Comparison of limb loading and movement of Icelandic horses while tölting and trotting at equal speeds

Abstract

High forelimb action in Icelandic horses and higher head-neck position at a tölt were associated with more restricted limb proretraction, higher Fz(peak), and faster force onset than at a trot. The impact of these differences on orthopedic health needs to be investigated more in detail.

The Evolution of Equid Monodactyly: A Review Including a New Hypothesis

“…As previously noted, monodactyl horses have anatomical evidence of a greater maximum extent of fetlock extension (dorsi-flexion) than tridactyl ones. Waldern et al (2015) note a lesser degree of limb compression in tölting vs. trotting horses: this implies that the running-walk relies less on elastic energy return than the trot, as limb compression occurs primarily via hyperextension of the fetlock joint (especially in the forelimb). The corollary of this is that the trotting gait in horses is more reliant on fetlock hyperextension and elastic energy recovery than the running-walk.…”

“…Although, as previously discussed, the mechanical properties of the trot and running-walk gaits are similar, the trot is likely to be a more efficient gait for distance travel, while the running-walk might have advantages if economy over distance was not an issue. note that peak ground reaction forces of individual limbs are smaller in tölting horses than in trotting horses (see also Waldern et al, 2015), which may mean that a running-walk could be comfortably sustained at speeds at which a trotting horse would have transitioned to a gallop. They also speculate that, with at least one foot being on the ground at all stages of the stride cycle, the running-walk might provide a both a better base of support and enhanced proprioception, and hence afford superior performance over uneven surfaces.…”

“…In a comparison of the two gaits practiced by the same Icelandic horses, Waldern et al (2015) noted that these horses had a shorter stride and a higher stride frequency when tölting than during trotting, and that they also experienced less limb compression. As the metabolic energy expended per stride is a constant (Taylor et al, 1982), this implies that a running-walk is more expensive than trotting, and Waldern et al (2015) noted that the metabolic power required was around 5% greater. They also noted (citing Ingolfsdottir, 2013) that riders observe that Icelandic horses prefer the trot to the tölt when fatigued.…”

Determining the gait of Miocene, Pliocene, and Pleistocene horses from fossilized trackways

“…The collected trot employs short, highstepping, and quick strides and often undertracks as in Hackney and Morgan horses and can have a duty factor up to 0.6. The extended trot is a fast trot with long strides, increased suspension phases, and a great deal of overtracking (Streitlein and Preuschoft, 1987;Clayton, 1994;Holmström et al, 1994;Leleu et al, 2004;Weishaupt et al, 2010;Hobbs et al, 2016;Walker et al, 2017). The Standardbred horse can perform an extremely fast flying trot at speeds of 10.0-14.2 m/s, a stride frequency of 2.5 strides/s, and a cycle length of 500-600 cm.…”

“…This results in diagonal couplets forming as contralateral limbs land close together. The rack is comfortable for riders, but it is quite tiring for horses and cannot be maintained for long periods of time (Zips et al, 2001;Nicodemus and Clayton, 2003;Pecha et al, 2011;Boehart et al, 2013;Waldern et al, 2015;Gunnarsson et al, 2017;Stefánsdóttir et al, 2021).…”