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Validation of vertical ground reaction forces on individual limbs calculated from kinematics of horse locomotion.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine whether individual limb forces could be calculated accurately from kinematics of trotting and walking horses. We collected kinematic data and measured vertical ground reaction forces on the individual limbs of seven Warmblood dressage horses, trotting at 3.4 m s(-1) and walking at 1.6 m s(-1) on a treadmill. First, using a segmental model, we calculated from kinematics the total ground reaction force vector and its moment arm relative to each of the hoofs. Second, for phases in which the body was supported by only two limbs, we calculated the individual reaction forces on these limbs. Third, we assumed that the distal limbs operated as linear springs, and determined their force-length relationships using calculated individual limb forces at trot. Finally, we calculated individual limb force-time histories from distal limb lengths. A good correspondence was obtained between calculated and measured individual limb forces. At trot, the average peak vertical reaction force on the forelimb was calculated to be 11.5+/-0.9 N kg(-1) and measured to be 11.7+/-0.9 N kg(-1), and for the hindlimb these values were 9.8+/-0.7 N kg(-1) and 10.0+/-0.6 N kg(-1), respectively. At walk, the average peak vertical reaction force on the forelimb was calculated to be 6.9+/-0.5 N kg(-1) and measured to be 7.1+/-0.3 N kg(-1), and for the hindlimb these values were 4.8+/-0.5 N kg(-1) and 4.7+/-0.3 N kg(-1), respectively. It was concluded that the proposed method of calculating individual limb reaction forces is sufficiently accurate to detect changes in loading reported in the literature for mild to moderate lameness at trot.
Publication Date: 2007-05-23 PubMed ID: 17515415DOI: 10.1242/jeb.02774Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
Summary
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This research aimed to test whether the forces exerted by individual limbs of trotting and walking horses could be accurately calculated based on their movement patterns. The study found that the calculated and actual limb forces closely matched, suggesting the method used could potentially detect changes in limb loading in cases of mild to moderate lameness in horses.
Study Methodology
- In this study, the kinematic data was collected and the vertical ground reaction forces were measured on the individual limbs of seven Warmblood dressage horses. The horses were made to trot at a speed of 3.4 m/s and walk at 1.6 m/s on a treadmill.
- Firstly, a segmental model was used to calculate the total ground reaction force vector and its moment arm relative to each of the horse’s hoofs from the kinematics.
- Next, for phases in which the horse’s body was supported by only two limbs, the individual reaction forces on these limbs were calculated.
- The research then assumed that the distal limbs operated as linear springs, and determined their force-length relationships using the calculated individual limb forces at a trot.
- Lastly, individual limb force-time histories were calculated from the lengths of the distal limbs.
Key Findings
- Comparing the calculated and measured individual limb forces showed a strong correspondence. For example, the average peak vertical reaction force on the forelimb during a trot was calculated to be 11.5±0.9 N kg(-1) and measured to be 11.7±0.9 N kg(-1). Similarly, for the hindlimb, these values were 9.8±0.7 N kg(-1) and 10.0±0.6 N kg(-1), respectively.
- The same consistency was evident during a walk. The average peak vertical reaction force on the forelimb was calculated to be 6.9±0.5 N kg(-1) and measured to be 7.1±0.3 N kg(-1). For the hindlimb, these values were 4.8±0.5 N kg(-1) and 4.7±0.3 N kg(-1), respectively.
Conclusion
- The results demonstrated that the proposed method of calculating individual limb reaction forces is accurate enough to detect changes in loading that have been reported in instances of mild to moderate lameness in horses during a trot.
Cite This Article
APA
Bobbert MF, Gómez Alvarez CB, van Weeren PR, Roepstorff L, Weishaupt MA.
(2007).
Validation of vertical ground reaction forces on individual limbs calculated from kinematics of horse locomotion.
J Exp Biol, 210(Pt 11), 1885-1896.
https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.02774 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Institute for Fundamental and Clinical Human Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, van der Boechorstraat 9, NL-1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. m_f_bobbert@fbw.vu.nl
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Biomechanical Phenomena
- Extremities / physiology
- Horses / anatomy & histology
- Horses / physiology
- Locomotion / physiology
- Male
- Walking / physiology
Citations
This article has been cited 11 times.- Parmentier JIM, Bosch S, van der Zwaag BJ, Weishaupt MA, Gmel AI, Havinga PJM, van Weeren PR, Braganca FMS. Prediction of continuous and discrete kinetic parameters in horses from inertial measurement units data using recurrent artificial neural networks. Sci Rep 2023 Jan 13;13(1):740.
- Polet DT, Bertram JEA. Competing Models of Work in Quadrupedal Walking: Center of Mass Work is Insufficient to Explain Stereotypical Gait. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022;10:826336.
- Usherwood JR, Granatosky MC. Limb work and joint work minimization reveal an energetic benefit to the elbows-back, knees-forward limb design in parasagittal quadrupeds. Proc Biol Sci 2020 Dec 9;287(1940):20201517.
- Li G, Zhang R, Han D, Pang H, Yu G, Cao Q, Wang C, Kong L, Chengjin W, Dong W, Li T, Li J. Forelimb joints contribute to locomotor performance in reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) by maintaining stability and storing energy. PeerJ 2020;8:e10278.
- Changoor A, Garon M, Quenneville E, Bull SB, Gordon K, Savard P, Buschmann MD, Hurtig MB. Non-invasive Electroarthrography Measures Load-Induced Cartilage Streaming Potentials via Electrodes Placed on Skin Surrounding an Articular Joint. Cartilage 2021 Dec;13(2_suppl):375S-385S.
- Antoniak G, Biswas T, Cortes N, Sikdar S, Chun C, Bhandawat V. Spring-loaded inverted pendulum goes through two contraction-extension cycles during the single-support phase of walking. Biol Open 2019 Jun 14;8(6).
- Alves JA, Boerner BC, Laplagne DA. Flexible Coupling of Respiration and Vocalizations with Locomotion and Head Movements in the Freely Behaving Rat. Neural Plast 2016;2016:4065073.
- Ren L, Hutchinson JR. The three-dimensional locomotor dynamics of African (Loxodonta africana) and Asian (Elephas maximus) elephants reveal a smooth gait transition at moderate speed. J R Soc Interface 2008 Feb 6;5(19):195-211.
- Hanousek K, Fiske-Jackson A, O'Leary L, Smith RKW. Injury to the palmar supporting structures of the fetlock alters limb stiffness and fetlock angle. Equine Vet J 2025 May;57(3):636-644.
- Booth JH, Meek AT, Kronenberg NM, Pulver SR, Gather MC. Optical mapping of ground reaction force dynamics in freely behaving Drosophila melanogaster larvae. Elife 2024 Jul 23;12.
- van Bijlert PA, Geijtenbeek T, Smit IH, Schulp AS, Bates KT. Muscle-Driven Predictive Physics Simulations of Quadrupedal Locomotion in the Horse. Integr Comp Biol 2024 Sep 27;64(3):694-714.
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