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Home / Equine Research Bank / Equine Vet J / Asymmetries of horses walking and trotting on treadmill with...
Equine veterinary journal2020; 53(1); 157-166; doi: 10.1111/evj.13252

Asymmetries of horses walking and trotting on treadmill with and without rider.

Abstract: Left-right movement symmetry is a highly desirable characteristic in sport horses. Objective: This study compared movement symmetry in well-trained dressage horses in unridden and unrestrained position and ridden in a dressage frame, and investigated possible associations between gaits. Methods: Experimental study. Methods: Seven sound, high-level dressage horses were measured at walk and sitting trot on a treadmill at several speeds under two conditions: with and without rider. Left-right differences in stance duration, stance protraction and retraction based on longitudinal hoof positions, ipsilateral limb tracking, minimum and maximum vertical positions of the dorsal spinous processes of the sixth thoracic (T6), third sacral vertebrae (S3) and wing of atlas, and vertical ground reaction forces were calculated and analysed in mixed models. Results: At walk, five body variables indicated increased asymmetry in the ridden condition compared with unridden condition: forelimb stance duration (unridden/ridden left-right differences 9 vs 13 ms; P = .008), forelimb stance protraction (P = .004), stance retraction (P = .001) and first force peak (P = .003), and hindlimb stance retraction (P = .01). At trot, six body variables were more asymmetrical in the ridden condition: forelimb stance duration (2.5 vs 3.8 ms, P = .004); hindlimb stance protraction (P < .0001) and retraction (P = .01), T6 minimum (4 vs 6 mm, P = .001), T6 maximum (9 vs 11 mm, P = .01) and S3 maximum (6 vs 12 mm, P < .001). Five variables had significant associations between asymmetries at walk and trot, but only three demonstrated a positive slope. Conclusions: A limited number of horses and riders were studied. Measurements were performed on a treadmill. Conclusions: High-level horses moved slightly more asymmetrically when ridden in a dressage frame than in the unridden condition.
© 2020 The Authors. Equine Veterinary Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of EVJ Ltd.
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Publication Date: 2020-04-13 PubMed ID: 32125717DOI: 10.1111/evj.13252Google 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 involved comparison of movement symmetry in trained dressage horses while ridden and unridden. The findings indicate that the horses display more asymmetrical movement while ridden in a dressage frame compared to when unridden.

Study Design and Methodology

  • The study was designed as an experimental research, wherein seven well-trained, healthy, high-level dressage horses were selected for the assessment.
  • The horses were made to walk and trot on a treadmill under two conditions – ridden and unridden. The speed of the treadmill was varied during the process.
  • Several body variables were assessed for each horse in both scenarios. This included stance duration, direction of limb movement based on hoof placements, vertical positions of certain points along the spinal cord, and vertical ground response forces.
  • All the gathered data was then analyzed using mixed models to identify any significant variations and make meaningful conclusions.

Result Analysis

  • Upon comparison, it was found that the ridden condition resulted in increased asymmetry in a variety of body variables at both walk and trot states.
  • Specially at walk, forelimb stance duration, forelimb stance protraction, stance retraction, first force peak and hindlimb stance retraction showed more asymmetry when ridden.
  • Similarly at trot, forelimb stance duration, hindlimb stance protraction, hindlimb stance retraction and the vertical positions of certain spinal points (T6 and S3) had more asymmetry in the ridden condition.
  • Few variables also showed significant associations between their asymmetries at walk and trot conditions.

Concluding Remarks

  • The study was limited by a small sample size of horses and riders, and the fact that measurements were conducted on a treadmill, as opposed to natural conditions.
  • Nevertheless, the results highlight that the high-level dressage horses tend to move more asymmetrically while ridden in a dressage frame than in unridden condition.

Cite This Article

APA
Byström A, Clayton HM, Hernlund E, Roepstorff L, Rhodin M, Bragança FS, Engell MT, van Weeren R, Weishaupt MA, Egenvall A. (2020). Asymmetries of horses walking and trotting on treadmill with and without rider. Equine Vet J, 53(1), 157-166. https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.13252

Publication

Equine veterinary journal
ISSN: 2042-3306
NlmUniqueID: 0173320
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 53
Issue: 1
Pages: 157-166

Researcher Affiliations

Byström, Anna
  • Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
Clayton, Hilary M
  • Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
Hernlund, Elin
  • Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
Roepstorff, Lars
  • Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
Rhodin, Marie
  • Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
Bragança, Filipe S
  • Department of Equine Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Engell, Maria T
  • Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
van Weeren, René
  • Department of Equine Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Weishaupt, Michael A
  • Equine Department, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Egenvall, Agneta
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Biomechanical Phenomena
  • Forelimb
  • Gait
  • Hindlimb
  • Horses
  • Walking

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Citations

This article has been cited 1 times.
  1. MacKechnie-Guire R, Pfau T. Differential rotational movement and symmetry values of the thoracolumbosacral region in high-level dressage horses when trotting.. PLoS One 2021;16(5):e0251144.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0251144pubmed: 33956858google scholar: lookup
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