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BMC veterinary research2019; 15(1); 329; doi: 10.1186/s12917-019-2075-6

Water treadmill exercise reduces equine limb segmental accelerations and increases shock attenuation.

Abstract: Equine water treadmills (WTs) are growing in popularity because they are believed to allow for high resistance, low impact exercise. However, little is known about the effect of water height on limb loading. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of water height and speed on segmental acceleration and impact attenuation during WT exercise in horses. Three uniaxial accelerometers (sampling rate: 2500 Hz) were secured on the left forelimb (hoof, mid-cannon, mid-radius). Horses walked at two speeds (S1: 0.83 m/s, S2: 1.39 m/s) and three water heights (mid-cannon, carpus, stifle), with a dry WT control. Peak acceleration of each segment was averaged over five strides, attenuation was calculated, and stride frequency was estimated by the time between successive hoof contacts. Linear mixed effects models were used to examine the effects of water height, speed, and accelerometer location on peak acceleration, attenuation and stride frequency (p < 0.05). Results: Peak acceleration at all locations was lower with water of any height compared to the dry control (p < 0.0001). Acceleration was reduced with water at the height of the stifle compared to mid-cannon water height (p = 0.02). Water at the height of the stifle attenuated more impact than water at the height of the cannon (p = 0.0001). Conclusions: Water immersion during treadmill exercise reduced segmental accelerations and increased attenuation in horses. WT exercise may be beneficial in the rehabilitation of lower limb injuries in horses.
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Publication Date: 2019-09-13 PubMed ID: 31519197PubMed Central: PMC6743102DOI: 10.1186/s12917-019-2075-6Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

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 investigated the effects of various water heights on horses’ limbs during exercise on a water treadmill. It found that water immersion can reduce the impact and increase shock absorption, which could potentially benefit the rehabilitation of lower limb injuries in horses.

Methodology

  • The experiment used three uniaxial accelerometers, each with a sampling rate of 2500 Hz, which were attached to the left forelimb (hoof, mid-cannon, mid-radius) of the horses.
  • The horses were made to walk on the water treadmill at two different speeds (0.83 meters per second and 1.39 meters per second) and at three varying water heights (mid-cannon, carpus, stifle).
  • A dry treadmill walk was also conducted as a control experiment.
  • Data was collected over five strides and average peak acceleration, impact attenuation, and stride frequency were calculated.
  • The study utilized linear mixed-effect models to examine the impacts of various conditions such as water height, speed, and accelerometer placement on factors like peak acceleration, shock absorption, and stride frequency.

Results

  • Peak acceleration at all accelerometer locations was found to be lower when any water height was present, compared to the dry treadmill condition.
  • Acceleration reduced further with water at the stifle (knee) height compared to mid-cannon (middle of the forelimb) water height.
  • The study found that water at the stifle height absorbed more shock or impact than water at the cannon height.

Conclusion

  • Based on these results, it was concluded that water immersion during treadmill exercise can significantly reduce segmental accelerations and increase shock absorption in horses.
  • This suggests that water treadmill exercise could be beneficial for the rehabilitation of lower limb injuries in horses, as it allows high resistance, low impact exercise, with the water offering added support and lessening the strain on the horses’ limbs.

Cite This Article

APA
Greco-Otto P, Baggaley M, Edwards WB, Léguillette R. (2019). Water treadmill exercise reduces equine limb segmental accelerations and increases shock attenuation. BMC Vet Res, 15(1), 329. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-019-2075-6

Publication

BMC veterinary research
ISSN: 1746-6148
NlmUniqueID: 101249759
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 15
Issue: 1
Pages: 329

Researcher Affiliations

Greco-Otto, Persephone
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada.
Baggaley, Michael
  • Human Performance Lab, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada.
Edwards, W B
  • Human Performance Lab, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada.
Léguillette, Renaud
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada. rleguill@ucalgary.ca.

MeSH Terms

  • Acceleration
  • Animals
  • Biomechanical Phenomena
  • Extremities / physiology
  • Female
  • Gait
  • Horses / physiology
  • Male
  • Physical Conditioning, Animal / methods
  • Physical Conditioning, Animal / physiology
  • Water

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Citations

This article has been cited 7 times.
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