Symmetry indices based on accelerometric data in trotting horses

Area of Science:

• Equine Biomechanics
• Animal Locomotion Analysis
• Veterinary Diagnostics

Background:

• Current lameness detection in horses relies heavily on subjective visual assessment.
• Subjectivity leads to significant intra- and inter-observer variability, particularly in subtle lameness cases.
• There is a critical need for objective, reliable methods for equine lameness assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and describe three novel symmetry indices based on accelerometry.
• To evaluate these indices in sound horses during trotting.
• To establish a foundation for objective lameness detection and quantification in horses.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a simple accelerometric method to capture gait data from sound trotting horses.
• Derived three distinct symmetry indices: overall gait symmetry, limb loading symmetry, and inter-limb timing symmetry.
• Analyzed the repeatability and variance of these indices.

Main Results:

• The developed symmetry indices successfully quantified the inherent high symmetry of the trot in sound horses.
• These findings align with previous studies using more complex gait analysis techniques.
• High repeatability was demonstrated for all three indices, indicating reliability.

Conclusions:

• The accelerometric-derived symmetry indices offer a promising approach for objective gait analysis in horses.
• These indices provide a reliable and repeatable quantitative measure of gait symmetry.
• This research lays the groundwork for future studies on the application of these indices in detecting and quantifying equine lameness.