Prevalence of movement asymmetries in high-performing riding horses perceived as free from lameness and riders’ perception of horse sidedness.

This research investigates the prevalence of movement asymmetries in high-performing horses, often serving as indicators for lameness or orthopedic issues, despite their owners perceiving them as free from any such condition. It also studies the association between riders’ perceived sidedness of these horses and their vertical movement asymmetry.

Research Methodology

• The research involved an in-depth analysis of these asymmetries in horses that participated in high-level equestrian pursuits, such as show jumping, dressage, and eventing.
• An innovative inertial measurement unit-based device, named Equinosis, was used for gait analysis. The tool recorded the minute differences between the minimum and maximum vertical movements for every stride of the horses being observed.
• Parameters were established for labelling horses as ‘asymmetric’. If the asymmetry parameters went over an agreed trial mean (for example, >6mm for head movement and >3mm for pelvis movement), the horse was considered asymmetric.
• The study involved 123 high-performing horses, and meticulous records were kept for both head and pelvis movements for most accurate results.

Findings and observations

• The study revealed that 70% of these high-performing horses could be defined as asymmetric under the established parameters, a finding that aligns with previous studies involving young or lower-level competing horses.
• Alarmingly, this research also found that about one-third of these high-performing horses exhibited asymmetry values that could be equated to those observed in clinically lame horses.
• The research also found no obvious associations between rider-perceived sidedness (or unevenness between sides as perceived by the rider) and the actual vertical movement asymmetry of horses. This observation indicates that rider perception does not necessarily point to existing vertical movement asymmetry.

Implications and future research

• The widespread presence of such asymmetries among high-performing horses may point to potential welfare issues, thus requiring further research.
• Further studies are recommended to evaluate these movement asymmetries in relation to the intensity of training and clinical examinations. This would entail employing local or systemic analgesic testing to address the issue from various perspectives.