An objective study into the effects of an incline on naturally occurring lameness in horses

Abstract

Abstract Background The clinical examination of lame horses in real world settings often requires the use of sloped surfaces. Objectives This pilot study aimed to evaluate the effects of uphill and downhill locomotion on asymmetry in horses with naturally occurring lameness affecting forelimbs and hindlimbs. Methods Ten horses (8–19 years) with forelimb lameness and eight horses (7–16 years) with hindlimb lameness were fitted with inertial sensors at the poll, withers, sacrum and both tuber coxae. Data were collected whilst the horses were trotted in hand on a level surface (20 mm) among conditions in individual horses. Two horses with hindlimb lameness and two horses with forelimb lameness switched asymmetry between left and right by changing incline. Conclusions These results confirm that incline can be an influential factor in the assessment of lame horses. Further work is justified to elucidate the types of pathology associated with the most relevant changes in asymmetry which would allow the use of an incline to prioritise a list of differential diagnoses.

Keywords

• equine
• biomechanics
• lameness
• incline