School of Agriculture, Middle Tennessee State University, 314 W. Thompson Ln., Murfreesboro, TN 37129, USA.
Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, 474 S. Shaw Ln., East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
Sensors (Basel). 2023 Apr 24;23(9):4232. doi: 10.3390/s23094232.
The effects of gait and diameter have been studied independently, but rarely together in equine circular exercise studies. This study aimed to determine the impact of diameter (10-m or 15-m) at various gaits (walk, trot, and canter) on stride frequency or forelimb stance duration. Nine mature horses were outfitted with Tekscan™ Hoof Sensors on their forelimbs during circular and straight-line exercise at various gaits on a clay and sand arena surface. Statistical analysis was performed in SAS 9.4 with fixed effects of exercise type, recording, leg, and breed (PROC GLIMMIX, < 0.05 significance). At walk ( < 0.0001) and trot ( < 0.001), stride frequency was lower during circular exercise. Stride frequency was similar between forelimbs at all gaits. At walk ( < 0.001) and canter ( = 0.01), stance duration was greatest during 10-m circle exercise. At walk ( = 0.0007), trot ( < 0.001), and canter ( < 0.0001), the inside forelimb had longer stance duration than the outside forelimb. Differences between forelimb stance durations may support asymmetrical travel while horses exercise on a circle at the walk, trot, and canter. These results demonstrate diameter and gait are important factors when evaluating forelimb kinematics during circular exercise.
步态和直径的影响已被分别研究，但在马圆形运动研究中很少一起研究。本研究旨在确定在不同步态（步行、小跑和疾驰）下直径（10 米或 15 米）对步频或前肢支撑时间的影响。在粘土和沙质运动场上，9 匹成熟马的前肢配备了 Tekscan™马蹄传感器，以进行各种步态的圆形和直线运动。使用 SAS 9.4 进行统计分析，固定效应为运动类型、记录、肢体和品种（PROC GLIMMIX，<0.05 显著性）。在步行（<0.0001）和小跑（<0.001）时，圆形运动中的步频较低。在所有步态中，前肢的步频相似。在步行（<0.001）和疾驰（=0.01）时，10 米圆圈运动中的支撑时间最长。在步行（=0.0007）、小跑（<0.001）和疾驰（<0.0001）时，内侧前肢的支撑时间长于外侧前肢。前肢支撑时间的差异可能支持马在步行、小跑和疾驰时在圆形运动中不对称运动。这些结果表明，在评估圆形运动中前肢运动学时，直径和步态是重要因素。
