterns (functional muscles and kinematics) of amateur horse riders during various cross-country jumps in equestrian. Eleven riders first performed a control condition that corresponded to jumps over three different obstacles (log wall, brush and tree trunk) before jumping over the same three obstacles in a cross-country course. 3D Kinematics and electromyographic (EMG) activity was synchronously collected which included seven muscles of the riders back, lower and upper limbs. Maximum voluntary isometric strength of knee extens...
Donaldson MC, Holter AM, Neuhoff S, Arnosky JA, Simpson BW, Vernon K, Blob RW, DesJardins JD.Although horseback riding is a well-established means of rehabilitation therapy for a variety of human patients, there are few data on the biomechanical relationships between horse and rider during such hippotherapy. We simultaneously tracked the movements of a horse with several different novice riders, under conditions similar to hippotherapy, to evaluate whether horses pass the same motion to different riders while being lead at a walk. Riders were outfitted with a goniometric data collection system that recorded the angles of flexion and extension and lateral bending of the thoracic and lu...
Human movement scienceNovember 30, 2018
Volume 63 82-95 doi: 10.1016/j.humov.2018.11.007
Goodworth AD, Barrett C, Rylander J, Garner B.As perturbation training is gaining popularity, it is important to better understand postural control during complex three-dimensional stimuli. One clinically relevant and commonly used three-dimensional stimulus is found in hippotherapy and simulated hippotherapy on a mechanical horse. We tested nine healthy participants on a horse simulator, measured head and trunk kinematics, and characterized data in time (root-mean-square and variability) and frequency (amplitude spectra, gains, and phases) domains. We addressed three fundamental questions: 1) What is the specificity of postural responses...
Funakoshi R, Masuda K, Uchiyama H, Ohta M.The study aimed to clarify the regularity of the motions of horse's back, rider's pelvis and spine associated with improvement of rider's dynamic trunk alignment. The study used a crossover design, with exercise using the horseback riding simulator (simulator hereafter) as the control condition. The experiments were conducted at Tokyo University of Agriculture Bio-therapy Center. The sample consisted of 20 healthy volunteers age 20-23 years. Participants performed 15-min sessions of horseback riding with a Hokkaido Pony and exercise using the simulator in experiments separated by ≥2 weeks. S...
Zellner A, Bockstahler B, Peham C.The present study aimed to investigate the effects of Kinesio Taping on the trajectory of the forelimb and the muscle activity of the M. brachiocephalicus and the M. extensor carpi radialis in horses. 19 horses and ponies of different breeds (body weight: 496±117 kg), gender (8 mares, 10 geldings and 3 stallions) and ages (14.9±6.9 years old) were analysed without Kinesio Tape ("no tape"), with Kinesio Tape (muscle facilitation application on both muscles of both sides, "with tape") and immediately after Kinesio Taping ("post tape") through kinematic motion analysis and surface electromyogra...
Walker AM, Applegate C, Pfau T, Sparkes EL, Wilson AM, Witte TH.Movement of a racehorse simulator differs to that of a real horse, but the effects of these differences on jockey technique have not been evaluated. We quantified and compared the kinematics and kinetics of jockeys during gallop riding on a simulator and real horses. Inertial measurement units were attached mid-shaft to the long bones of six jockeys and the sacrum of the horse or simulator. Instrumented stirrups were used to measure force. Data were collected during galloping on a synthetic gallop or while riding a racehorse simulator. Jockey kinematics varied more on a real horse compared to ...
Molle S.The Kinesio taping method was developed in Japan for use in humans in 1979. The use of complementary therapies is becoming common in equine athletes and the discovery of Kinesio taping potential brought it into the animal world. Kinesio taping can be used to treat a wide range of clinical conditions, from tendon injuries to neurologic disorders and from muscle contractures to postural insufficiencies. Its use in veterinary medicine is promising, but relies heavily on evidence-based clinical reports. Further scientific research is needed to fully understand the real effectiveness of application...
Alexander J, Hobbs SJ, May K, Northrop A, Brigden C, Selfe J.To observe postural characteristics of female dressage riders, through application of three-dimensional motion analysis and to assess the effects of athletic taping on postural asymmetry during sitting trot. Methods: Randomised cross-over. Methods: Data collection took place at Myerscough Agricultural College in an indoor riding area. Methods: Ten healthy female experienced dressage riders participated. Methods: Movement kinematics of the trunk and pelvis, pre and post taping intervention. Results: Riders presented pre-intervention with asymmetric movement characteristics through dynamic obser...
Nauwelaerts S, Aerts P, Clayton H.Spontaneous transitions from anti-phase to in-phase manual coordination are explained in the Haken model that describes the two preferred states as stable regions that work as attractors in a stability landscape. Switching between states coincides with a temporary loss of stability. Coordination variability is believed to be indicative of such a loss of stability. In this study, the hypothesis was tested that an increase in variability in the angle profiles of the joints responsible for the transition will precede the transition. A full gait analysis of four miniature horses transitioning from...
Silva e Borges MB, Werneck MJ, da Silva Mde L, Gandolfi L, Pratesi R.To evaluate the efficacy of horse ridding simulator on the sitting postural control of children with spastic diplegia. Methods: Forty children were randomly divided in a group using the simulator (RS) and a group performing conventional physical therapy (CT). FScan/Fmat equipment was used to register maximal displacement in antero-posterior (AP) and medio-lateral (ML) directions with children in sitting position. At the pre and post intervention stage both groups were classified according to the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) and, after intervention, by the AUQEI questionna...
Clayton HM, Kaiser LJ, de Pue B, Kaiser L.We compared anteroposterior and mediolateral range of motion and velocity of the center of pressure (COP) on the horse's back between riders without disabilities and riders with cerebral palsy. An electronic pressure mat was used to track COP movements beneath the saddle in 4 riders without disabilities and 4 riders with cerebral palsy. Comparisons between rider groups were made using the Mann-Whitney test (p < .05). The two rider groups differed significantly in anteroposterior range of COP motion, mediolateral range of COP motion, and mediolateral COP velocity. Anteroposterior COP velocit...
Human movement scienceAugust 30, 2010
Volume 29, Issue 6 956-963 doi: 10.1016/j.humov.2010.05.010
Kang OD, Ryu YC, Ryew CC, Oh WY, Lee CE, Kang MS.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the rider position at walk and trot as a function of rider skill level by analyzing joint angles. Participants included three advanced riders and six beginners, and training was conducted for one hour, twice a week for 24 weeks. In the walk stage of the beginners' group, the elbows and shoulders sustained postures comparable to those of the advanced riders group; the trunk tilted forwards at first, but later it tilted slightly behind the vertical. The knee, ankle, and left-right angle kept stable postures after 12 weeks of training (p<.05). The fron...
Mottini V, Leleu C, Cotrel C.It has become apparent through analysis of elite races over the past 20 years that mounted races are always slower than harnessed races when performed by the same horses over the same distances on the same tracks. Objective: To investigate and compare physiological and gait variables in mounted and harnessed activities in trotters. Methods: Ten trotters were taken at random in 2 standardised field exercise tests one week apart: a harnessed and a mounted test with standardised weight jockeys and drivers. Speed, heart rate (HR), respiratory frequency (RF), blood lactate concentration (La), strid...
Journal of motor behaviorNovember 11, 2005
Volume 37, Issue 6 418-424 doi: 10.3200/JMBR.37.6.418-424
Lagarde J, Kelso JA, Peham C, Licka T.The authors studied the interaction between rider and horse by measuring their ensemble motions in a trot sequence, comparing 1 expert and 1 novice rider. Whereas the novice's movements displayed transient departures from phase synchrony, the expert's motions were continuously phase-matched with those of the horse. The tight ensemble synchrony between the expert and the horse was accompanied by an increase in the temporal regularity of the oscillations of the trunk of the horse. Observed differences between expert and novice riders indicated that phase synchronization is by no means perfect bu...
Menschik A.Mobility of the knee of the horse. The modification of medial and lateral femoral condyles by additional movement of the cruciate ligaments shown on the animal joint. Final rotation in the human knee-joint shapes the femoral condyles by additional movement of the cruciate ligaments. The roll-slide movement and final rotation lead to curving of the medial condyle of the femur in the transverse plane. The transition from the roll-slide into a tilting movement in the final phase of ultimate rotation reduces the power of the posterior ligamentous system of the knee-joint when there is a force tend...
Human movement scienceAugust 30, 2010
Volume 29, Issue 6 956-963 doi: 10.1016/j.humov.2010.05.010
Kang OD, Ryu YC, Ryew CC, Oh WY, Lee CE, Kang MS.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the rider position at walk and trot as a function of rider skill level by analyzing joint angles. Participants included three advanced riders and six beginners, and training was conducted for one hour, twice a week for 24 weeks. In the walk stage of the beginners' group, the elbows and shoulders sustained postures comparable to those of the advanced riders group; the trunk tilted forwards at first, but later it tilted slightly behind the vertical. The knee, ankle, and left-right angle kept stable postures after 12 weeks of training (p<.05). The fron...
Licka T, Peham C.The spinal movements in maximum arching, dipping and left and right lateral flexion were measured in 10 horses without signs of back pain. A system for motion analysis (Expert Vision System) was used to identify the position of the markers placed on the head, the spinous processes of T5, T10, T16, L3, and on 2 of the sacral spines. By definition, the maximum of the spinal movement was set when the T16 marker reached its maximum deviation from the start position. The difference between start position and maximum position was presented as per cent of the horse's height at the withers. At T16 the...
Marin F.Motion is key to health and wellbeing, something we are particularly aware of in times of lockdowns and restrictions on movement. Considering the motion of humans and animals as a biomarker of the performance of the neuro-musculoskeletal system, its analysis covers a large array of research fields, such as sports, equine science and clinical applications, but also innovative methods and workplace analysis. In this Special Issue of Sensors, we focused on human and animal motion-tracking using inertial sensors. Ten research and two review papers, mainly on human movement, but also on the locomot...
Elmeua González M, Šarabon N.Equestrian sports have been a source of numerous studies throughout the past two decades, however, few scientists have focused on the biomechanical effects, including muscle activation, that the horse has on the rider. Because equitation is a sport of two (the horse-human dyad), we believe there is a need to fill in the knowledge gap in human biomechanics during riding. To investigate the differences between novice and advanced riders at a neuromuscular level we characterized the motor output of a set of riders' key muscles during horse riding. Six recreational riders (24 ± 7 years) and nine ...
Byström A, Hardeman AM, Serra Bragança FM, Roepstorff L, Swagemakers JH, van Weeren PR, Egenvall A.Work on curved tracks, e.g. on circles, is commonplace within all forms of horse training. Horse movements in circles are naturally asymmetric, including the load distribution between inner and outer limbs. Within equestrian dressage the horse is expected to bend the back laterally to follow the circle, but this has never been studied scientifically. In the current study 12 horses were measured (optical motion capture, 100 Hz) trotting on left and right circles and on the straight without rider (soft surface). Data from markers placed along the spine indicated increased lateral bending to the...
Clayton HM, Kaiser LJ, de Pue B, Kaiser L.We compared anteroposterior and mediolateral range of motion and velocity of the center of pressure (COP) on the horse's back between riders without disabilities and riders with cerebral palsy. An electronic pressure mat was used to track COP movements beneath the saddle in 4 riders without disabilities and 4 riders with cerebral palsy. Comparisons between rider groups were made using the Mann-Whitney test (p < .05). The two rider groups differed significantly in anteroposterior range of COP motion, mediolateral range of COP motion, and mediolateral COP velocity. Anteroposterior COP velocit...
Walker AM, Applegate C, Pfau T, Sparkes EL, Wilson AM, Witte TH.Movement of a racehorse simulator differs to that of a real horse, but the effects of these differences on jockey technique have not been evaluated. We quantified and compared the kinematics and kinetics of jockeys during gallop riding on a simulator and real horses. Inertial measurement units were attached mid-shaft to the long bones of six jockeys and the sacrum of the horse or simulator. Instrumented stirrups were used to measure force. Data were collected during galloping on a synthetic gallop or while riding a racehorse simulator. Jockey kinematics varied more on a real horse compared to ...
Funakoshi R, Masuda K, Uchiyama H, Ohta M.The study aimed to clarify the regularity of the motions of horse's back, rider's pelvis and spine associated with improvement of rider's dynamic trunk alignment. The study used a crossover design, with exercise using the horseback riding simulator (simulator hereafter) as the control condition. The experiments were conducted at Tokyo University of Agriculture Bio-therapy Center. The sample consisted of 20 healthy volunteers age 20-23 years. Participants performed 15-min sessions of horseback riding with a Hokkaido Pony and exercise using the simulator in experiments separated by ≥2 weeks. S...
Zellner A, Bockstahler B, Peham C.The present study aimed to investigate the effects of Kinesio Taping on the trajectory of the forelimb and the muscle activity of the M. brachiocephalicus and the M. extensor carpi radialis in horses. 19 horses and ponies of different breeds (body weight: 496±117 kg), gender (8 mares, 10 geldings and 3 stallions) and ages (14.9±6.9 years old) were analysed without Kinesio Tape ("no tape"), with Kinesio Tape (muscle facilitation application on both muscles of both sides, "with tape") and immediately after Kinesio Taping ("post tape") through kinematic motion analysis and surface electromyogra...
Molle S.The Kinesio taping method was developed in Japan for use in humans in 1979. The use of complementary therapies is becoming common in equine athletes and the discovery of Kinesio taping potential brought it into the animal world. Kinesio taping can be used to treat a wide range of clinical conditions, from tendon injuries to neurologic disorders and from muscle contractures to postural insufficiencies. Its use in veterinary medicine is promising, but relies heavily on evidence-based clinical reports. Further scientific research is needed to fully understand the real effectiveness of application...
Alexander J, Hobbs SJ, May K, Northrop A, Brigden C, Selfe J.To observe postural characteristics of female dressage riders, through application of three-dimensional motion analysis and to assess the effects of athletic taping on postural asymmetry during sitting trot. Methods: Randomised cross-over. Methods: Data collection took place at Myerscough Agricultural College in an indoor riding area. Methods: Ten healthy female experienced dressage riders participated. Methods: Movement kinematics of the trunk and pelvis, pre and post taping intervention. Results: Riders presented pre-intervention with asymmetric movement characteristics through dynamic obser...
Mottini V, Leleu C, Cotrel C.It has become apparent through analysis of elite races over the past 20 years that mounted races are always slower than harnessed races when performed by the same horses over the same distances on the same tracks. Objective: To investigate and compare physiological and gait variables in mounted and harnessed activities in trotters. Methods: Ten trotters were taken at random in 2 standardised field exercise tests one week apart: a harnessed and a mounted test with standardised weight jockeys and drivers. Speed, heart rate (HR), respiratory frequency (RF), blood lactate concentration (La), strid...
Oliver GD, Gilmer GG, Barfield JW, Brittain AR.Although polo is a well-known equestrian sport, it is fundamentally misunderstood. The purpose of this study was to examine trunk and upper extremity kinematics and segmental velocities during the offside forehand polo swing between male and female athletes. Ten female and 17 male professional polo athletes volunteered. An electromagnetic tracking system collected kinematic data at 100 Hz while participants performed three offside forehand polo swings from a stationary wooden horse. One-way ANOVAs revealed statistically significant differences (<0.05) in all kinematic variables and segmenta...
Ericson C, Stenfeldt P, Hardeman A, Jacobson I.Kinesiotape theoretically stimulates mechanoreceptive and proprioceptive sensory pathways that in turn may modulate the neuromuscular activity and locomotor function, so alteration of activation, locomotion and/or range of motion (ROM) can be achieved. The aim of this study was to determine whether kinesiotape applied to the abdominal muscles would affect the ROM in flexion-extension (sagittal plane) in the thoracolumbar back of horses at trot. The study design was a paired experimental study, with convenient sample. Each horse was randomly placed in the control or the intervention group and t...
Fortier Guillaume J, Laroche D, Babault N.The objective of this study was to identify the key biomechanical patterns (functional muscles and kinematics) of amateur horse riders during various cross-country jumps in equestrian. Eleven riders first performed a control condition that corresponded to jumps over three different obstacles (log wall, brush and tree trunk) before jumping over the same three obstacles in a cross-country course. 3D Kinematics and electromyographic (EMG) activity was synchronously collected which included seven muscles of the riders back, lower and upper limbs. Maximum voluntary isometric strength of knee extens...
Human movement scienceNovember 30, 2018
Volume 63 82-95 doi: 10.1016/j.humov.2018.11.007
Goodworth AD, Barrett C, Rylander J, Garner B.As perturbation training is gaining popularity, it is important to better understand postural control during complex three-dimensional stimuli. One clinically relevant and commonly used three-dimensional stimulus is found in hippotherapy and simulated hippotherapy on a mechanical horse. We tested nine healthy participants on a horse simulator, measured head and trunk kinematics, and characterized data in time (root-mean-square and variability) and frequency (amplitude spectra, gains, and phases) domains. We addressed three fundamental questions: 1) What is the specificity of postural responses...
Donaldson MC, Holter AM, Neuhoff S, Arnosky JA, Simpson BW, Vernon K, Blob RW, DesJardins JD.Although horseback riding is a well-established means of rehabilitation therapy for a variety of human patients, there are few data on the biomechanical relationships between horse and rider during such hippotherapy. We simultaneously tracked the movements of a horse with several different novice riders, under conditions similar to hippotherapy, to evaluate whether horses pass the same motion to different riders while being lead at a walk. Riders were outfitted with a goniometric data collection system that recorded the angles of flexion and extension and lateral bending of the thoracic and lu...
Heinrich B.This research article corrects a common misconception about the energy metabolism in horses during short sprinting and long-distance running events, emphasizing that short sprints are primarily powered by anaerobic activity, […]
