Locomotor mechanics of the tölt in Icelandic horses.

The research investigates the unique locomotor mechanics of the tölt, a special gait in Icelandic horses, and how it relates to veterinary care. It uncovers the mechanical characteristics of this gait and how it blends aspects of walking and running.

Study Participants and Data Collection

• The study included 10 adult Icelandic horses which had no history of lameness.
• Force platform data was captured for the horses while they were ridden at a tölt, a lateral sequence single-foot gait. This was done at a steady speed ranging between 0.89 and 5.98 m/s across 27 trials.
• The researchers also obtained kinematic data by tracking retroflective markers placed on the horses’ right fore- and hind limbs.

Approach and Measurements

• Both the kinetic and kinematic data captured were combined for evaluation using methods including duty factor, Froude number, and center of mass (COM) mechanics.
• The study aimed to determine the horses’ capacity to recover mechanical energies during tölting using inverse pendulum and spring-mass (bouncing) mechanics.

Results and Observations

• The study found that there were in-phase fluctuations of gravitational potential and kinetic energies of the horses’ center of mass (COM) when tölting.
• The research demonstrated that the horses had the capacity to recover mechanical energy through elastic recoil of spring elements in their limbs.
• The results showed that the tölt included characteristics of both walking and running. The Froude numbers exceeded values that are typically seen in walking to running transitions, suggesting that tölting uses bouncing mechanics and is thus more closely related to running.
• The footfall pattern of a lateral sequence single-foot gait and low vertical excursions of the COM are elements that are more commonly associated with walking.

Conclusions and Implications

• The study concluded that the tölt gait of Icelandic horses exhibits unique mechanical characteristics that veterinarians should understand for proper care.
• Even though the tölting gait differs in terms of interlimb coordination from trotting, most of the other aspects of their locomotor dynamics are similar.