Trotting Horses refers to a specific gait in equines characterized by a two-beat diagonal stride, where the legs move in pairs diagonally across the horse's body. This gait is commonly observed in various horse breeds and is a fundamental aspect of disciplines such as harness racing and dressage. Trotting is often evaluated for its rhythm, balance, and speed, particularly in competitive settings. This topic encompasses a range of research studies and scholarly articles that investigate the biomechanics, training techniques, and performance metrics associated with trotting in horses. Additionally, the page includes research on the physiological and anatomical adaptations that enable this specific gait, as well as its implications for equine health and athletic performance.
Drevemo S, Fredricson I, Dalin G, Björne K.A high-speed cinematographic analysis of interlimb time and linear gait characteristics was carried out at racing speed (12.0 m/sec; 1:23.6 min/km) in 30 clinically sound Standard-bred trotters. In respect of the whole group of horses the racing trot was found to be a very regular and symmetric gait. The variation coefficient between different horses ranged from 8 to 21 per cent depending on the particular characteristic being investigated. The variations recorded in individual animals were about 60 per cent less than those found for the whole group. The most stable characteristics were the du...
Drevemo S, Dalin G, Fredricson I, Björne K.The reproducibility of certain gait characteristics was investigated in Standardbred trotters at a speed of 12.0 m/sec. Twenty-two horses were recorded twice on the same day and 4 of them on a third occasion 3 years later. The short-term reproducibility was shown to be very good. In the long-term study it was found that the stride length and duration of swing and stride had increased. This was interpreted as an effect of training.
Nielsen K, Vibe-Petersen G.Heart scores increased with age and training. Yearlings had average heart scores of approximately 90 milliseconds (msecs). This increased to approximately 110 msecs in 5-year-old horses, after which there was only slight further increase. In horses 4 years or older, regression analysis revealed a highly significant correlation between heart score and kilometre time. In younger horses the level of significance was less. There was a positive correlation between heart scores and earnings in races. Thus, horses with heart scores above 115 msecs had won considerably more than horses with lower hear...
Drevemo S, Dalin G, Fredricson I, Hjertén G.The movements of the individual limbs of 30 clinically sound Standardbred trotters were studied using high-speed cinematography. At a speed of 12 metres per second (m/sec; 1:23.6 min/km) the mean stride length was 545 cm and the mean duration of the stride was 455 milliseconds (msecs). The stance phase in the forelimbs was 100 msecs and 177 msecs in the hindlimbs. This difference was due to a longer restraint period in the hindlimbs and resulted in slightly shorter swing phases for the hindlimbs. The variations in any particular horse for stride length and for the duration of stride, stance, s...
Ek N, Braend M.Comparisons of Pr protein amounts in horse sera have been performed using .’s (1965) immunodiffusion technique. Relative values against a chosen standard of 100 % were determined for a total of 435 horses. There was considerable variation between horses, the highest Pr value being 125 and the lowest 50 % of the standard. In animals of the same Pr phenotype the mean Pr values were significantly higher (P < 0.001) in foals than in mares. In Norwegian Trotter horses the Pr value of Pr NN animals was significantly higher than that of Pr SS phenotypes, whereas the mean Pr values of Pr SS was sig...
Braend M.During the routine parentage control of Norwegian Trotter horses with 10 000 parent offspring combinations two irregular transmissions of Pr alleles were found. The allele products were provisionally named D1 and D2. They appeared in two stallions which were typed as D1I and D2N respectively. The first stallion transmitted PrD1 to seven out of 10 offspring and the second stallion PrD2 to two of four offspring. Photographs of seven new Pr phenotypes are presented.
Ryder OA, Sparkes RS, Sparkes MC, Clegg JB.1. Through the use of isoelectric focusing and peptide analysis, the hemoglobins of Przewalski's horse. Equus przewalskii and the domestic horse, E. caballus have been compared. 2. Przewalski's horses have two separate alpha-globin chain polymorphisms similar to domestic horses. Each hemoglobin phenotype could be accurately determined by isoelectric focusing. 3. Confirmation of the electrofocusing hemoglobin determinations was made by comparison to amino acid composition analyses of purified tryptic peptides and by analysis of the rare hemoglobins phenotypes observed in a family of Norwegian t...
Wentink GH.The movements of the right hind limb of horses with normal locomotion were studied using cinephotography and electromyography. A model of the cycle of a stride in the walk and the trot was constructed and the kinetic parameters of the segments of the limb were calculated. A good correlation was obtained between the kinetics and the periods of the cycle of a stride during which individual muscles display activity. The results of this study demonstrate that: at placing and lifting, i.e., when a change occurs in the direction of the movement of the limb; b) At the walk, the greatest forces operan...
Pratt GW, O'Connor JT.A biomechanical model of running has been presented. A basic premise has been that the swing time is nearly independent of speed. In fact, both the racehorse and the trotter have nearly equal swing times. Consequently, as speed increases and the stance phase becomes shorter, the horse must compensate by increasing his extension or the length of the airborne phase (or both). The safe speed which allows the horse adequate preparation time for contact of a leg with the ground is calculated, using a stride-by-stride analysis of the motion of the horse. This is seen to be a very sensitive function ...
Frey HH, Fitzek A, Wintzer HJ, Baumgärtel E.Use of the potent, high-ceiling diuretic bumetanide made it possible to obtain urinary samples for dope testing of trotters within the 1st hour after the race. The drug was injected intravenously at a dose level of 10 mug/kg during the cold season of the year, but on warm days, a dose of 20 mug/kg was more reliable. These doses did not produce any side-effects and did not interfere with the detection of doping drugs, since bumetanide is not metabolized to a detectable degree and the unchanged drug appears only in extracts from acidic urine. By enhancing the clearance of drugs used for doping, ...
Science (New York, N.Y.)December 20, 1974
Volume 186, Issue 4169 1112-1113 doi: 10.1126/science.186.4169.1112
Heglund NC, Taylor CR, McMahon TA.The stride frequency at which animals of different size change from one gait to another (walk, trot, gallop) changes in a regular manner with body mass. The speed at the transition from trot to gallop can be used as an equivalent speed for comparing animals of different size. This transition point occurs at lower speeds and higher stride frequencies in smaller animals. Plotting stride frequency at the trot-gallop transition point as a function of body mass in logarithmic coordinates yields a straight line.
Solé M, Santos R, Gómez MD, Galisteo AM, Valera M.The work describes and compares the conformation traits and gait characteristics in the main native Iberian dressage Purebreds (Lusitano, Spanish and Menorca horses). In total, 4 strides belonging to each of 66 males (4-14 years old) were recorded at handled trot, using a 3D semi-automatic movement analysis system. Principal component analysis (PCA) and intraclass Correlations (iC) were computed. The Menorca Purebred showed proportionally higher limbs (23.8 and 15.1cm for the forelimb cannon and pastern lengths), the Lusitano Purebred had larger inclinations (66.1°, 37.7° and 47.9° for the ...
Maĭboroda SN.Study of the variability and heritability of sprightliness and exterior characteristics which are the constituent factors of capacity for work of trotting horse breed, permits predicting and planning the direction of selection work in the breed, and determining the efficiency of animals selection according to phenotype. To increase the level of capacity for work of Orloff trotting horse breed, according to the paper data, more consideration should be given to correctness of the exterior, as a biomechanical basis of the horse motion.
Negro S, Bartolomé E, Molina A, Solé M, Gómez MD, Valera M.The stress level is suggested to have a negative effect on horses during equestrian competitions, specifically in trotter racing. The main objectives of this study were to measure stress levels in Spanish Trotter Horse races with a reliable non-invasive method, and determining the threshold level of stress that leads to the best performance results and also shows when the stress perceived by the horse becomes distress. One hundred and thirty individuals were evaluated, measuring their performance (based on racing time per kilometre (TPK)) and their stress (based on eye temperature, assessed wi...
Spaak B, van Heel MC, Back W.It was shown that rolled-toe shoes smooth hoof-unrollment and thereby reduce peak loading of forelimbs in trotting Warmblood horses. Shoe design and shoeing technique for hind feet have been modified over recent decades from fully fitted, toe-clipped shoes to set-back, side-clipped shoes. Objective: To study the effects of different shoe modifications on loading and movement of the hind hoof. Methods: Ten clinically sound Warmblood horses were shod with 3 types of hind shoe: first, fully fitted, toe-clipped shoes, followed randomly by side-clipped shoes without a rolled toe that were set back ...
Peloso JG, Stick JA, Soutas-Little RW, Caron JC, DeCamp CE, Leach DH.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...
Peham C, Licka T, Mayr A, Scheidl M, Girtler D.Treadmills are widely used in equine motion analysis. For the evaluation of the trot of a horse, a trotting speed with low variation between motion cycles is necessary to make the measurements reproducible. The aim of this study is to show how an individual 'optimum' trotting speed for lameness quantification can be determined. In this study, the stability of a horse's gait pattern was evaluated by calculating the standard deviation (S.D.) of motion-cycle speed (MCS). In trot, eighteen horses were analysed at several speeds. The measurements were taken with the ExpertVision System (Motion Anal...
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...
Tokuriki M, Ohtsuki R, Kai M, Hiraga A, Oki H, Miyahara Y, Aoki O.We recorded the electromyographic (EMG) activity of 7 skeletal muscles in the forequarters and 1 in the hindquarters of 6 Thoroughbred horses during overground walking, swimming in a circular pool, and walking and trotting in a water treadmill. Bipolar fine wire electrodes were inserted into the muscles and the EMG signals were recorded using a telemetric system. The splenius exhibited tonic EMG activity during swimming. The brachiocephalicus showed its highest intensity during swimming followed by the walk and trot in the water treadmill and then walking overground. The triceps brachii caput ...
Egenvall A, Byström A, Pökelmann M, Connysson M, Kienapfel-Henseleit K, Karlsteen M, McGreevy P, Hartmann E.Horseracing is under public scrutiny with increasing demands to safeguard horse welfare. It is accepted that, as a result of bit pressure and/or equipment, mouth lesions accompany many types of horse use, including racing. However, there are currently no data available on the range of bit pressures in driven trotters. Our aim was to investigate whether rein tension (RT, proxy for bit pressures) differs among gaits, between tempo within gait, between horses and drivers, and between left/right reins. Standardbreds (n = 9), driven by experienced drivers (n = 11), performed exercise tests on a rac...
Crevier-Denoix N, Audigié F, Emond AL, Dupays AG, Pourcelot P, Desquilbet L, Chateau H, Denoix JM.OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of track surface firmness on the development of musculoskeletal injuries in French Trotters during 4 months of race training. ANIMALS 12 healthy 3-year-old French Trotters. PROCEDURES Horses were paired on the basis of sex and body mass. Horses within each pair were randomly assigned to either a hard-track or soft-track group. The counterclockwise training protocol was the same for both groups. Surface firmness of each track was monitored throughout the training period. Radiography, ultrasonography, MRI, and scintigraphy were performed on all 4 limbs of each ho...
Pourcelot P, Degueurce C, Audigié F, Denoix JM, Geiger D.This study of the locomotion symmetry was undertaken to provide standard symmetry indices of a group of sound horses at the trot. Using a 3D data collection system, the kinematics of the limb joints of 13 clinically nonlame horses were recorded while trotting in the standard conditions of the clinical lameness examination. A kinematic symmetry indice based on an inter-correlation method was defined and applied to the vertical displacement-time and joint angle-time diagrams of the left and right joints of the horses. For each horse, the mean symmetry indice of each joint was calculated using va...
Crevier-Denoix N, Robin D, Pourcelot P, Falala S, Holden L, Estoup P, Desquilbet L, Denoix JM, Chateau H.Although beach training is commonly used in horses, limb loading on beach sand has never been investigated. A dynamometric horseshoe (DHS) is well adapted for this purpose. Objective: To compare ground reaction force (GRF) and fetlock kinematics measured in harness trotters on 2 tracks of beach sand with different water content. Methods: Two linear sand tracks were compared: firm wet sand (FWS, 19% moisture) vs. deep wet sand (DWS, 13.5% moisture). Four French trotters (550 ± 22 kg) were used. Their right forelimb was equipped with a DHS and skin markers. Each track was tested 3 times at 7 m/...
Gan Z, Wiestner T, Weishaupt MA, Waldern NM, David Remy C.This paper presents a simplistic passive dynamic model that is able to create realistic quadrupedal walking, tölting, and trotting motions. The model is inspired by the bipedal spring loaded inverted pendulum (SLIP) model and consists of a distributed mass on four massless legs. Each of the legs is either in ground contact, retracted for swing, or is ready for touch down with a predefined angle of attack. Different gaits, that is, periodic motions differing in interlimb coordination patterns, are generated by choosing different initial model states. Contact patterns and ground reaction forces...
McCoy AM, Ralston SL, McCue ME.Osteochondrosis (OC) is commonly diagnosed in young Standardbred racehorses but its effect on performance when surgically treated at a young age is still incompletely understood. This is especially true for Standardbred pacers, which are underrepresented in the existing literature. Objective: To characterise the short- (2-year-old) and long-term (through 5-year-old) racing performance in Standardbred pacers and trotters after early surgical intervention (<17 months of age) for tarsal OC. Methods: Retrospective clinical study. Methods: The study population consisted of related, age-matched Stan...
Williams GE.To determine whether force-plate evaluation of horses with navicular disease would reveal an abnormal gait that persists despite loss of sensation to the palmar foot region, which may predispose such horses to navicular disease. Methods: 17 clinically normal Thoroughbreds and 8 Thoroughbreds with navicular disease. Methods: Data on ground reaction forces were obtained in trotting horses, using a force plate. Force-time curve variables for clinically normal horses were derived from 4 points at the beginning and 4 points at the end of the vertical and craniocaudal horizontal plots. Principal com...
Alitalo I, Kärkkäinen M.Ataxia caused by a focal compression of the cervical spinal cord was diagnosed in four young standardbred trotting horses. Diagnosis was verified by myelography. Changes in the cervical vertebral column were studied using microradiographic and histologic methods. In the vertebrae involved, there was irregularity of the cartilaginous growth zone, cracks with a loose fragment and disturbance in the enchondral ossification. These changes resemble osteochondrosis. Porous appearance in lateral and ventral funiculi as well as mural calcified plaques in the small vessels of the white matter were foun...
Jansen WL, van der Kuilen J, Geelen SN, Beynen AC.An attempt was made to quantify the effect of extra fat intake on fibre utilization in horses. In a 4 x 4 cross-over trial with feeding periods of 24 days each, eight mature trotting horses (age 4 to 12 years, 407 to 531 kg BW) were given four diets. The concentrates were formulated to contain either soybean oil or an iso-energetic amount of glucose or combinations of the two ingredients. The concentrates were fed in combination with the same amount of hay so that the whole diets contained 30, 50, 77 or 108 g EE/kg DM. Apart from the amounts of fat and glucose the four diets were identical. Wi...
Egenvall A, Engström H, Byström A.Equine back function is of concern to riders, as well as to veterinarians and physiotherapists; these groups may benefit from knowledge about spinal motion on the circle. This descriptive and comparative study aimed to quantify equine neck, back and pelvic motion in walk, trot and canter on a 9 m circle. Sixteen healthy horses in training, of varying breed and conformation, were measured using optical motion capture (150 Hz), with optical markers on the poll, withers, T15, tubera coxae and lumbosacral joint. Cervicothoracic and thoracolumbar flexion-extension and lateral bending, and pelvic ...
Kelleher ME, Burns TD, Werre SR, White NA.Evaluation of the effect of changes in the horses' feet after routine trimming and shoeing on gait at the trot is needed improve routine foot care. Evaluate changes in foot conformation and gait after routine farriery. Correlate alterations in a horse's gait before and after routine hoof trimming and shoe application. Fifteen horses received routine hoof trimming and horseshoe application. Dorsal and lateral photographs of the right and left front feet and inertial gait analysis at the trot were completed before and after trimming and shoeing. Measurements were made of hoof photos using a cali...
Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM, van den Ingh TS.A trotter stallion showing symptoms of emaciation was suspected of disease of the liver associated with cholestasis in view of clinical symptoms (poor appetite, sluggishness, jaundice and oedema) and the results of examination of the blood (increased concentrations of gamma-glutamyl, transpeptidase, sorbitol dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase and markedly increased conjugated bilirubin). A specimen removed at biopsy of the liver revealed the presence of portal fibrosis and severe cholestasis. At autopsy, it was found that very extensive fibrosis of the pancreas (pr...
Wang P, Takawira C, Taguchi T, Niu X, Nazzal MD, Lopez MJ.To assess the effect of horseshoes with and without traction adaptations on the gait kinetics of nonlame horses during a trot on a concrete runway. Methods: 5 nonlame adult light-breed horses. Methods: Kinetic data were obtained for each horse when it was trotted across a force platform within a concrete runway unshod (control) and shod with standard horseshoes; standard horseshoes with high profile-low surface area calks, with low profile-high surface area calks, and coated with a thin layer of tungsten carbide (TLTC); and plastic-steel composite (PSC) horseshoes. Kinetic data were obtained f...
Hellings IR, Larsen S.Gastric ulceration is highly prevalent in horses, and there is a large commercial market for feed-additives and non-licenced products that claim effect for prevention and treatment of gastric ulceration. ImproWin® has been used as a feed additive in horses with anecdotal evidence that it may have some positive effects on gastric ulceration.The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of ImproWin® treatment on spontaneously occurring gastric ulcers of the squamous mucosa in Standardbred and Coldblooded trotting racehorses. The study was performed as a randomised, double-blinded, single...
Esdaile E, Knickelbein KE, Donnelly CG, Ferneding M, Motta MJ, Story BD, Avila F, Finno CJ, Gilger BC, Sandmeyer L, Thomasy S, Bellone RR.Congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB) is an ocular disorder characterized by nyctalopia. An autosomal recessive missense mutation in glutamate metabotropic receptor 6 (GRM6 c.533C>T, p.(Thr178Met)), called CSNB2, was previously identified in one Tennessee Walking Horse and predicted to reduce binding affinity of the neurotransmitter glutamate, impacting the retinal rod ON-bipolar cell signaling pathway. Thus, the first aim was to identify the allele frequency (AF) of CSNB2 in breeds with reported cases of CSNB and breeds closely related to the Tennessee Walking Horse. The second aim ...
Valle AP, Brown KA, Reilly P, Ciamillo SA, Davidson EJ, Stefanovski D, Stewart HL, Ortved KF.Lameness examinations are commonly performed in equine medicine. Advancements in digital technology have increased the use of video recordings for lameness assessment, however, standardization of ideal video angle is not available yielding videos of poor diagnostic quality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of video angle on the subjective assessment of front limb lameness. A randomized, blinded, crossover study was performed. Six horses with and without mechanically induced forelimb solar pain were recorded using 9 video angles including horses trotting directly away and ...
Means K, Hayden L, Kramer J, McCracken MJ, Reed SK, Wilson DA, Keegan KG.Compensatory vertical head and pelvis movement asymmetry may occur in trotting horses with a primary cause of lameness in one end of the body due to the weight shifting between limbs, leading to apparent combined forelimb and hindlimb lameness (CFHL). Little is known about CFHL patterns observed with body-mounted inertial sensors (BMIS) and regardless of their underlying mechanisms, compensatory and secondary lameness may complicate the definitive identification of the primary causes of lameness. Objective: Determine associations between vertical pelvic movement asymmetry and location of prima...
Bark C, Reilly P, Weller R, Pfau T.Hoof care providers are pivotal for implementing biomechanical optimizations of the musculoskeletal system in the horse. Regular visits allow for the collection of longitudinal, quantitative information ("normal ranges"). Changes in movement symmetry, e.g., after shoeing, are indicative of alterations in weight-bearing and push-off force production. Ten Warmblood show jumping horses (7-13 years; 7 geldings, 3 mares) underwent forelimb re-shoeing with rolled rocker shoes, one limb at a time ("limb-by-limb"). Movement symmetry was measured with inertial sensors attached to the head, withers, and...
Marunova E, Hernlund E, Persson-Sjödin E.Head and pelvis vertical movement asymmetries in horses are often evaluated under different conditions yet better understanding is required of how these asymmetries are altered by factors such as surface type or circle size. This study investigated how stride duration, surface and lungeing in circles of different sizes influenced objectively measured head and pelvis movement asymmetries in riding horses in full training. Movement asymmetries were recorded with body mounted accelerometers and were based on the differences between the two vertical displacement minima or maxima of head (HDmin, HD...
Johns LT, Smythe MP, Dewberry LS, Staiger EA, Allen K, Brooks SA.In international equestrian sport, visual inspections assess gait and lameness to protect the welfare of performance horses during competition. Horses competing internationally in three-day eventing must pass two mandatory inspections (pre-competition and post-cross country) before attempting the final phase: the jumping test (JT). We hypothesized that digitally quantifying objective gait parameters captured during the two mandatory inspections will identify locomotor characteristics that predict success during the jumping test. Utilizing the DeepLabCut (DLC) software package for labeling of a...
Bogossian PM, Pereira JS, da Silva NF, Hilgert AR, Seidel SRT, Fülber J, Belli CB, Fernandes WR.Exercise intensity is prone to be self-regulated in horses exercising freely. The main drivers include social, feeding and escape behaviors, as well as the operant conditioning. We hypothesized that self-regulated exercise intensity may increase due to the presence of another horse exercising ahead. Seven horses were assigned to a 2x2 crossover trial following treadmill familiarization. Video images of a trotting horse were displayed on the wall in front of the experimental unit (Visual), which was positioned in the treadmill. Physiological and behavioral markers were further compared with a c...
Caure S, Dendauw P, Thesee L, Villedey E, Malinvaud A, Cousty M, Prie V, Horan K, Weller R.There is a paucity of scientific data on the effect of shoeing on equine neck and back kinematics during locomotion over commonly used sand training surfaces. A better appreciation of how alterations at hoof-ground interface influence equine upper body movements is relevant for improving horse's health and performance. Our objectives were to determine the effects of different shoeing conditions on equine neck and back kinematics at walk and trot in straight line over sand. Two-dimensional kinematic video analysis was performed under seven shoeing conditions: front feet shod with aluminum shoes...
