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Home / Equine Research Bank / Equine Vet J Suppl / Forelimb tendon loading during jump landings and the influen...
Equine veterinary journal. Supplement2001; (33); 6-10; doi: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2001.tb05349.x

Forelimb tendon loading during jump landings and the influence of fence height.

Abstract: Lameness in athletic horses is often caused by forelimb tendon injuries, especially in the interosseus tendon (TI) and superficial digital flexor tendon (SDF), but also in the accessory ligament (AL) of the deep digital flexor tendon (DDF). In an attempt to explain the aetiology of these injuries, the present study investigated the loading of the tendons during landing after a jump. In jumping horses, the highest forces can be expected in the trailing limb during landing. Therefore, landing kinematics and ground reaction forces of the trailing forelimb were measured from 6 horses jumping single fences with low to medium heights of 0.80, 1.00 and 1.20 m. The tendon forces were calculated using inverse dynamics and an in vitro model of the lower forelimb. Calculated peak forces in the TI, SDF and DDF + AL during landing were 15.8, 13.9 and 11.7 kN respectively. The relative loading of the tendons (landing forces compared with failure forces determined in a separate study) increased from DDF to TI to SDF and was very high in SDF. This explains the low injury incidence of the DDF and the high injury incidence of the SDF. Fence height substantially influenced SDF forces, whereas it hardly influenced TI forces and did not influence AL strain. Reduction of fence height might therefore limit the risks for SDF injuries, but not for TI and AL injuries.
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Publication Date: 2001-11-28 PubMed ID: 11721571DOI: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2001.tb05349.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

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 research article studied how the forelimb tendons of horses are affected by the act of jumping and landing from different fence heights. It aims to identify the correlation between different landing incidences and the occurrence of forelimb tendon injuries in horses, with the hope of determining prevention strategies.

Research Objective

  • The goal of the study is to understand the etiology of tendon injuries in athletic horses’ forelimbs. This became pertinent due to the high incidence of lameness in athletic horses caused by these injuries – particularly in the interosseus tendon (TI), the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDF), and the accessory ligament (AL) of the deep digital flexor tendon (DDF).

Methodology

  • The researchers measured the landing kinematics and ground reaction forces of the trailing forelimb in six horses that were made to jump fences. The fences had three different heights: low, medium, and high (0.80, 1.00, and 1.20 m respectively).
  • The tendon forces were calculated using inverse dynamics and an in vitro model of the lower forelimb. This was done to calculate peak forces in the TI, SDF, and DDF + AL during landing.

Findings

  • The study found that the forces experienced by the different tendons varied. Peak forces measured during landing were 15.8, 13.9, and 11.7 kN in the TI, SDF, and DDF + AL respectively.
  • The relative loading of the tendons also varied based on the individual tendon and increased from DDF to TI to SDF. The highest loading was seen in SDF.
  • The study discovered that fence height substantially influenced the forces exerted on the SDF. However, it had minimal impact on the forces experienced by the TI, and did not affect the AL strain at all.
  • Consequently, the researchers suggest that a reduction in fence height might limit the risk for SDF injuries, but not for TI and AL injuries.

Implications

  • The findings from this study offer valuable insights into the origins of common forelimb tendon injuries in athletic horses.
  • They also suggest potential preventative measures, such as adjusting fence height, to limit the risks for certain injuries.

Cite This Article

APA
Meershoek LS, Schamhardt HC, Roepstorff L, Johnston C. (2001). Forelimb tendon loading during jump landings and the influence of fence height. Equine Vet J Suppl(33), 6-10. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.2001.tb05349.x

Publication

Equine veterinary journal. Supplement
NlmUniqueID: 9614088
Country: United States
Language: English
Issue: 33
Pages: 6-10

Researcher Affiliations

Meershoek, L S
  • Department of Veterinary Anatomy and Physiology, Institute for Fundamental and Clinical Human Movement Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Schamhardt, H C
    Roepstorff, L
      Johnston, C

        MeSH Terms

        • Animals
        • Biomechanical Phenomena
        • Forelimb / injuries
        • Forelimb / physiology
        • Horses / injuries
        • Horses / physiology
        • Lameness, Animal / etiology
        • Ligaments, Articular / physiology
        • Locomotion / physiology
        • Physical Conditioning, Animal
        • Tendon Injuries / complications
        • Tendon Injuries / physiopathology
        • Tendon Injuries / veterinary
        • Tendons / physiology
        • Weight-Bearing / physiology

        Citations

        This article has been cited 10 times.
        1. Buzzetti AP, Nothaft IT, Paganela JC, Franzan BC, Braga GI, Barreira APB, de Lima LR, de Almeida FQ. Ultrasound evaluation of digital flexor tendons of jumping horses undergoing treadmill training. Braz J Vet Med 2022;44:e004421.
          doi: 10.29374/2527-2179.bjvm004421pubmed: 35749103google scholar: lookup
        2. Hobbs SJ, Clayton HM. The Olympic motto through the lens of equestrian sports. Anim Front 2022 Jun;12(3):45-53.
          doi: 10.1093/af/vfac025pubmed: 35711501google scholar: lookup
        3. Janczarek I, Kędzierski W, Tkaczyk E, Kaczmarek B, Łuszczyński J, Mucha K. Thermographic Analysis of the Metacarpal and Metatarsal Areas in Jumping Sport Horses and Leisure Horses in Response to Warm-Up Duration. Animals (Basel) 2021 Jul 6;11(7).
          doi: 10.3390/ani11072022pubmed: 34359150google scholar: lookup
        4. Symons J. Mechanical Effect of Performance Pressure Boots on Cadaveric Equine Hindlimb Fetlock Biomechanics. Animals (Basel) 2021 Mar 30;11(4).
          doi: 10.3390/ani11040958pubmed: 33808243google scholar: lookup
        5. Mostafa MB, Elemmawy YM. Relationships between morphometric measurements and musculoskeletal disorders in jumping Thoroughbred horses. J Equine Sci 2020 Jun;31(2):23-27.
          doi: 10.1294/jes.31.23pubmed: 32617072google scholar: lookup
        6. Léguillette R, Bond SL, Lawlor K, Haan T, Weber LM. Comparison of physiological demands in Warmblood show jumping horses over a standardized 1.10 m jumping course versus a standardized exercise test on a track. BMC Vet Res 2020 Jun 8;16(1):182.
          doi: 10.1186/s12917-020-02400-9pubmed: 32513241google scholar: lookup
        7. Johnson S, Symons J. Measuring Volumetric Changes of Equine Distal Limbs: A Pilot Study Examining Jumping Exercise. Animals (Basel) 2019 Sep 30;9(10).
          doi: 10.3390/ani9100751pubmed: 31575002google scholar: lookup
        8. Takahashi T, Mukai K, Ohmura H, Aida H, Hiraga A. In vivo measurements of flexor tendon and suspensory ligament forces during trotting using the thoroughbred forelimb model. J Equine Sci 2014;25(1):15-22.
          doi: 10.1294/jes.25.15pubmed: 24834009google scholar: lookup
        9. Brown NA, Pandy MG, Kawcak CE, McIlwraith CW. Force- and moment-generating capacities of muscles in the distal forelimb of the horse. J Anat 2003 Jul;203(1):101-13.
          doi: 10.1046/j.1469-7580.2003.00206.xpubmed: 12892409google scholar: lookup
        10. Tranquille CA, Chojnacka K, Murray RC. Musculoskeletal Injury and Illness Patterns in British Eventing Horses: A Descriptive Study. Animals (Basel) 2024 Sep 13;14(18).
          doi: 10.3390/ani14182667pubmed: 39335262google scholar: lookup
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