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Summary: Background: Quantitative gait analysis is rapidly gaining ground in equine practice, and pros and cons are regularly discussed within the scientific literature. However, no data exist on the appreciation of the technique by equine clinicians, their motivation to use it or not, and their perception of its value in daily practice. Objectives: To make a first inventory of opinions, expectances and experiences of equine veterinarians concerning the use of quantitative gait analysis in their daily general practice. Study design: Survey. Methods: A questionnaire was sent out to a group of equine orthopaedic clinicians working in an equine clinic or practice. Respondents were classified as users (having clinical experience with quantitative gait analysis) or not (nonusers). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: Within the sample population, users were more positive about the usefulness of quantitative gait analysis than nonusers. Veterinarians who purchased a system were motivated by better objectivity, transparency, documentation and client service. Main reasons not to purchase a system were costs and complexity of data interpretation. A minority of both users and nonusers deemed quantitative gait analysis also suitable for equine professionals other than veterinarians. Main limitations: Users (n = 40) outnumbered nonusers (n = 32), sample size was limited (n = 72) and insufficient to allow for generalisation of results. Conclusions: Users of quantitative gait analysis were more positive about the technology than nonusers. More data are needed to allow for generalisation of the results. Regularly repeating this survey may help in monitoring, and eventually guiding the process of integration of gait analysis technology within equine clinical practice by providing valuable information for individual clinics, educational institutions and the industry producing this technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: Objective gait analysis is becoming more popular as a tool assisting veterinarians during the clinical lameness exam. At present, there is only limited information on the effect of misplacement of markers/motion‐sensors. Objectives: To investigate and describe the effect of marker misplacement on commonly calculated pelvic symmetry parameters. Study design: Experimental study. Methods: Each horse was equipped with custom‐made devices consisting of several reflective markers arranged in a predefined manner with a reference marker correctly positioned regarding the anatomical landmark and several misplaced markers along the sagittal and transverse planes. Linear regression analysis was used to estimate the effect of marker misplacement. Results: For the tubera sacrale, each cm of left/right misplacement led to a difference in minimum position of the pelvis (PDmin) of ±1.67 mm (95% CI 1.54–1.8 mm) (P<0.001); maximum position of the pelvis (PDmax) was affected by ±0.2 mm (95% CI 0.071–0.33 mm) (P = 0.003). With respect to cranial/caudal misplacement, each cm of misplacement resulted in a PDmin difference of ±0.04 mm (95% CI −0.09 to 0.16 mm) (P = 0.56) and a PDmax difference of ±0.008 mm (95% CI −0.13 to 0.12 mm) (P = 0.9). For the tubera coxae, each cm of vertical misplacement led to a difference in the displacement amplitude between left and right tubera coxae (Hip‐Hike_Diff) of ±1.56 mm (95% CI 1.35–1.77 mm) (P<0.001); for the cranial/caudal misplacement, this was ±0.82 mm (95% CI 0.66–0.97 mm) (P<0.001). Main limitations: Only three horses were used in this experiment and the study design did not permit to determine the influence of marker misplacement on the evaluation of different degrees of lameness. Conclusions: Marker misplacement significantly affects calculated symmetry parameters of the pelvis. The observed errors are overall small but significant. In cases of mildly asymmetrical horses, this error might influence the decision‐making process whereas in more severe asymmetries, the influence of the error effect may become less significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lameness is a common issue on dairy farms, with serious implications for economy and animal welfare. Affected animals may be overlooked until their condition becomes severe. Thus, improved lameness detection methods are needed. In this study, we describe kinematic changes in dairy cows with induced, mild to moderate hindlimb lameness in detail using a "whole-body approach". Thereby, we aimed to identify explicable features to discriminate between lame and non-lame animals for use in future automated surveillance systems. For this purpose, we induced a mild to moderate and fully reversible hindlimb lameness in 16 dairy cows. We obtained 41 straight-line walk measurements (containing > 3 000 stride cycles) using 11 inertial measurement units attached to predefined locations on the cows' upper body and limbs. One baseline and ≥ 1 induction measurement(s) were obtained from each cow. Thirty-one spatial and temporal parameters related to limb movement and inter-limb coordination, upper body vertical displacement symmetry and range of motion (ROMz), as well as pelvic pitch and roll, were calculated on a stride-by-stride basis. For upper body locations, vertical within-stride movement asymmetry was investigated both by calculating within-stride differences between local extrema, and by a signal decomposition approach. For each parameter, the baseline condition was compared with induction condition in linear mixed-effect models, while accounting for stride duration. Significant difference between baseline and induction condition was seen for 23 out of 31 kinematic parameters. Lameness induction was associated with decreased maximum protraction (-5.8%) and retraction (-3.7%) angles of the distal portion of the induced/non-induced limb respectively. Diagonal and lateral dissociation of foot placement (ratio of stride duration) involving the non-induced limb decreased by 8.8 and 4.4%, while diagonal dissociation involving the induced limb increased by 7.7%. Increased within-stride vertical displacement asymmetry of the poll, neck, withers, thoracolumbar junction (back) and tubera sacrale (TS) were seen. This was most notable for the back and poll, where a 40 and 24% increase of the first harmonic amplitude (asymmetric component) and 27 and 14% decrease of the second harmonic amplitude (symmetric component) of vertical displacement were seen. ROMz increased in all these landmarks except for TS. Changes in pelvic roll main components, but not in the range of motion of either pitch or roll angle per stride, were seen. Thus, we identified several kinematic features which may be used in future surveillance systems. Further studies are needed to determine their usefulness in realistic conditions, and to implement methods on farms., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The use of surface electromyography in the field of animal locomotion has increased considerably over the past decade. However, no consensus exists on the methodology for data collection in horses. This study aimed to start the development of recommendations for bipolar electrode locations to collect surface electromyographic data from horses during dynamic tasks. Data were collected from 21 superficial muscles of three horses during trot on a treadmill using linear electrode arrays. The data were assessed both quantitatively (signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and coefficient of variation (CoV)) and qualitatively (presence of crosstalk and activation patterns) to compare and select electrode locations for each muscle. For most muscles and horses, the highest SNR values were detected near or cranial/proximal to the central region of the muscle. Concerning the CoV, there were larger differences between muscles and horses than within muscles. Qualitatively, crosstalk was suspected to be present in the signals of twelve muscles but not in all locations in the arrays. With this study, a first attempt is made to develop recommendations for bipolar electrode locations for muscle activity measurements during dynamic contractions in horses. The results may help to improve the reliability and reproducibility of study results in equine biomechanics., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Clinical assessment of spinal motion in horses is part of many routine clinical exams but remains highly subjective. A prerequisite for the quantification of spinal motion is the assessment of the expected normal range of motion and variability of back kinematics. The aim of this study was to objectively quantify spinal kinematics and between -measurement, -surface and -day variation in owner-sound horses. In an observational study, twelve owner-sound horses were trotted 12 times on four different paths (hard/soft straight line, soft lunge left and right). Measurements were divided over three days, with five repetitions on day one and two, and two repetitions on day three (recheck) which occurred 28-55 days later. Optical motion capture was used to collect kinematic data. Elements of the outcome were: 1) Ranges of Motion (ROM) with confidence intervals per path and surface, 2) a variability model to calculate between-measurement variation and test the effect of time, surface and path, 3) intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) to determine repeatability. ROM was lowest on the hard straight line. Cervical lateral bending was doubled on the left compared to the right lunge. Mean variation for the flexion-extension and lateral bending of the whole back were 0.8 and 1 degrees. Pelvic motion showed a variation of 1.0 (pitch), 0.7 (yaw) and 1.3 (roll) degrees. For these five parameters, a tendency for more variation on the hard surface and reduced variation with increased repetitions was observed. More variation was seen on the recheck (p<0.001). ICC values for pelvic rotations were between 0.76 and 0.93, for the whole back flexion-extension and lateral bending between 0.51 and 0.91. Between-horse variation was substantially higher than within-horse variation. In conclusion, ROM and variation in spinal biomechanics are horse-specific and small, necessitating individual analysis and making subjective and objective clinical assessment of spinal kinematics challenging., Competing Interests: The involvement of ‘Tierklinik Lüsche GmbH’ does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Quantitative gait analysis has the potential to offer objective and unbiased gait information that can assist clinical decision-making. In recent years, a growing number of gait analysis systems have come onto the market, highlighting the demand for such technology in equine orthopaedics. However, it is imperative that the measured variables which are used as outcome parameters are supported by scientific evidence and that the interpretation of such measurements is backed by a proper understanding of the biomechanical principles of equine locomotion. This review, which is based on studies on experimentally induced lameness, summarises the currently most widely used methods for gait analysis and the available evidence concerning gait parameters that can be used to quantify gait changes due to lameness. These are discussed regarding their current and future potential for routine clinical application., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Reason for Performing Study: Foals stand and walk immediately after birth, but insight into the subsequent longitudinal development of their gait kinetics in the early juvenile phase and the possible influence of osteochondrosis thereon is lacking., Objectives: To quantify gait kinetics in foals during the first half year of life, taking into account their osteochondrosis status., Study Design: Prospective, cohort study performed at a single stud farm., Methods: Pressure plate measurements at walk and trot from 11 Dutch Warmblood foals during the first 24 weeks of life were used to determine body mass normalised peak vertical force, normalised vertical impulse and stance duration. Coefficients of variation of peak vertical force and stance duration were used as measures for gait maturity. Radiographs of tarsocrural and femoropatellar joints were taken at age 4-6 weeks and after 6 months to check for osteochondrosis. A linear mixed model was used to determine the effects of age, limb, presence of osteochondrosis and speed on gait parameters., Results: Mean walking and trotting velocity increased over time as did stance duration and normalised vertical impulse, normalised peak vertical force values however remained relatively constant. During the first weeks of their life only the coefficient of variation of stance duration decreased significantly, while the coefficient of variation of peak vertical force did not. None of the foals was visibly lame, but the presence of osteochondrosis resulted in a temporarily but significantly reduced normalised peak vertical force., Main Limitations: This study is a relatively small sample size of one breed from a single stud farm. A stand-alone pressure plate was used and body mass was estimated rather than measured., Conclusions: Despite being precocious, foals need time to mature their gait. During growth, velocity at walk and trot increases, but normalised peak vertical force remains relatively constant. Although not visibly lame, a temporary reduction in normalised peak vertical force was detected in osteochondrosis positive foals using a pressure plate., (© 2016 The Authors. Equine Veterinary Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of EVJ Ltd.)