Equine locomotion; 1. The analysis of linear and temporal stride characteristics of trotting standardbreds.
Abstract: The movements of the individual limbs of 30 clinically sound Standardbred trotters were studied using high-speed cinematography. At a speed of 12 metres per second (m/sec; 1:23.6 min/km) the mean stride length was 545 cm and the mean duration of the stride was 455 milliseconds (msecs). The stance phase in the forelimbs was 100 msecs and 177 msecs in the hindlimbs. This difference was due to a longer restraint period in the hindlimbs and resulted in slightly shorter swing phases for the hindlimbs. The variations in any particular horse for stride length and for the duration of stride, stance, swing and propulsion were very small (variation coefficient: approximately 2 per cent). For the restraint stage, however, the variation coefficient was around 5 per cent. The variations noted between different horses were generally 2 to 3 times greater than those recorded for the same horse. There was a close correlation between stride and swing phase duration, suggesting that the swing phase was the main contributor to the stride-time variations of different horses trotting at the same speed. The restraint and propulsion stages did not seem to play an important role in this respect for this group of animals.
Publication Date: 1980-04-01 PubMed ID: 7371611DOI: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.1980.tb02310.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The research focuses on analyzing the trotting patterns of Healthy Standardbred trotters, noting specific details such as stride length, duration of stride, and stance phases for both forelimbs and hindlimbs.
Introduction and Methodology
- The authors closely studied the locomotion patterns of 30 Standardbred trotters, particularly focusing on detailed quantitative elements of their strides.
- High-speed cinematography was utilized in order to accurately capture and assess the varying characteristics of the horse’s strides.
Findings
- On average, the horses covered 545 cm per stride, each stride lasted 455 milliseconds when trotting at a speed of 12 meters per second.
- The ‘stance phase’, which refers to when the horse’s limbs are making contact with the ground, was found to be 100 milliseconds for the forelimbs and 177 milliseconds for the hindlimbs.
- This difference is accounted by a longer restraint period in the hindlimbs, therefore the ‘swing phase’, or the time a horse’s leg spends off the ground, is shorter for the hindlimbs.
- The amount of variation in stride length and other components of stride (swing, propulsion) within a single horse was very small, with variation coefficients around 2 per cent.
- However, the variation coefficient for the restraint stage was slightly higher, around 5 percent.
Comparison and Correlation between Different Horses
- When comparing the variations between different horses, the researchers found these to be approximately 2 to 3 times larger than variations within a single horse’s strides.
- Moreover, there was a strong correlation seen between stride phase and swing phase, implying that variations in swing phase were likely the main contributor to the stride-time variations observed between different horses trotting at the same speed.
- In this set of trotters, the restraint and propulsion stages of stride didn’t seem to play a critical role in causing stride-time variations between horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Drevemo S, Dalin G, Fredricson I, Hjertén G.
(1980).
Equine locomotion; 1. The analysis of linear and temporal stride characteristics of trotting standardbreds.
Equine Vet J, 12(2), 60-65.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.1980.tb02310.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Forelimb / physiology
- Gait
- Hindlimb / physiology
- Horses / physiology
- Mathematics
- Motion Pictures
Citations
This article has been cited 13 times.- Vincelette A. The Characteristics, Distribution, Function, and Origin of Alternative Lateral Horse Gaits.. Animals (Basel) 2023 Aug 8;13(16).
- Pagliara E, Marenchino M, Antenucci L, Costantini M, Zoppi G, Giacobini MDL, Bullone M, Riccio B, Bertuglia A. Fetlock Joint Angle Pattern and Range of Motion Quantification Using Two Synchronized Wearable Inertial Sensors per Limb in Sound Horses and Horses with Single Limb Naturally Occurring Lameness.. Vet Sci 2022 Aug 25;9(9).
- Schwarz J, Vidondo B, Maninchedda UE, Sprick M, Schöpfer MC, Cruz AM. Inter-evaluator and Intra-evaluator Reliability of a Software Program Used to Extract Kinematic Variables Obtained by an Extremity-Mounted Inertial Measurement Unit System in Sound Horses at the Trot Under Soft and Hard Ground Conditions and Treadmill Exercise.. Front Vet Sci 2021;8:595455.
- Sapone M, Martin P, Ben Mansour K, Château H, Marin F. Comparison of Trotting Stance Detection Methods from an Inertial Measurement Unit Mounted on the Horse's Limb.. Sensors (Basel) 2020 May 25;20(10).
- Clayton HM, Hobbs SJ. A Review of Biomechanical Gait Classification with Reference to Collected Trot, Passage and Piaffe in Dressage Horses.. Animals (Basel) 2019 Oct 3;9(10).
- Stutz JC, Vidondo B, Ramseyer A, Maninchedda UE, Cruz AM. Effect of three types of horseshoes and unshod feet on selected non-podal forelimb kinematic variables measured by an extremity mounted inertial measurement unit sensor system in sound horses at the trot under conditions of treadmill and soft geotextile surface exercise.. Vet Rec Open 2018;5(1):e000237.
- Gustås P, Pettersson K, Honkavaara S, Lagerstedt AS, Byström A. Kinematic and spatiotemporal assessment of habituation to treadmill walking in Labrador retrievers.. Acta Vet Scand 2016 Dec 28;58(1):87.
- Hobbs SJ, Bertram JE, Clayton HM. An exploration of the influence of diagonal dissociation and moderate changes in speed on locomotor parameters in trotting horses.. PeerJ 2016;4:e2190.
- McCoy AM, Ralston SL, McCue ME. Short- and long-term racing performance of Standardbred pacers and trotters after early surgical intervention for tarsal osteochondrosis.. Equine Vet J 2015 Jul;47(4):438-44.
- Olsen E, Andersen PH, Pfau T. Accuracy and precision of equine gait event detection during walking with limb and trunk mounted inertial sensors.. Sensors (Basel) 2012;12(6):8145-56.
- Muñoz A, Santisteban R, Rubio MD, Riber C, Agüera EI, Castejón FM. Locomotor response to exercise in relation to plasma lactate accumulation and heart rate in Andalusian and Anglo-Arabian horses.. Vet Res Commun 1999 Oct;23(6):369-84.
- Galisteo AM, Cano MR, Morales JL, Vivo J, Miró F. The influence of speed and height at the withers on the kinematics of sound horses at the hand-led trot.. Vet Res Commun 1998 Sep;22(6):415-23.
- Crawford WH, Leach DH. The effect of racetrack design on gait symmetry of the pacer.. Can J Comp Med 1984 Oct;48(4):374-80.
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