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PloS one2023; 18(5); e0286409; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286409

Effect of speed and leading or trailing limbs on surface muscle activities during canter in Thoroughbred horses.

Abstract: Given that Thoroughbred horses' canter is an asymmetric gait, not only speed but also leading or trailing limbs could affect muscle activities. However, the muscle activity during a canter remains poorly understood. Hence, we aimed to investigate speed and lead-side (leading or trailing) effects on surface electromyography (sEMG) during a canter. The sEMG data were recorded from left Musculus brachiocephalicus (Br), M. infraspinatus (Inf), long head of M. triceps brachii (TB), M. gluteus medius (GM), M. semitendinosus (ST), and M. flexor digitorum longus of seven Thoroughbreds with hoof-strain gauges at the left hooves. Horses cantered on a flat treadmill at 7, 10, and 13 m/s for 25 s each without lead change. Subsequently, the horses trotted for 3 min and cantered at the same speed and duration in the opposite lead side ("leading" at the left lead and "trailing" at the right lead). The order of the lead side and speed was randomized. The mean of 10 consecutive stride durations, duty factors, integrated-EMG values (iEMG) for a stride, and muscle onset and offset timing were compared using a generalized mixed model (P trailing, +47%), Inf (leading > trailing, +19%), GM (leading < trailing, +20%), and ST (leading < trailing, +19%). In TB, GM, and ST, muscle onset in trailing was earlier than the leading, while offset in the leading was earlier in Br. In conclusion, different muscles have different responses to speed and lead side; thus, both the lead side and running speed should be considered during training and/or rehabilitation including canter or gallop.
Copyright: © 2023 Takahashi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
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Publication Date: 2023-05-26 PubMed ID: 37235556PubMed Central: PMC10218737DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286409Google 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.

This study investigates the effect of speed and the position of limbs (leading or trailing) on muscle activation in thoroughbred horses during a canter. Using surface electromyography (sEMG), the researchers recorded muscle activity from various muscle groups as the horses cantered at different speeds and in different leading or trailing limb configurations.

Research Methods

  • The study used seven thoroughbred horses that were made to canter on a flat treadmill at speeds of 7, 10, and 13 m/s, each for 25 seconds, without a change in their lead side.
  • The lead side refers to which set of legs, left or right, leads during canter. Subsequently, the horses trotted for 3 minutes and then cantered at the same speed, but with their lead side reversed.
  • sEMG data were recorded from six different muscles: the Musculus brachiocephalicus (Br), M. infraspinatus (Inf), long head of M. triceps brachii (TB), M. gluteus medius (GM), M. semitendinosus (ST), and M. flexor digitorum longus, along with hoof-strain gauges on the left hooves.
  • Data such as stride durations, duty factors, integrated EMG values (iEMG) for an entire stride, the timing of muscle activation (onset), and deactivation (offset) were collected and evaluated.

Research Findings

  • Stride durations and duty factors (the percentage of a stride during which a hoof is in contact with the ground) decreased significantly with increased speed, regardless of the lead side.
  • At 13 m/s, there was a notable increase in muscle activity (iEMG) in all muscles, as compared to 7 m/s. The range of this increase spanned from +15% to +134%.
  • An effect of the lead side on muscle activity was observed: muscles like Br and Inf had higher activation when they were on the leading side, while muscles like GM and ST had higher activation when they were on the trailing side.
  • For the TB, GM, and ST muscles, muscle activation began earlier when they were on the trailing side. Conversely, for the Br muscle, muscle deactivation occurred earlier when it was on the leading side.

Conclusion

  • The study concludes that, during a canter, different muscles respond differently depending on their speed and whether they are on the leading or trailing side.
  • Both the lead side and running speed play important roles in muscle activation and should therefore be taken into account during training or rehabilitation activities involving canter or gallop.

Cite This Article

APA
Takahashi Y, Takahashi T, Mukai K, Ebisuda Y, Ohmura H. (2023). Effect of speed and leading or trailing limbs on surface muscle activities during canter in Thoroughbred horses. PLoS One, 18(5), e0286409. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0286409

Publication

PloS one
ISSN: 1932-6203
NlmUniqueID: 101285081
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 18
Issue: 5
Pages: e0286409
PII: e0286409

Researcher Affiliations

Takahashi, Yuji
  • Sports Science Division of Equine Research Institute, Japan Racing Association, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, Japan.
Takahashi, Toshiyuki
  • Sports Science Division of Equine Research Institute, Japan Racing Association, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, Japan.
Mukai, Kazutaka
  • Sports Science Division of Equine Research Institute, Japan Racing Association, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, Japan.
Ebisuda, Yusaku
  • Sports Science Division of Equine Research Institute, Japan Racing Association, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, Japan.
Ohmura, Hajime
  • Sports Science Division of Equine Research Institute, Japan Racing Association, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, Japan.

MeSH Terms

  • Horses
  • Animals
  • Gait / physiology
  • Muscle, Skeletal / physiology
  • Running / physiology
  • Electromyography
  • Forelimb / physiology
  • Biomechanical Phenomena

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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Citations

This article has been cited 1 times.
  1. Takahashi Y, Takahashi T, Mukai K, Ebisuda Y, Ohmura H. Changes in muscle activation with graded surfaces during canter in Thoroughbred horses on a treadmill. PLoS One 2024;19(6):e0305622.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0305622pubmed: 38875264google scholar: lookup
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