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Home / Equine Research Bank / Sensors (Basel) / Applying Multi-Purpose Commercial Inertial Sensors for Monit...
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)2024; 24(24); 8170; doi: 10.3390/s24248170

Applying Multi-Purpose Commercial Inertial Sensors for Monitoring Equine Locomotion in Equestrian Training.

Abstract: Inappropriate, excessive, or overly strenuous training of sport horses can result in long-term injury, including the premature cessation of a horse's sporting career. As a countermeasure, this study demonstrates the easy implementation of a biomechanical load monitoring system consisting of five commercial, multi-purpose inertial sensor units non-invasively attached to the horse's distal limbs and trunk. From the data obtained, specific parameters for evaluating gait and limb loads are derived, providing the basis for objective exercise load management and successful injury prevention. Applied under routine in-the-field training conditions, our pilot study results show that tri-axial peak impact limb load increases progressively from walk to trot to canter, in analogy to stride frequency. While stance and swing phases shorten systematically with increasing riding speed across subjects, longitudinal and lateral load asymmetry are affected by gait at an individual level, revealing considerable variability between and within individual horses. This individualized, everyday approach facilitates gaining valuable insights into specific training effects and responses to changing environmental factors in competitive sport horses. It promises to be of great value in optimizing exercise management in equestrian sports to benefit animal welfare and long-term health in the future.
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Publication Date: 2024-12-21 PubMed ID: 39771905PubMed Central: PMC11680087DOI: 10.3390/s24248170Google 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 paper focuses on the use of commercial multi-purpose inertial sensors to monitor horse locomotion during equestrian training. This method aims to gauge the horses’ gait and limb loads as a means of preventing injury and enhancing training.

Research Objectives

  • The main goal of the research was to demonstrate the usage and effectiveness of a biomechanical load monitoring system, which includes five commercial inertial sensor units, in monitoring the locomotion of sport horses.
  • The study also aimed to obtain specific parameters for evaluating gait and limb loads, with a focus in both preventing injury and managing exercise loads effectively.

Methodology

  • The multi-purpose inertial sensor units were non-invasively attached to the distal limbs and trunk of the horse. These sensors captured data essential in assessing the gait and limb loads of the horse under normal training conditions.
  • The data obtained showed that tri-axial peak impact limb load, which corresponds to the maximum force experienced by a horse’s limb during motion, increases as the horse moves from walk to trot to canter. This progression is in analogy to stride frequency.

Key Findings

  • The findings revealed that increased riding speed resulted in systematic shortening of stance and swing phases across the subjects.
  • The research also showed that longitudinal and lateral load asymmetry, which refer to the differences in load bearing across different parts of the horse’s body, vary at an individual level and are affected by the gait of the horse.
  • The results also underscored the considerable variability present between and within individual horses, in terms of their response to changing environmental conditions and training effects.

Implications

  • The findings from this study indicate that the use of inertial sensors can provide valuable insights into the impact of specific training methods and responses to varying environmental conditions on sport horses.
  • This individualized approach to monitoring locomotion promises to invaluable in optimizing exercise management, with potential benefits for animal welfare and long-term health of sport horses.

Cite This Article

APA
Fercher C, Bartsch J, Kluge S, Schneider F, Liedtke AM, Schleichardt A, Ueberschär O. (2024). Applying Multi-Purpose Commercial Inertial Sensors for Monitoring Equine Locomotion in Equestrian Training. Sensors (Basel), 24(24), 8170. https://doi.org/10.3390/s24248170

Publication

Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
ISSN: 1424-8220
NlmUniqueID: 101204366
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 24
Issue: 24
PII: 8170

Researcher Affiliations

Fercher, Christina
  • Olympic Training Center North-Rhine/Westphalia, 48231 Warendorf, Germany.
Bartsch, Julia
  • Department of Engineering and Industrial Design, Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences, 39110 Magdeburg, Germany.
Kluge, Steffen
  • Department of Engineering and Industrial Design, Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences, 39110 Magdeburg, Germany.
  • Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chemnitz University of Technology, 09107 Chemnitz, Germany.
Schneider, Franziska
  • Department of Engineering and Industrial Design, Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences, 39110 Magdeburg, Germany.
Liedtke, Anna M
  • Department for Veterinary Medicine, German Olympic Committee for Equestrian Sport, 48231 Warendorf, Germany.
Schleichardt, Axel
  • Institute for Applied Training Science, 04109 Leipzig, Germany.
Ueberschär, Olaf
  • Department of Engineering and Industrial Design, Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences, 39110 Magdeburg, Germany.
  • Institute for Applied Training Science, 04109 Leipzig, Germany.

MeSH Terms

  • Horses / physiology
  • Animals
  • Gait / physiology
  • Biomechanical Phenomena
  • Physical Conditioning, Animal / physiology
  • Locomotion / physiology
  • Monitoring, Physiologic / methods
  • Monitoring, Physiologic / instrumentation

Grant Funding

  • 2522BI2044 / Bundesinstitut fu00fcr Sportwissenschaft

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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