Ground reaction forces of elite dressage horses in collected trot and passage.

The research article discusses a study of how elite dressage horses known as Dutch Warmbloods and Lusitanos interact physiologically with the ground while performing two common moves—the collected trot and the passage. The study involves measuring and comparing the forces exerted on the ground during these moves.

Methodology

• The research focuses specifically on sagittal plane ground reaction forces (GRFs) of horse’s four limbs in two specific actions; ‘collected trot’ and ‘passage’.
• Data for the GRFs was accrued using in-ground force plates as the horses performed these moves.
• Eight horses were included in the study, half of them were Dutch Warmblood breed and the remaining were Lusitano breed.
• The horses were ridden by their trainers during the test to simulate a more real-world scenario.
• For each horse, at least three stance phases were analyzed. This would mean observing the force exerted by both forelimbs and hind limbs separately.

Variables

• The variables measured from the force exerted by the horses’ on the ground included vertical and longitudinal maxima forces.
• These forces were further categorized into subcategories of braking and propulsive forces.
• The research also recorded the timing of these various forces’ maxima occurrence.
• Along with these, the researchers measured the impulses, or sudden force applications, exerted by both the forelimbs and hind limbs during the collected trot and passage movements.

Results

• The results of the study showed that Lusitano horses placed lower vertical impulses on the ground than Dutch Warmbloods during the collected trot.
• Regardless of breed, the passage movement showed a larger vertical impulse by both the forelimbs and hind limbs than in the collected trot.
• Moreover, during the passage move, an increase was noticed in the propulsive impulse in the hind limbs.
• The longer stance duration by the horses during passage is believed to contribute to these increased vertical impulses, which are needed to heighten the vertical motions of the center of mass during performance.