Biomechanical findings in horses showing asymmetrical vertical excursions of the withers at walk.
Abstract: The walk and trot are inherently symmetrical gaits, making them potentially suitable for the detection of left-right asymmetries. The aims of this study were to describe asymmetrical vertical excursions of the withers at walk in non-lame high-level dressage horses and to seek associations between these asymmetric movements and other kinematic variables and vertical ground reaction forces (vGRFs). Seven dressage horses, judged clinically as being sound, walked unridden and unrestrained on a treadmill with an integrated force measuring system (480 Hz), from which spatiotemporal and vGRF variables were extracted. Markers were tracked by 12 infrared cameras (240 Hz). The vertical position of the sixth thoracic vertebra (T6), limb protraction and retraction distances throughout stance, and global limb lengths were determined. Contralateral trial-mean differences were calculated, including difference in T6 minimum vertical position between contralateral steps (T6minDiff). Mixed models were used to study associations between symmetry parameters. Trial-mean T6minDiff ranged between 0.3-23 mm. Of the seven horses, five consistently dropped the withers more in early left forelimb stance, one was fairly symmetrical, and one dropped the withers more in early right forelimb stance. Comparisons between contralateral limbs showed the following associations. The forelimb that was retracted when T6min was lowest showed greater retraction at toe-off (1 mm increase predicted 0.17 mm T6minDiff increase) and shorter stance duration (1 ms decrease predicted 0.3 mm T6minDiff increase). The hind limb that was in midstance when T6min was lowest showed a greater range of motion during the stance phase (1 mm increase in protraction or retraction predicted 0.2 mm T6minDiff increase). The haunches were displaced away from the side of the forelimb that was protracted when T6min was lowest (1 mm lateral shift predicted 0.07 mm T6minDiff increase). Forelimb and hind limb vGRF parameters were non-significant. Asymmetry of vertical withers movement in horses assessed as being sound at trot was related to a complex pattern of asymmetries in spatiotemporal variables throughout the stride cycle rather than to vertical load redistribution between the forelimbs. This suggests that the asymmetry may be due to inherent laterality rather than weight-bearing lameness.
Publication Date: 2018-09-27 PubMed ID: 30261019PubMed Central: PMC6160136DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0204548Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This research investigates vertical movement asymmetry at the withers (the ridge between the shoulder blades) in high-level dressage horses while walking. It found that asymmetry might not be associated with lameness but could be due to natural unevenness in the horse’s gait.
Study Design
- The study was focused on high-level dressage horses who were deemed clinically sound – they showed no signs of disease or injury.
- The horses were made to walk unrestrained and unridden on a treadmill with an integrated force measuring system, which recorded spatiotemporal and vertical ground reaction force (vGRF) variables i.e., the force exercised by the ground on the body in contact with it.
- Various movements of the horses were tracked using twelve infrared cameras.
- They specifically noted the vertical position of the sixth thoracic vertebra (T6), the protraction and retraction distances throughout their stance, and the overall lengths of their limbs.
Findings
- Trial-mean differences (averages of the recorded variables) in T6’s minimum vertical position were calculated between contralateral steps, designated as T6minDiff.
- The research found that the position of T6 visualised on the asymmetrical dipping of the withers during early left forelimb stance in five horses, while one horse had symmetrical movements and one horse exhibited this dipping during early right forelimb stance.
- The forelimb that was pulled back or retracted when T6min was lowest showed more retraction at toe-off and shorter stance duration.
- The hind limb that was midway through stance when T6min was at its lowest showed a wider range of movement during its stance phase.
- The horse’s haunches moved away from the side of the forelimb that was pulled forward or protracted when T6min was lowest.
- No significant relationships were found between vGRF parameters and either forelimb or hind limb.
Conclusion
- The observed asymmetry in vertical withers movement in these medically sound horses was linked more to a complex pattern of asymmetrical timing and spatial movements during walking than to a vertical redistribution of load between the horse’s forelimbs.
- This indicates that the detected asymmetries could be due to an inherent ‘handedness’ or lateral bias in the horse, rather than signs of lameness.
Cite This Article
APA
Byström A, Egenvall A, Roepstorff L, Rhodin M, Bragança FS, Hernlund E, van Weeren R, Weishaupt MA, Clayton HM.
(2018).
Biomechanical findings in horses showing asymmetrical vertical excursions of the withers at walk.
PLoS One, 13(9), e0204548.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0204548 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
- Department of Equine Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
- Department of Equine Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
- Equine Department, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, East Lansing, Michigan, United States of America.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Biomechanical Phenomena
- Fiducial Markers
- Forelimb / physiology
- Gait / physiology
- Hindlimb / physiology
- Horses / anatomy & histology
- Horses / physiology
- Models, Biological
- Walking / physiology
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
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Citations
This article has been cited 10 times.- Maldonado MD, Parkinson SD, Story MR, Haussler KK. The Effect of Chiropractic Treatment on Limb Lameness and Concurrent Axial Skeleton Pain and Dysfunction in Horses.. Animals (Basel) 2022 Oct 19;12(20).
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