Influence of different head‐neck positions on vertical ground reaction forces, linear and time parameters in the unridden horse walking and trotting on a treadmill

Waldern, Nina M.; Wiestner, Thomas; Peinen, K. von; Alvarez, Constanza Gomez; Roepstorff, L.; Johnston, C.; Meyer, H.; Weishaupt, Michael A

doi:10.2746/042516409x397389

Cited by 38 publications

(48 citation statements)

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“…An extremely elevated neck, however, caused an increase in extension of the thoracic and lumbar back in the unridden as well as in the ridden horse (Gómez Álvarez et al 2006;Rhodin et al 2009). An extremely elevated neck also affected the functionality of the locomotor apparatus much more than an extremely low neck, as evidenced by an increase in peak vertical forces in the forelimbs, which is a potential risk factor for injury Waldern et al 2009). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To our knowledge, no in vivo or ex vivo data are available regarding the influence of flexion and extension, related to various head and neck positions used in earlier studies (Gómez Álvarez et al 2006;Weishaupt et al 2006;Rhodin et al 2009;Sleutjens et al 2009;Waldern et al 2009), on cervical intervertebral foramina dimensions in the horse. This information could contribute to a greater understanding of the effect of training techniques regarding the head and neck position in healthy horses as well as in horses suffering from pathological conditions in the neck.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The effect of ex vivo flexion and extension on intervertebral foramina dimensions in the equine cervical spine

Sleutjens

Voorhout

Kolk

et al. 2010

Equine Veterinary Journal

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SummaryReasons for performing study: In dressage, the head and neck position has become an issue of concern as certain extreme positions may imply a welfare risk for the horse. In man, extension and flexion of the cervical spine cause a decrease and increase in intervertebral foramina dimensions, respectively. However, in horses, the influence of flexion and extension on foramina dimensions and its possible interference with peripheral nerve functioning remains unknown.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of ex vivo flexion and extension on intervertebral foramina dimensions in the equine cervical spine

Sleutjens

Voorhout

Kolk

et al. 2010

Equine Veterinary Journal

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“…Thus, in a training task where the horses had to learn to go backwards in response to a vocal order, the horses trained using a "classical" negative reinforcement (stopping of a mild agitation of a whip in front of the horse when the response is obtained, Skinner, 1938) went backwards with a high and hollow neck, which may induce an increase of vertebral constraints (see Waldern et al, 2009) whereas those trained using a positive reinforcement (food reward as soon as the horse gave the appropriate response, Skinner, 1938) were observed more with a round neck (Sankey et al, 2010). Steady head carriages and roundness (here related to the use of a positive reinforcement) reflect calmness and spine welfare (Egenwall et al, 2012;von Borstel et al, 2009;Waldern et al, 2009; WarrenLesimple et al 162 Smith & McGreevy, 2007). The observed prevalence of negative reinforcement and punishment in the current education of horses (Warren-Smith & McGreevy, 2007) might lead to repeated undesired postures that might become chronic and hence a source of back disorders, even outside of work.…”

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confidence: 99%

Detecting and Measuring Back Disorders in Nonverbal Individuals: The Example of Domestic Horses

Lesimple¹,

Fureix²,

Aubé³

et al. 2016

AB&C

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-Back disorders are amongst the major health-related disorders associated to working conditions in our society. Horses share with humans the exposure to potential physically harmful working conditions leading to back disorders. However, despite their high prevalence, these problems are often unacknowledged in the horse industry, mostly because their diagnosis remains difficult, particularly in field conditions. In the present review, we review the current scientific knowledge on back vertebral, muscular and musculoskeletal disorders. We will first present the existing knowledge about their prevalence and the tools available for diagnosis. Then, the different potential sources of back pain, including anatomical implications, the effect of emotionality and working conditions will be discussed. We finally present the existing behavioral, postural and physiological indicators of back pain that could help an early detection of back disorders.Keywords -Horse, Equine, Work, Illness, Back disorder assessment, IndicatorsSickness is defined as a state of unwellness, distress or disgust (Oxford Guide of the English Language, 1984), combining physical and emotional disorders. Sickness induces aversive experiences that range from mild discomfort to acute pain, which are mechanisms preventing the organism from incurring injuries (Bateson, 1991). According to this definition, the term "sickness" fits very well with back disorders. In humans, the presence of back disorders is related to increased aggressiveness (Berkowitz, 1993) and/or depression (Curie & Wang, 2004;Garon & Leavitt, 1983) and lower back pain is amongst the main causes of sick leave (Dionne et al., 2005). Back disorders may be caused by strictly physical parameters, such as bony dysfunction or malformations. However, working conditions are more and more often identified as a major source of back pain in humans (Banibrata, 2014;Widanarko, Legg, Devereux, & Stevenson, 2014), related to postural or psychological constraints.In horses too, physical malfunctions and malformations are possibly involved in some back related disorders (Haussler, 1996;Stubbs et al., 2006). However, working conditions, have also been proposed as further sources of such disorders (Fonseca et al., 2006;Gillis, 1999;Haussler, 1997;Jeffcott, 1980): horses share with humans working activities that may cause psychological (e.g., suppression of emotions) and physical stress (e.g., physical constraints; McGreevy & McLean, 2005). In this review, we present the current knowledge about the prevalence of back disorders and the tools used to diagnose them. We will review the potential causes of back disorders with a special highlight on working conditions. Psychological, physical and anatomical impacts of riding will be discussed in relation to the presence of visible indicators of back disorders. Finally, as the presence of back disorders is one of the main Lesimple et al. 160 pathologies in horses, we will review the validated indicators of back disorders as well as the signals that are ...

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“…O tamanho amostral encontra-se de acordo com a metodologia empregada na experimentação com equinos nas áreas de treinamento e equitação (MIRÓ et al, 2006;WALDERN et al, 2009;LINDNER et al, 2010;CLAYTON et al, 2010;STUBBS et al, 2011a;CLAYTON et al, 2011). Para a inclusão no estudo, os animais foram avaliados clinicamente e considerados aptos caso não apresentassem sinais de alterações musculoesqueléticas.…”

Section: Methodsunclassified

Biometry by ultrasonography of the epaxial and pelvic musculature in equines trained with Pessoa's rein

et al. 2014

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Influence of different head‐neck positions on vertical ground reaction forces, linear and time parameters in the unridden horse walking and trotting on a treadmill

Abstract: Presented results contribute to the understanding of the value of certain HNPs in horse training.

Cited by 38 publications

References 16 publications

The effect of ex vivo flexion and extension on intervertebral foramina dimensions in the equine cervical spine

The effect of ex vivo flexion and extension on intervertebral foramina dimensions in the equine cervical spine

Detecting and Measuring Back Disorders in Nonverbal Individuals: The Example of Domestic Horses

Biometry by ultrasonography of the epaxial and pelvic musculature in equines trained with Pessoa's rein

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