Comparison of Asymmetry During Trot In-Hand With Evaluations of Discomfort and Pain in Horses While Exercised.
Abstract: Traditional visual lameness assessment is subjective. Ethograms have been developed for evaluating pain and objective sensors to detect lameness. Heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) have been used to evaluate stress and pain. The aim of our study was to compare subjective and behavioral lameness scores, a sensor system measuring movement asymmetry, HR, and HRV. We hypothesized that these measures would show related trends. In 30 horses, an inertial sensor system was used to measure movement asymmetries during trot in-hand. A horse was categorized as sound if each asymmetry was less than 10 mm. We recorded riding to observe lameness and evaluate behavior. Heart rate and RR intervals were measured. Root mean squares of successive RR intervals (RMSSD) were calculated. Five horses were categorized as sound and 25 horses as lame by the inertial sensor system. No significant differences were detected between sound and lame horses in the ethogram, subjective lameness score, HR, and RMSSD. Overall asymmetry, ethogram, and lameness score had no significant correlation with each other, whereas overall asymmetry and ethogram correlated significantly with HR and RMSSD during certain phases of the ridden exercise. The main limitation of our study was the small number of sound horses detected by the inertial sensor system. The association between gait asymmetry and HRV suggests that the more gait asymmetry a horse shows during trot in-hand, the more pain or discomfort it probably experiences when ridden with a higher intensity. The threshold for lameness used by the inertial sensor system may require further evaluation.
Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2023-03-11 PubMed ID: 36914101DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2023.104282Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This research examined whether objective measures like movement asymmetry and heart rate variability could be used to measure discomfort or pain in horses with lameness, and whether these objective results match subjective and behavioral evaluations.
Study Design and Essence
- The research studied 30 horses using the measures of subjective and behavioral lameness scores, usage of a sensor system to measure movement asymmetry, heart rate, and heart rate variability.
- The aim was to test the hypothesis that all these measures show a related trend, indicating that objective measures can be used to reliably identify discomfort or pain in horses.
Procedure
- The team used an inertial sensor system on each horse while trotting to measure movement asymmetry.
- A horse was marked as ‘sound’ if the asymmetry was less than 10 mm.
- Riding sessions were recorded to observe for lameness signs and evaluate behavior.
- Heart rate and RR intervals (the time between consecutive heartbeats) were also measured and the Root Mean Square of the Successive RR intervals (RMSSD) were calculated, which comprise a measure of heart rate variability.
Results
- Out of the 30 horses, only five were categorized as ‘sound’ and the rest 25 as ‘lame’ as detected by the inertial sensor system.
- There were no significant differences found between the ‘sound’ and ‘lame’ horses in respect to the subjective lameness score, ethogram (a catalogue of all the different kinds of behavior or activity observed in an animal), heart rate, and RMSSD.
- No significant correlation was found between overall asymmetry, ethogram, and lameness score. However, a significant correlation was found between overall asymmetry and ethogram with heart rate and RMSSD during specific phases of the ridden exercise.
Implications and Limitations
- The findings suggest that the greater the movement asymmetry a horse displays during trot in-hand, the more discomfort or pain it likely experiences when ridden intensely.
- The researchers caution that their findings are limited due to the small number of ‘sound’ horses detected by the inertial sensor system.
- The threshold of lameness used by the inertial sensor system, as per the study, may need further investigation and validation.
Cite This Article
APA
Soiluva J, Häyrinen L, Gangini G, Öistämö R, Gracia-Calvo LA, Raekallio MR.
(2023).
Comparison of Asymmetry During Trot In-Hand With Evaluations of Discomfort and Pain in Horses While Exercised.
J Equine Vet Sci, 126, 104282.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2023.104282 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. Electronic address: johanna.soiluva@helsinki.fi.
- WHG Equine Sport Performance Oy, Helsinki, Finland.
- WHG Equine Sport Performance Oy, Helsinki, Finland.
- Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
- Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
- Department of Equine and Small Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
MeSH Terms
- Horses
- Animals
- Lameness, Animal / diagnosis
- Lameness, Animal / etiology
- Biomechanical Phenomena / physiology
- Gait / physiology
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
Citations
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