Electromyography of the Multifidus Muscle in Horses Trotting During Therapeutic Exercises.

This research investigates the effects of various exercises and the use of a resistance band training device on the multifidus muscle, a back muscle, in horses. It is found that using ground poles during a horse’s trotting exercise significantly increases muscle activation, while incorporating a resistance band training device might actually reduce this muscle work and peak activity in certain conditions.

Study Objectives and Hypothesis

• The study aims to observe the average work performed and peak muscle activity of the multifidus muscle in horses during different exercises. This includes horses simply trotting, trotting over ground poles, trotting while wearing a resistance band-based training device, and trotting while wearing the training device and moving over ground poles. Electromyography, a diagnostic method used to evaluate the health of muscles and nerve cells that control them, was utilized to collect these data.
• The researchers hypothesized that both ground poles and the training device would increase the average work performed and peak multifidus muscle activity.

Key Findings

• When horses trotted over ground poles, a significant increase was seen in muscle work and peak activation of the multifidus muscle. This was particularly noticeable on the right and left cranial thoracic locations, showing that the use of ground poles during trotting exercise can effectively engage the multifidus muscle.
• However, when the resistance band-based training device was used, the results varied. The training device didn’t have a significant effect on peak activation in lumbar regions of the horses when they trotted over poles.
• In exercises where the training device was incorporated without ground poles, left caudal thoracic muscle work and peak activity, as well as right lumbar muscle work, were significantly lower compared to when no training device was used.
• When the training device was paired with trotting over ground poles, the muscle activity in caudal thoracic regions was significantly reduced. There were no significant differences observed in the lumbar regions with or without the device.

Conclusion and Further Research

• The study concludes that implementing ground poles can be a useful strategy to increase activation of the equine multifidus muscle. Care should be taken, however, when incorporating the use of a resistance band-based training device, as this may actually decrease muscle work and peak activity in the horse, especially in certain areas.
• Further studies are recommended to explore the effects of the training device on the equine back muscles, the epaxial musculature, due to the reduction in muscle activation observed in this study.