A Scoping Review of Equine Biomechanics Revisited.

This research revisited a previous scoping review of literature in the field of equine biomechanics in order to understand current knowledge better. The authors adjusted the search criteria of the previous review, which resulted in 77% more publications being found, emphasizing the importance of using appropriate and extensive search terms.

Scoping Review in Equine Biomechanics

• The purpose of this study was to perform a scoping review of the literature associated with equine biomechanics, which is a field of study that deals with the forces and movements in horses.
• A scoping review is a type of research methodology used to map the body of literature on a particular topic, identifying the principal concepts, theories, sources, and evidence gaps.
• As the availability and affordability of techniques for equine biomechanical research have increased, the amount of literature in this area has grown considerably, necessitating a systematic review to elucidate the current understanding.

Methodology and Findings

• The researchers repeated a previous scoping review of equine biomechanics, altering the search criteria of the earlier study.
• The performance of the new search criteria was examined in iterative stages to find as many relevant articles as possible.
• This method resulted in identifying 77% more publications than the original review, a significant increase that was primarily due to the researchers not limiting their search to papers with “equine” or “horse” in the title.

Relevance and Implication

• The study underscores the importance of using appropriate and inclusive search terms in literature reviews to ensure a comprehensive survey of existing knowledge.
• Moreover, the study suggests that the findings of the review should be evaluated in the context of the discipline and time frame of the review to account for the rapid evolution of knowledge in the field.
• Overall, the researchers’ approach to revisiting the previous review provides a roadmap for future reviews in equine biomechanics or any other area where the body of literature is growing rapidly.