Movement asymmetry in working polo horses.

This research study examined the movement patterns of polo horses to find any signs of lameness or asymmetry in their gaits. It found that a significant number of these horses possessed gait asymmetries within the defined thresholds for lameness. No significant associations were found between these asymmetries and the horses’ ages or whether they were left or right-lame.

Objective and Methodology of the Study

In this study, the main objective was to measure movement symmetry and lameness in a group of polo horses and explore any possible correlation with the horses’ ages. A total of sixty polo horses were included in this cross-sectional study:

• Inertial measurement units (IMUs) were placed on two specific locations on each horse – the poll (top of the horse’s head) and the tubera sacrale (along the horse’s backbone). These devices helped in tracking the horses’ movement.
• Six different movement symmetry parameters were computed to assess the vertical displacement of the head and pelvis during trotting.
• These measures of movement symmetry were then compared to the ideal symmetry values, between left and right, limb lame horses, and the recommended thresholds for lameness.
• With respect to each horse’s age, regression lines for the parameters were estimated.

Key Findings

The research revealed the following key findings:

• Depending on different sets of lameness thresholds, about 52-53% of the polo horses showed head movement asymmetry, while 27-50% displayed pelvic movement asymmetry.
• When the data for head and pelvic asymmetry was combined, it resulted in 60-67% of the polo horses demonstrating some movement asymmetry that was beyond the recommended guideline values for either forelimbs, hindlimbs, or both.
• No indication was found to suggest a preference for asymmetry to be either on the left or the right side (P values more than 0.6 for forelimbs and more than 0.2 for hindlimbs).
• No significant increase or decrease was observed in any of the symmetry parameters with respect to the horses’ age.

Conclusion

The research concluded that a substantial proportion of polo horses exhibit gait asymmetries, leading to lameness. The asymmetries do not seem to have a preference for being more on one side than the other (not lateralized) and do not appear to be associated with the horses’ ages. This might imply that factors other than age and lateralization could be responsible for these asymmetries.