Motion pattern of the toelt of Icelandic horses at different speeds.

This study examines the movement patterns of Icelandic horses while performing the toelt gait at different speeds. The researchers found that the characteristic stride patterns of the toelt gait are only present across a limited speed range.

Objective of the Study

• The main objective of this study was to investigate the stride characteristics of horses ridden at toelt – a symmetric 4-beat gait unique to Icelandic horses – and to compare them to previous descriptions of this gait.

Methodology

• The authors used the Expert Vision System, an advanced motion-capture technology, to record and measure the kinematics (motion patterns) of 23 mature and sound Icelandic horses.
• The horses were ridden at the toelt gait at three different speeds, and for each horse, ten strides were measured at these varying speeds.

Key Findings

• The study showed that only seven of the tested horses exhibited the true toelt pattern at one or two of the tested speeds, indicating that the genuine toelt gait is not universally achieved across all speed ranges.
• At the fastest speed tested (4.7 m/s), 60% of all recorded motion cycles displayed a stride pattern characteristic of a 4-beat pace, which is distinct from the toelt gait.

Conclusion

• The study ultimately concluded that the traditional toelt gait pattern is only present within a narrow speed range.
• Extended speed toelt is often not a true toelt, but rather manifests as a 4-beat pace, and in rare instances, as a 4-beat trot.