Changes in Kinematics During Repeated Jumping

Abstract

This publication is a compilation of all Research Abstracts presented at the Ninth International Conference on Equine Exercise Physiology. Unlike previous ICEEP conferences there will not be a conference proceedings of full length manuscripts. These abstracts succinctly summarise a wide array of investigations relevant to the equine athlete, and will be useful to veterinarians and others involved in management of horses used for sport, work and competition. The abstracts encompass the topics of Applied Physiology; Biochemistry, Haematology, Endocrinology, and Thermoregulation; Cardiovascular and Respiratory; Muscle and Bone; Nutrition; Genomics, Proteomics, and Metabolomics; Biomechanics and Locomotion; as well as Physiotherapy, Rehabilitation, and Equitation science.The International Committee of ICEEP publishes these abstracts so that the most recent scientific information is available to a wide audience, including veterinarians, physiotherapists, trainers, owners and riders.The Introduction:The ability to accurately assess equine oxygen consumption (VO2) under field conditions has been limited by the need for unrestricted gas exchange.Methods: Two variations of a mask and an associated electronics control module (ECM) were designed to enable breath-by-breath measurement of airflows with two 8.0 cm diameter pneumotachometers located 7.5 cm in front of each narus and connected to differential pressure transducers mounted on the outside of the mask. The ECM was comprised of electronics for signal filtering to the flow transducers, an oxygen sensing cell, and an analog-to-digital converter all powered by a lithium-ion battery. The battery also powered a pump connected to gas sampling ports between the nares and pneumotachometers. Airflow and oxygen content of inspired and expired gases were recorded through the ECM and electronically transferred to a notebook. VO2 was determined from these recordings by an operator using a customized software analysis program. One mask encased the lower head (E). The other left the jaw free so horse could wear a bit and be ridden (R). Multiple treadmill exercise tests were undertaken by 6 horses to measure VO2max and blood gases. Each mask was worn twice and results compared to those from an open flow-through system (O) by 2-way RMANOVA (P<0.05). Utility of the system was evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficient of 4 independent raters.Results: Blood gases and VO2max (152.0 ± 4.0 (mean ± SEM; O), 147.7 ± 4.3 (E), 150.7 ± 3.3 (R) ml/(kg.min) were not different between masks. VO2 measures were reproducible for each mask. Agreement between the 4 raters was excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.99). Conclusions:Masks capable of measuring VO2 during field exercise were developed, tested and found accurate by multiple users.Ethical Animal Research: Studies performed were approved by the Institution's Animal Care and Use Committee (protocol #3807). Sources of funding: Institutional sources. Competing interests: Washington State University has filed notice of i...

The effects of altered distances between obstacles on the jump kinematics and apparent joint angulations of large agility dogs

“…In addition, successful horses were found to take off further from the fence than unsuccessful horses during a puissance competition (Powers, 2002). Wejer et al (2013) reported that equine jump kinematics were also altered by experience and training, whilst Rorigues et al (2014) found a decrease in jumping efficiency when the number of jumps increased. Anatomically, equines and canines differ, but it is reasonable to postulate that changes between hurdle distance will affect canine jump kinematics.…”

Science in brief: Highlights from the biomechanics and physiotherapy abstracts at the International Conference on Equine Exercise Physiology

“…Neck, thoracic and lumbar motion influenced subjective grading of the jumping technique, and although higher ratings were only weakly related to longer take‐off distances , the probability of success in free jumping increased with increasing take‐off distance . Increased velocity was found to reduce free jumping success, and increasing the number of jumping efforts decreased take‐off and landing distances and the height of the forelimb, withers and croup over the fence . Much work is still needed in this area to fully appreciate the demands on the horse fully, depending on capability, discipline, fence type, environmental factors and competition level.…”