Height measurement in horses and ponies: optimising standard protocols.
Abstract: Standard and modified measuring sticks were used to record height at the withers and a 'non-contact' laser was used to measure withers and loin heights. Sixty horses and ponies, ranging in height (115 to 155 cm) and body condition score (BCS) (moderate to obese) were measured by each method at 10-minute intervals for 40 minutes. Measurement series were repeated over three successive days. Unique regression models were constructed for method-specific data. Coefficients of variation were similar for stick and laser methods (0.002 to 0.004 per cent). Models were not influenced by day of measurement or BCS. Withers height decreased significantly (0.48 cm, 95 per cent confidence intervals -0.61 to -0.36 cm, P<0.001) over the first 20 minutes. In living animals, laser-derived measurements of withers height at T(20) exceeded stick measurements by approximately 1 cm (P<0.001). Loin height remained similar across time. Some alteration in relaxed withers height is an inevitable consequence of changes in muscle tone at the scapulothoracic synsarcosis.
Publication Date: 2010-07-27 PubMed ID: 20656991DOI: 10.1136/vr.c3722Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This research explores optimal methodologies for height measurement in horses and ponies, utilizing both traditional and modern (laser) tools. The study highlighted that withers height slightly decreases in living animals over a 20-minute period, while loin heights remain constant.
Methodology
- The researchers used traditional measuring sticks and modern ‘non-contact’ laser measurement tools to record the heights of horses and ponies at different body parts, withers and loins.
- Successful measurements were taken from 60 horses and ponies with varying heights (115 to 155 cm) and body condition scores (BCS) (moderate to obese). Each animal was measured using both measurement methods at 10-minute intervals for a total of 40 minutes.
- This methodology was implemented over three consecutive days to ensure accuracy and validity across a series of measurements.
Statistical Analysis
- Unique regression models were built for each specific measurement method to understand their efficiency and reliability.
- The researchers used the coefficient of variation values, which were similar for both stick and laser methods (0.002 to 0.004 percent), to quantify the method’s precision.
- The study’s models were not affected by the day or the Body Condition Scores (BCS) of the animals measured.
Findings
- The study found that the withers height, the highest point of a horse’s back, could, in fact, decrease significantly (around 0.48 cm) during the first 20 minutes of measurement.
- However, the height of the animal’s loins remained consistent throughout the measurement series, irrespective of the measurement tool used.
- The laser-derived measurements of withers height at the 20-minute mark noticeably exceeded the measurements taken by the traditional stick method by approximately 1 cm.
Conclusion
- The research concludes that some degree of alteration in the relaxed withers height is an inevitable outcome of changes in muscle tone at the scapulothoracic synsarcosis, which is the joint where a horse’s lower shoulder blade (scapula) and the thorax meet.
- This might account for the slight decrease observed in withers height within a short period.
Cite This Article
APA
Curtis GC, Grove-White D, Ellis RN, Argo CM.
(2010).
Height measurement in horses and ponies: optimising standard protocols.
Vet Rec, 167(4), 127-133.
https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.c3722 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Division of Equine Science, Department of Veterinary Clinical Science, University of Liverpool, Leahurst, Neston, Cheshire CH64 7TE.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Biometry / instrumentation
- Biometry / methods
- Horses / anatomy & histology
- Lasers
- Regression Analysis
- Reproducibility of Results
Citations
This article has been cited 1 times.- Metzger J, Schrimpf R, Philipp U, Distl O. Expression levels of LCORL are associated with body size in horses.. PLoS One 2013;8(2):e56497.
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