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Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / A Review of Biomechanical Gait Classification with Reference...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2019; 9(10); doi: 10.3390/ani9100763

A Review of Biomechanical Gait Classification with Reference to Collected Trot, Passage and Piaffe in Dressage Horses.

Abstract: Gaits are typically classified as walking or running based on kinematics, the shape of the vertical ground reaction force (GRF) curve, and the use of inverted pendulum or spring-mass mechanics during the stance phase. The objectives of this review were to describe the biomechanical characteristics that differentiate walking and running gaits, then apply these criteria to classify and compare the enhanced natural gait of collected trot with the artificial gaits of passage and piaffe as performed by highly trained dressage horses. Limb contact and lift off times were used to determine contact sequence, limb phase, duty factor, and aerial phase duration. Ground reaction force data were plotted to assess fore and hind limb loading patterns. The center of mass (COM) trajectory was evaluated in relation to changes in potential and kinetic energy to assess the use of inverted pendulum and spring-mass mechanics. Collected trot and passage were classified as running gaits according to all three criteria whereas piaffe appears to be a hybrid gait combining walking kinematics with running GRFs and COM mechanics. The hind limbs act as springs and show greater limb compression in passage and piaffe compared with trot, whereas the forelimbs behave more like struts showing less compression in passage and piaffe than in trot.
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Publication Date: 2019-10-03 PubMed ID: 31623360PubMed Central: PMC6826507DOI: 10.3390/ani9100763Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research article has been developed to analyze the biomechanical characteristics that differentiate walking and running gaits in dressage horses, specifically focusing on the collected trot, passage and piaffe.

Classification of Gaits

During the study, gaits were typically classified into two categories, walking and running, based on several determining factors:

  • Kinematics: The branch of physics involving motion and the forces affecting it. In this context, it is used to study the locomotion patterns of horses.
  • Vertical Ground Reaction Force (GRF) curve: This is the force exerted by the ground on a body in contact with it. The pattern and shape of this force play a role in classifying gaits.
  • Inverted pendulum or spring-mass mechanics: These are ways to model the motion of walking and running. The ‘inverted pendulum’ analogy refers to the swinging motion during walking, while ‘spring-mass mechanics’ describes the spring-like motion during running.

Parameters of Gait Analysis

These parameters elaborate on how the classification was conducted:

  • Limb contact and lift off times were used to find the contact sequence, limb phase, duty factor, and aerial phase duration.
  • GRF data plotted helped in analyzing fore and hind limb loading patterns.
  • The Center of Mass (COM) trajectory was evaluated to assess the use of inverted pendulum and spring-mass mechanics during different gaits.

Classification of Collected Trot, Passage, and Piaffe

Applying the above-mentioned criteria and conditions, the horses’ collected trot and passage were categorized as running gaits.

  • The piaffe, on the other hand, was identified as a hybrid gait, combining walking kinematics (movement patterns) along with running GRFs and COM mechanics.
  • Difference in behavior of forelimbs and hindlimbs were also observed. While the hind limbs acted as springs, showing greater compression in passage and piaffe as compared to trot, the role of forelimbs was more similar to struts featuring less compression in these gaits than in a trot.

Therefore, this research deciphers the complex biomechanics behind the elegant and distinct gaits in dressage horses with a focus on collected trot, passage, and piaffe.

Cite This Article

APA
Clayton HM, Hobbs SJ. (2019). A Review of Biomechanical Gait Classification with Reference to Collected Trot, Passage and Piaffe in Dressage Horses. Animals (Basel), 9(10). https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9100763

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 9
Issue: 10

Researcher Affiliations

Clayton, Hilary M
  • Sport Horse Science, 3145 Sandhill Road, Mason, MI 48854, USA. claytonh@cvm.msu.edu.
  • College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. claytonh@cvm.msu.edu.
Hobbs, Sarah Jane
  • Centre for Applied Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, UK. SJHobbs1@uclan.ac.uk.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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