FREQUÊNCIA DOS DEFEITOS DE APRUMO EM EQUINOS DA RAÇA QUARTO DE MILHA DE MODALIDADE ESPORTIVA

Abstract

Posture defects are known to be predisposing factors in the development of musculo-skeleton lesions. The present study therefore aimed to investigate the frequency of postural defects, evaluating and comparing quarter horses in sports modalities of cutting and team penning. The posture of 30 quarter horses from the Sérgio Martins Stud in Uberlândia was evaluated, of which 20 practiced cutting and the remaining 10 did team penning. The animals’ posture was examined by visual evaluation, which involved three views, the cranial, lateral and caudal. The distribution of frequency and statistical analysis were carried out using Fisher's Exact Test. In the cranial view, the defects found were open and closed posture at the front and knock-knees. The lateral view identified the following defects; leaning forward, buck-knees and camped back. From the caudal view, the defects found were open and closed hind posture and cow-hocks. On comparing, by means of statistical tests, the main postural defects that showed statistical significance, cowhock and closed hind posture were the most common for animals that did team penning. We can conclude that these animals had a higher frequency of cowhocks and closed hind posture than animals that practiced cutting.

Keywords

• Equines
• Conformation
• Cutting
• Team penning
• Morphometric measurements