The difference in kinematics of horses walking, trotting and cantering on a flat and banked 10 m circle

Abstract

Summary 22Background: Locomotion adaptation mechanisms have been observed in horses, but little 23 information is available in relation to banked and non-banked curve locomotion, which might 24 be important for correct training. 25Aim: To determine if adaptation mechanisms in horses existed when moving on a banked 26 compared to a flat curve and whether adaptation was similar in different gaits. Introduction 45The kinematics of walk, trot and canter gaits have been studied over ground and using 46 treadmills in two dimensions (Barrey et al., 1993; van Weeren et al., 1993; Buchner et al., 47 1994; Clayton, 1994; Back et al., 1996; Galisteo et al., 1998; Galisteo et al., 2001; Clayton et 48 al., 2002) and three dimensions (Chateau et al., 2004; Chateau et al., 2006; Hobbs et al., 49 2006; Clayton et al., 2007a; 2007b; Gomez Alvarez et al., 2009). From these studies 50 adaptation mechanisms have been observed during treadmill locomotion (Barrey et al., 1993; 51 Buchner et al., 1994; Gomez Alvarez et al., 2009) and other studies have reported adaptations 52 due to shoeing regimens and hoof conformation, which include Clayton et al. (1990), 53 Roepstorff et al. (1999) and van Heel et al. (2006). To date, few studies have investigated 54 adaptations in kinematics during locomotion on a curve. powered by torque about the hip joint and by back extension (Usherwood and Wilson, 2005). 61In contrast, the muscles that power sprinting in humans are loaded by weight induced 62 compression forces along the leg and a greater proportion of the maximum muscular effort 63 must be directed medio-laterally in order to develop centripetal acceleration (Usherwood and 64 Wilson, 2005). Chang and Kram (2007) found the inside leg to be particularly ineffective at 65 generating push off forces for propulsion in humans and proposed that this is due to a need to 66 optimise the alignment of the resultant GRF vector with the long axis of the leg. They the distal segments that were internally rotated at the end of the weight bearing phase. From 92 these studies it is clear that adaptations to curve motion are also found in horses, but 93 constraints placed on the limbs at faster speeds are unknown. 94Fredricson and Drevemo (1971) recognised that the characteristics of the surface, banking, 95 curve and gradient as well as surface variation will affect the trotting action. In this respect 96 they suggested that at high speed good horses can compensate for many of these factors, but 97 to the expense of wear and tear on their limbs. The risk of injury to the distal joints when 98 negotiating curves may increase further for horses performing at faster gaits and over longer 99 time periods, as Johnston et al. (1999) found stride length, stance time and joint excursion 100 during stance to increase with fatigue. Hill (2003) remarked that most catastrophic injuries in 101 racing will occur in turns and in the stretch run to the finish. In a study of 58 horses suffering 102 serious accidents during racing, Ueda et al. (...

Epidemiology of musculoskeletal injuries in a population of harness Standardbred racehorses in training

“…This gait optimization is likely to increase the load on the suspensory apparatus, even if it does not lead to an increased likelihood of damages proportionally to the speed of the animal. The absence of catastrophic injuries like suspensory breakdown in harness racing could be related to the slower speed, to the position of the centre of mass, more caudal compared to TBR, and to the characteristic of the racecourse bank on the curves [7,37]. At higher speed, differences in limb inclination related to a slight bank on the curves, generate more centripetal forces at the ground, increasing limb rotational movements, which may increase the risk of injuries [37].…”

Core Training and Rehabilitation in Horses

“…The easiest way for the horse to generate a turning force is to lean into the circle. 49,50 Horses trotting slowly (2.3 m/s) around a 6-m diameter circle lean inward by an average of 14.8 . 49 By leaning inwards, the force vector is more closely aligned with the central axis of the limb, thereby reducing tension in the soft tissues on the medial and lateral aspects of the joints, such as the collateral ligaments.…”

“…However, the limbs on the inside of the turn are oriented at a more acute angle to the ground than the limbs on the outside. 50 Sport horses are trained to maintain a vertical orientation of the limbs and body when turning. In order to achieve this, the horse uses the abductor and adductor muscles to generate turning forces; working on circles will strengthen these muscle groups.…”

Accuracy and precision of gait events derived from motion capture in horses during walk and trot

“…Motion capture derived kinematics can be adapted for outdoors use (Hobbs et al, 2011) and potentially also used on a circle for detailed horse locomotion.…”