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Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2021; 11(12); doi: 10.3390/ani11123581

Impact of Gait and Diameter during Circular Exercise on Front Hoof Area, Vertical Force, and Pressure in Mature Horses.

Abstract: Circular exercise can be used at varying gaits and diameters to exercise horses, with repeated use anecdotally relating to increased lameness. This work sought to characterize mean area, mean vertical force, and mean pressure of the front hooves while exercising in a straight line at the walk and trot, and small (10-m diameter) and large circles (15-m diameter) at the walk, trot, and canter. Nine mature horses wore TekscanTM Hoof Sensors on their forelimbs adhered with a glue-on shoe. Statistical analysis was performed in SAS 9.4 with fixed effects of leg, gait, and exercise type (PROC GLIMMIX) and p < 0.05 as significant. For all exercise types, the walk had greater mean pressure than the trot (p < 0.01). At the walk, the straight line had greater mean area loaded than the large circle (p = 0.01), and both circle sizes had lower mean vertical force than the straight line (p = 0.003). During circular exercise at the canter, the outside front limb had greater mean area loaded than at the walk and trot (p = 0.001). This study found that gait is an important factor when evaluating circular exercise and should be considered when exercising horses to prevent injury.
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Publication Date: 2021-12-17 PubMed ID: 34944357PubMed Central: PMC8697886DOI: 10.3390/ani11123581Google Scholar: Lookup
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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.

The research article examines how different diameters and gaits during horse exercise affect the front hooves’ average area, vertical force, and pressure. It finds that gait is crucial and must be taken into account when exercising horses to prevent injuries.

Study Design and Approach

  • The researchers used nine mature horses for the study, equipping their forelimbs with Tekscan Hoof Sensors attached with a glue-on shoe. This was done to precisely measure and record the horse’s hoof area, vertical force and pressure when exercising.
  • Each horse was put through various exercises. These included moving at different gaits – walking, trotting, and cantering – and in a straight line, as well as in small (10-m diameter) and large (15-m diameter) circles.
  • After gathering the data, statistical analysis was conducted using SAS 9.4, a software used for advanced analytics. They examined fixed effects of leg, gait, and exercise type, and set a p value of < 0.05 to determine statistical significance.

Research Findings

  • The study found that for all types of exercises, walking resulted in a higher mean pressure on the hooves than trotting.
  • When the horse walked in a straight line, it had a greater mean area loaded – the surface area of the hoof touching the ground or the shoe – than when it walked in a large circle.
  • Both sizes of circular movement (10m and 15m diameters) resulted in a lower mean vertical force on the hooves than straight-line movement when the horse was walking.
  • While undertaking circular exercise at a canter, the horse’s outside front limb displayed a higher mean loaded area than while walking or trotting.

Conclusions and Implications

  • Based on their findings, the researchers concluded that the gait of a horse is a significant factor when evaluating circular exercise routines. This is because gait change during these exercises impacts the hoof’s mean area, vertical force, and pressure, affecting the horse’s comfort and health.
  • Therefore, the study urges appropriate consideration of horse gait when designing exercise routines to avoid overstraining the horses and potentially leading to injury.

Cite This Article

APA
Logan AA, Nielsen BD, Robison CI, Hallock DB, Manfredi JM, Hiney KM, Buskirk DD, Popovich JM. (2021). Impact of Gait and Diameter during Circular Exercise on Front Hoof Area, Vertical Force, and Pressure in Mature Horses. Animals (Basel), 11(12). https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11123581

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 11
Issue: 12

Researcher Affiliations

Logan, Alyssa A
  • Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, 474 S. Shaw Ln., East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
Nielsen, Brian D
  • Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, 474 S. Shaw Ln., East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
Robison, Cara I
  • Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, 474 S. Shaw Ln., East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
Hallock, David B
  • 3R Forge and Farriery, Dansville, MI 48819, USA.
Manfredi, Jane M
  • Department of Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation, Michigan State University, 784 Wilson, Rd., East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
Hiney, Kristina M
  • Department of Animal and Food Sciences, Oklahoma State University, 201J Animal Sciences, Stillwater, OK 74074, USA.
Buskirk, Daniel D
  • Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, 474 S. Shaw Ln., East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
Popovich, John M
  • Department of Osteopathic Surgical Specialties, Michigan State University, 909 Fee Rd., B405, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.

Grant Funding

  • PROTO101800148 / Michigan Alliance for Animal Agriculture
  • Influence of circle size and speed on forces experienced by exercising horses (2019-2020) / American Quarter Horse Foundation

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest and the funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

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Citations

This article has been cited 4 times.
  1. Harbowy RM, Nielsen BD, Colbath AC, Robison CI, Buskirk DD, Logan AA. Effects of Exercise Speed and Circle Diameter on Markers of Bone and Joint Health in Juvenile Sheep as an Equine Model. Animals (Basel) 2025 Feb 2;15(3).
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  2. Bowen AG, Tabor G, Labens R, Randle H. Visually Assessing Equine Quality of Movement: A Survey to Identify Key Movements and Patient-Specific Measures. Animals (Basel) 2023 Sep 5;13(18).
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  3. Logan AA, Snyder AJ, Nielsen BD. Circle Diameter Impacts Stride Frequency and Forelimb Stance Duration at Various Gaits in Horses. Sensors (Basel) 2023 Apr 24;23(9).
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  4. Logan AA, Nielsen BD, Hiney KM, Robison CI, Manfredi JM, Buskirk DD, Popovich JM Jr. The Impact of Circular Exercise Diameter on Bone and Joint Health of Juvenile Animals. Animals (Basel) 2022 May 27;12(11).
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