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Simple Summary: In many equestrian disciplines, circular exercise is utilized to train, exercise, and compete with horses and can vary in gait, as well as diameter. This study aimed to determine if circular exercise diameter impacts animal health. Calves have previously been used as a terminal skeletal model of juvenile horses, allowing for the collection of musculoskeletal samples that are not acceptable from horses. Calves exercised on a small circle (12-m clockwise), large circle (18-m clockwise), treadmill, or served as non-exercised controls. Exercise was performed at a walking speed, starting at 5 min per day and increasing 5 min weekly until reaching 30 min per day during the 7-week study. The response to exercise was monitored in the forelimb bones and joints. The small circular exercise group was found to have bone diameters that differed between the right and left fused third and fourth metacarpi, and between lateral and medial proximal phalanx bones. Cartilage glycosaminoglycan content was greater in the outside leg of the small circle exercise calves than the inside leg, with no differences noted within other treatments. These differences suggest that altering circular exercise diameter can impact bone and joint health, and that larger diameter circles may prevent asymmetric loading between inside and outside legs. Circular exercise is used in many equestrian disciplines and this study aimed to determine if circle diameter impacts juvenile animal forelimb bone and joint health. On day 0, 24 calves at 9 weeks of age were assigned the following exercise treatments: small circle (12 m clockwise), large circle (18-m clockwise), treadmill, or non-exercised control. Exercise was initiated at 1.1–1.5 m/s for 5 min/d and increased 5 min weekly until reaching 30 min/d. On day 49, synovial fluid was collected from multiple joints, cartilage was collected from the proximal surface of fused third and fourth metacarpi (MC III and IV), and forelimbs underwent computed tomography scans. A statistical analysis (PROC mixed) was performed in SAS 9.4. The inside leg of the small circle treatment had a larger MC III and IV dorsopalmar external diameter than the outside (p = 0.05). The medial proximal phalanx had a greater mediolateral diameter than the lateral proximal phalanx of the small circle treatment (p = 0.01). Fetlock nitric oxide was greater in the large circle and treadmill treatments (p < 0.0001). Cartilage glycosaminoglycan concentration was greater in the outside leg of the small circle exercise treatment than the inside leg (p = 0.03). Even at slow speeds, circular exercise diameter can impact joint and bone health, but faster speeds may have greater alterations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Circular exercise is used frequently to exercise, train, and evaluate horses both under saddle and with lunging. However, little is known of the impacts this type of repetitive exercise has on the front limbs of horses. Nine mature horses wore TekscanTM Hoof Sensors on their front hooves to determine if changing the circle size and gait at which the horse is traveling impacts the area, vertical force, or pressure output. Sensor data were collected while horses travelled in a straight line at the walk and trot and in small and large counterclockwise circles at the walk, trot, and canter. Gait was found to be a driving factor for differences in outputs, with mean area, mean vertical force, and mean pressure being greater at the walk in a straight line, and the area being greater at the canter when circling. When traveling in a counterclockwise circle, the mean area of the outside front leg was highest at the canter. This study shows gait is an important factor when evaluating exercise in a circle or straight line. Horse owners may choose to perform circular exercise at slower gaits or minimize unnecessary circular exercise to decrease differences between limbs and potentially reduce injury. Circular exercise can be used at varying gaits and diameters to exercise horses, with repeated use anecdotally relating to increased lameness. This work sought to characterize mean area, mean vertical force, and mean pressure of the front hooves while exercising in a straight line at the walk and trot, and small (10-m diameter) and large circles (15-m diameter) at the walk, trot, and canter. Nine mature horses wore TekscanTM Hoof Sensors on their forelimbs adhered with a glue-on shoe. Statistical analysis was performed in SAS 9.4 with fixed effects of leg, gait, and exercise type (PROC GLIMMIX) and p < 0.05 as significant. For all exercise types, the walk had greater mean pressure than the trot (p < 0.01). At the walk, the straight line had greater mean area loaded than the large circle (p = 0.01), and both circle sizes had lower mean vertical force than the straight line (p = 0.003). During circular exercise at the canter, the outside front limb had greater mean area loaded than at the walk and trot (p = 0.001). This study found that gait is an important factor when evaluating circular exercise and should be considered when exercising horses to prevent injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]