The difference in kinematics of horses walking, trotting and cantering on a flat and banked 10 m circle.

The research article studies how the movement of horses varies when they walk, trot or canter on a flat surface versus a banked curve. The study utilizes infrared cameras and reflective markers to track movement and compares adaptation mechanisms in several gaits.

Objective

The key goal of this research is to determine whether horses exhibit changes in their gait and movement when traversing a flat surface compared to a banked curve, and if these adaptations vary depending on whether they are walking, trotting or cantering.

Methodology

• The study used a 10-meter lungeing circle with both flat and banked (10-degree) sections.
• Eight infrared cameras were arranged around the circle to monitor the animal’s movements.
• Reflectors were placed on key areas of the horse – left and right metacarpus (McIII) and proximal phalanges (P1), metatarsus (MtIII), head, and sacrum.
• Six horses were studied, each made to walk, trot and canter on both the flat and banked parts of the circle.
• The cameras recorded at a rate of 308 frames per second, providing detailed motion data.
• The data were then processed and smoothed via a fourth-order Butterworth filter with a 30 Hz cut-off.
• Aspects such as speed, stride length, body inclinations and the duty factor (amount of time a foot is on the ground versus in the air during each stride) were measured and analyzed using ANOVA to find differences in the horse’s movements under different conditions.

Results

• The researchers found that the gait did influence the adaptation mechanisms of the horses.
• During a canter, the duty factor for the inside forelimb was significantly longer on a flat curve than on a banked one. However, this was reversed at a walk.
• As for the tilt of the body, McIII inclination, MtIII inclination, and relative body inclination were all found to be greater during a trot and canter on a flat curve.

Conclusion

Adaptation in horses to curved motion is specific to the gait. The research found that at faster gaits, horses move along a banked curve with limb positions more closely aligned to their body posture. This suggests that their musculoskeletal system demands while cantering on a banked curve might be similar to a straight canter. This understanding could be crucial for optimizing training environments for horses.