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Home / Equine Research Bank / J Anat / Rhythmic categories in horse gait kinematics.
Journal of anatomy2025; doi: 10.1111/joa.14200

Rhythmic categories in horse gait kinematics.

Abstract: Anecdotally, horses' gaits sound rhythmic. Are they really? In this study, we quantified the motor rhythmicity of horses across three different gaits (walk, trot, and canter). For the first time, we adopted quantitative tools from bioacoustics and music cognition to quantify locomotor rhythmicity. Specifically, we tested whether kinematics data contained rhythmic categories; these occur when adjacent temporal intervals are categorically, rather than randomly, distributed. We extracted the motion cycle duration (t) of two ipsilateral hooves from motion data of 13 ridden horses and calculated the ratios from two successive t values. We tested whether these ratios significantly fell within rhythmic categories and quantified how close they were to small-integer ratios, a rhythmic feature also present in animal vocalizations and human music. We found a strong isochronous pattern-a 1:1 rhythmic ratio, corresponding to the ticking of a clock-in the motion of single limbs for all gaits. We also analyzed the interlimb coordination of the two ipsilateral hooves' impacts to identify differences associated with the biomechanical patterns of the three gaits. We found an interlimb 1:1 rhythmic pattern for trot and 1:3 and 3:1 rhythmic categories for walk and canter. Our findings are a first step toward quantifying rhythmicity in horse locomotion and potentially the resulting rhythmic sounds, with possible implications as tools to detect gait irregularities. Overall, we show that rhythmic categories are a valuable tool for gait kinematic analysis and that they can be used to quantify temporal patterns in the motor domain.
© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Anatomy published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Anatomical Society.
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Publication Date: 2025-01-15 PubMed ID: 39814540DOI: 10.1111/joa.14200Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research examines and applies quantitative methods from bioacoustics and music cognition to the study of horse locomotion, specifically walking, trotting, and cantering, to identify and illuminate rhythmic patterns. This novel approach has shown that horses’ gaits are categorically rhythmic and will help in detecting irregularities in horse gait.

Methodology

  • The researchers collected motion data from 13 ridden horses across three different gaits: walk, trot, and canter.
  • They extracted the motion cycle duration (t) of two identical hooves from these motion data.
  • Subsequently, the ratios from two successive motion cycle durations were calculated.

Approach

  • The study adopted quantitative tools from fields like bioacoustics and music cognition.
  • They examined whether the kinematics data were rhythmically categorical. Rhythmic categories occur when adjacent temporal intervals are categorically, not randomly, distributed.
  • The research tested its hypothesis in the context of the rhythmic feature called small-integer ratios, often present in animal vocalizations and human music.

Results and Discussion

  • The study revealed a strong isochronous pattern, a rhythmic ratio of 1:1, corresponding to the ticking of a clock, in the motion of single limbs across all gaits.
  • Interlimb coordination of the impacts of two of the same hooves was analyzed in the three gaits to identify differing biomechanical patterns.
  • For trot, an interlimb rhythmic pattern of 1:1 was identified, while 1:3 and 3:1 rhythmic categories were found for walk and canter, respectively.

Conclusion

  • The study findings are a pioneering step towards quantifying rhythmicity in horse locomotion, and potentially in the rhythmic sounds produced.
  • This work could have possible applications as tools for detecting gait irregularities in horses.
  • The researchers established that rhythmic categories are a valuable tool for kinematic analysis of gait, facilitating the quantification of temporal patterns in the motor domain.

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Cite This Article

APA
Laffi L, Bigand F, Peham C, Novembre G, Gamba M, Ravignani A. (2025). Rhythmic categories in horse gait kinematics. J Anat. https://doi.org/10.1111/joa.14200

Publication

Journal of anatomy
ISSN: 1469-7580
NlmUniqueID: 0137162
Country: England
Language: English

Researcher Affiliations

Laffi, Lia
  • Department of Human Neurosciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
  • Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Turin, Italy.
Bigand, Félix
  • Neuroscience of Perception and Action Lab, Italian Institute of Technology, Rome, Italy.
Peham, Christian
  • Department of Companion Animals and Horses, Movement Science Group, University Clinic for Horses, Vetmeduni Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Novembre, Giacomo
  • Neuroscience of Perception and Action Lab, Italian Institute of Technology, Rome, Italy.
Gamba, Marco
  • Department of Companion Animals and Horses, Movement Science Group, University Clinic for Horses, Vetmeduni Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Ravignani, Andrea
  • Department of Human Neurosciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
  • Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University and the Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg, Aarhus, Denmark.

Grant Funding

  • European Research Council
  • Danmarks Grundforskningsfond

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