Analysis of stride frequency and stride length in horses completing treadmill endurance exercise

Abstract

Endurance rides are a physically challenging athletic endeavor and development of lameness is the most common reason that horses competing over distances of 50 to 100 miles fail to finish Thus, it is important to study the physiological effects of fatigue and to search for easily measured parameters that may predict fatigue and impending development of lameness The purpose of this study was to analyze stride frequency and stride length as simple parameters that could be used to indicate fatigue in endurance horses If one or more changes in these stride characteristics would prove to be an early indicator of fatigue, they could prove to be a useful tool at veterinary checkpoints during the ride to help determine if a horse is able to continue Having more parameters to determine a horse’s soundness during competition would increase welfare for the horse and safety for the rider In this study, we hypothesized that stride characteristics, specifically stride frequency and stride length, would change with increasing fatigue