Kinematic discrimination of ataxia in horses is facilitated by blindfolding.

The research examines whether the use of motion capture and blindfolding can help in fine-tuning the diagnosis of ataxia in horses. The study showed that motion capture does provide a more detailed account of gait abnormalities, which can benefit the clinical evaluation process. Moreover, when horses were blindfolded, the variation in their gait increased, particularly in ataxic horses, indicating that this could be a noteworthy clinical tool.

Objective and Methods

• The researchers aimed to establish a more clear-cut method of diagnosing ataxia in horses, given the poor consensus among veterinarians, especially when symptoms are mild. Thus, the study uses motion capture technology to measure gait characteristics and study the effect of blindfolding.
• 21 horses were involved in the study and were analyzed in a gait laboratory and by clinical grading.
• In the gait laboratory, the horses were asked to walk across a runway with a 12-camera motion capture system in place. They walked normally and also blindfolded for a series of trials.
• The measurements, including the displacements of various body parts, were processed and the data was subjected to descriptive statistics, receiver operator characteristics (ROC), and a correlation analysis between the median ataxia grade and gait parameters.

Results

• For horses with a median ataxia grade of 2 or above, there is a good diagnostic yield with the coefficient of variation for the location of maximum vertical displacement of distinct limbs.
• The marker on the hoof of the thoracic limbs yielded an Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 0.81, with a sensitivity of 64% and specificity of 90%.
• Blindfolding increased the variability in the gait of ataxic horses more than in non-ataxic horses. Here the hoof marker had an AUC of 0.89, with higher sensitivity (82%) and the same specificity (90%) as in non-blindfolded circumstances.

Conclusions

• The team acknowledges that the low number of consecutive strides per horse recorded could impact the diagnostic utility of such a method.
• Regardless, the study makes a solid case for motion capture playing an integral part in the objective assessment of horses with ataxia.
• The research also proposes that blindfolding ataxic horses could prove advantageous during clinical evaluations as it makes variations in gait more noticeable.