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PloS one2012; 7(9); e44604; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0044604

Towards a postural indicator of back pain in horses (Equus caballus).

Abstract: Postures have long been used and proved useful to describe animals' behaviours and emotional states, but remains difficult to assess objectively in field conditions. A recent study performed on horses using geometric morphometrics revealed important postural differences between 2 horse populations differing in management conditions (leisure horses living in social groups used for occasional "relaxed" riding/riding school horses living in individual boxes used in daily riding lessons with more constraining techniques). It was suggested that these postural differences may reflect chronic effects of riding techniques on the horses' kinematics and muscular development. In the present study, we tried to evaluate the interest of postural measures to assess welfare in horses. This study was separated into 2 parts. First, 18 horses coming from these 2 types of populations (leisure/riding school horses) were submitted to 2 back evaluations by 1) manual examination (experienced practitioner) and 2) sEMG measures along the spine. We then measured neck roundness on 16 of these 18 horses. The results highlighted high correlations between manual and sEMG examinations over the spine. sEMG measures at the different locations were strongly correlated all over the spine. Moreover, neck postures and muscular activities were strongly correlated, horses with concave necks having higher sEMG measures both at precise locations (i.e. cervical sites) but also when comparing neck postures to the whole spine muscular activity highlighting the functioning of horses' back as a whole. Lastly, strong differences appeared between the populations, leisure horses being evaluated as having sounder spines, exhibiting lower sEMG measures and rounder neck than the riding school horses. sEMG measures and neck "roundness" seemed therefore to be reliable indicators of back disorders, easy to evaluate in field conditions. This highlights the accuracy of using postural elements to evaluate the animals' general state and has important implications for animals' welfare evaluations.
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Publication Date: 2012-09-07 PubMed ID: 22970261PubMed Central: PMC3436792DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0044604Google 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 study proposes the use of postural indicators to evaluate the welfare of horses, discovering significant correlations between certain postural features and the health condition of horses’ spines. The researchers used two different populations of horses under different management conditions for their investigation.

Methodology and Participants

  • The researchers used 18 horses from two separate populations, those used for leisure (living in social groups and used for relaxed riding) and those from riding schools (living in individual boxes and used daily in riding lessons with more forcing techniques).
  • These horses underwent two types of back evaluations – a manual examination performed by an experienced practitioner and surface Electromyography (sEMG) measures along the spine.
  • Following this, the neck roundness of 16 out of the 18 horses was measured.

Findings

  • There was a high correlation between manual and sEMG examinations, indicating that both evaluation methods were consistent in their measurements.
  • sEMG measures were strongly correlated all over the spine, suggesting that changes in muscle activity (as sensed by the sEMG) in one area of the spine were reflected in all areas.
  • There was a strong correlation between the shapes (postures) of the horses’ necks and their muscle activities – horses with concave necks had higher sEMG measures.
  • There were notable differences between the two groups of horses. The leisure horses were found to have healthier spines, showing lower sEMG measures and rounder necks compared to the riding school horses.

Implications

  • The research concluded that sEMG measures and the ’roundness’ of the horse’s neck could be reliable indicators of potential back disorders in horses.
  • The results can be used to assess the welfare of horses in field conditions, as both these measures are relatively easy to collect.
  • The study highlights the importance of posture in evaluating a horse’s general health condition and could have significant implications for assessing and enhancing animal welfare.

Cite This Article

APA
Lesimple C, Fureix C, De Margerie E, Sénèque E, Menguy H, Hausberger M. (2012). Towards a postural indicator of back pain in horses (Equus caballus). PLoS One, 7(9), e44604. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0044604

Publication

PloS one
ISSN: 1932-6203
NlmUniqueID: 101285081
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 7
Issue: 9
Pages: e44604
PII: e44604

Researcher Affiliations

Lesimple, Clémence
  • Université de Rennes 1, Laboratoire d'éthologie Animale et Humaine EthoS - UMR CNRS 6552, Station Biologique, Paimpont, France. clemence.lesimple@univ-rennes1.fr
Fureix, Carole
    De Margerie, Emmanuel
      Sénèque, Emilie
        Menguy, Hervé
          Hausberger, Martine

            MeSH Terms

            • Animals
            • Back Pain / etiology
            • Back Pain / physiopathology
            • Back Pain / veterinary
            • Electromyography
            • Horses
            • Posture

            Conflict of Interest Statement

            MH is an Editor for PLoS ONE. This does not alter the authors’ adherence to all the PLoS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

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