Biomechanical assessment of dressage Spanish horses through accelerometry and the immediate effects of a single capacitive resistive electrical transfer session.
Abstract: Capacitive resistive electrical transfer (CRET) is a non-invasive electromagnetic diathermic technique. The effect of its application 24 h prior to exercise, compared to a sham application performed with the device off, was evaluated in 8 Spanish Purebred dressage stallions. CRET was applied bilaterally on the neck, back, and croup. The horses wore an accelerometer fixed on the sternal area during a dressage test, and spatiotemporal stride parameters, total and dorsoventral (DVAA), longitudinal (LAA), and mediolateral accelerometric activities, as well as dorsoventral displacement, were recorded. Walking was the gait least affected by CRET application, and only a longer stride length (SL) compared to sham was found in the medium walk. Velocity was greater in the working, medium, and extended trot after CRET application compared to sham, this change being attributed to a longer SL without significant changes in stride frequency (SF). However, in collected trot, CRET induced a reduction in SL and LAA, together with an increase in DVAA. After CRET application, a decrease in SL and LAA and an increase in DVAA were found both in passage and piaffe. Additionally, velocity was reduced in passage. Minor changes were observed with CRET application in the working canter, whereas greater velocity, SF, SL, and LAA were detected in the extended canter. The application of CRET 24 h before a dressage test improves accelerometric characteristics, reflecting better collection in collected gaits and better extension in extended gaits.
Publication Date: 2026-01-31 PubMed ID: 41618360PubMed Central: PMC12952162DOI: 10.1186/s12917-026-05319-9Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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Objective Overview
- This study evaluates the effects of a single session of capacitive resistive electrical transfer (CRET), a non-invasive electromagnetic treatment, on the biomechanics of Spanish Purebred dressage horses during different gaits using accelerometry data.
Introduction to CRET and Research Purpose
- CRET is a non-invasive diathermy treatment that uses electromagnetic energy to potentially influence muscle and tissue function.
- The research aimed to analyze how applying CRET 24 hours prior to a dressage test affects the horses’ gait mechanics and movement quality compared to a sham (placebo) treatment.
- The study specifically focused on Spanish Purebred dressage stallions, a breed often used in dressage, to understand any therapeutic or performance benefits of CRET.
Methodology
- Subjects: Eight Spanish Purebred dressage stallions were used for the study.
- CRET Application: The treatment was applied bilaterally on three key anatomical regions—the neck, back, and croup—thus targeting muscles and joints important for dressage movements.
- Control: A sham treatment was administered with the CRET device turned off to ensure comparison against no therapeutic effect.
- Data Collection: Horses wore an accelerometer fixed to the sternal area during their dressage test to record detailed biomechanical data.
- Parameters Recorded:
- Spatiotemporal stride parameters: stride length (SL) and stride frequency (SF)
- Accelerometric activities in three axes: dorsoventral (DVAA), longitudinal (LAA), and mediolateral
- Dorsoventral displacement, indicating vertical movement amplitude
- Velocity during various gaits (walk, trot, canter) and gait variations (working, collected, extended, passage, piaffe)
Key Results and Findings
- Walking Gait:
- CRET showed minimal impact; only a longer stride length during medium walk was observed compared to sham.
- Trot Gaits:
- In working, medium, and extended trots, CRET increased velocity, primarily through longer stride length without altering stride frequency.
- In collected trot, CRET reduced stride length and longitudinal accelerometry activity while increasing dorsoventral accelerometry activity, indicating altered movement dynamics.
- Passage and Piaffe (Collected Dressage Movements):
- Both showed decreased stride length and longitudinal accelerometry activity after CRET, with an increase in dorsoventral accelerometry activity.
- Velocity decreased in passage, suggesting more controlled, possibly more collected movement.
- Canter Gaits:
- Working canter showed minor changes with CRET application.
- Extended canter displayed increases in velocity, stride frequency, stride length, and longitudinal accelerometry activity, indicating enhanced extension and propulsion.
Interpretation of Findings
- The observed improvements in stride length and locomotor accelerometric profiles in extended gaits suggest CRET could enhance the horses’ ability to perform movements requiring greater extension and propulsion.
- The changes seen in collected gaits, including increased dorsoventral activity and reduced stride length and velocity, might reflect better collection—a fundamental quality in dressage characterized by rounded, controlled movements.
- The selective effects depending on gait type imply that CRET modulates muscle and joint properties in a way that supports both enhanced extension and improved collection.
Conclusion
- Applying CRET 24 hours prior to dressage exercise produces measurable improvements in biomechanical parameters of gait in Spanish Purebred dressage horses.
- These changes indicate enhanced performance characteristics such as better collection during collected gaits and improved extension during extended gaits, which are critical to dressage success.
- CRET may serve as a useful, non-invasive tool to optimize athletic performance in equine dressage conditioning and rehabilitation.
Cite This Article
APA
Calle-González N, Rivero JL, Argüelles D, Requena F, Muñoz A.
(2026).
Biomechanical assessment of dressage Spanish horses through accelerometry and the immediate effects of a single capacitive resistive electrical transfer session.
BMC Vet Res, 22(1), 148.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-026-05319-9 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain. z92calgn@uco.es.
- Equine Sport Medicine Center, CEMEDE, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain. z92calgn@uco.es.
- Department of Comparative and Pathological Anatomy and Toxicology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain.
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain.
- Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain.
- Equine Sport Medicine Center, CEMEDE, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain.
- Department of Cellular Biology, Physiology, and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain.
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain. pv1mujua@uco.es.
- Equine Sport Medicine Center, CEMEDE, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain. pv1mujua@uco.es.
Conflict of Interest Statement
Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The experimental design of this study has been reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee for Animal Welfare of the Veterinary Clinical Hospital of the University of Córdoba (Reference 28/2018, approved on June 21st, 2018; title: The effect of capacitive resistive electrical transfer on sport horses). All procedures involving animals were conducted in accordance with relevant institutional, national, and international regulations, they were non-invasive and did not involve any experimental manipulation likely to cause pain, suffering, distress, or lasting harm. Specifically, all methods complied with European Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes and its national transposition through Spanish Royal Decree 53/2013. The study was conducted in accordance with the Guidelines for Ethical Conduct in the Care and Use of Animals, and reporting followed the ARRIVE guidelines. Written informed consent was obtained from the manager of the public stud farm where the study was conducted, as well as from the individual owners and riders of the horses included in the study. Consent for publication: Not applicable. This study does not contain any individual animal’s data (including identifiable details, images, or videos), nor any personal information from owners or riders. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
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