The effect of reins on kinetic variables of locomotion

The Postural and Body Surface Temperature Response of Leisure Horses to Lunging with Selected Lunging Aids

Incorporating lunging into a horse's daily routine aims to enhance fitness, physical condition, and specific skills or exercises when using lunging aids (LAs). To assess the effectiveness of lunging, non-contact technologies like geometric morphometrics and infrared thermography can be employed. This study seeks to evaluate lunging efficiency based on the horse's posture and surface temperature when lunging with different head and neck positions. The study aims to determine if changes in a horse's posture correspond to increased metabolic activity, as indicated by body surface temperature. Thirteen horses included in the study were lunged with chambon (CH), rubber band (RB), and triangle side reins (TRs) as well as with a freely moving head (FMH). Images were taken in visible light and infrared. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to analyze horse posture changes and a Pixel-Counting Protocol (PCP) was used to quantify surface temperature patterns. The horses' posture exhibited contrasting changes, reflected by a changing centroid shape (p < 0.0001) but not size (p > 0.05) when lunged with RB and TRs, but not CH. Different (p < 0.0001) surface temperature patterns were observed during lunging. FMH lunging resulted in lower temperatures over a larger surface, CH induced moderate temperatures on a smaller area, RB caused moderate to high temperatures across a broader surface, and TRs led to higher temperatures over a smaller region. The studied lunging cases returned different (p < 0.0001) surface temperature patterns. Lunging with FMH returned lower temperatures over a larger surface, CH moderate temperatures on a smaller area, RB moderate to high temperatures across a broader surface, and TRs higher temperatures over a smaller region. The proposed methods can be applied to evaluate the efficiency of lunging in horses.

Evaluating Horse Owner Expertise and Professional Use of Auxiliary Reins during Horse Riding

Simple Summary

Auxiliary reins, which function as mechanical training aids that exert influence on the posture of the horse, are often criticized, especially if they are used incorrectly and against animal welfare. The aim of this paper was to investigate, with an online questionnaire, how much knowledge horse owners have regarding auxiliary reins and whether they use them appropriately. In our study, the running side rein was the most popular auxiliary rein when working from the ground and the sliding ring martingale was the most popular for equestrian activities. Half of the participants did not change the auxiliary rein during the entire training session and most participants adjusted their horse too tightly and did not change anything at that time despite the related breathing problems. The study showed that most participants used the reins responsibly, but there is still a need for clarification of their correct application regarding animal welfare and training physiology among horse owners.

Abstract

Auxiliary reins are commonly used for the training of riders and horses as well as in daily training. They are often criticized when used incorrectly, as they will not help and can harm the horse by causing overwork, accidents, and injuries, which harm the horse in the long term. They also often conceal causal rider problems while trying to achieve quick success. The aim of this paper was to investigate, with an online horse-owner questionnaire, which and how often auxiliary reins were used and whether they were used appropriately. Only participants who were currently using auxiliary reins were selected. Consequently, 823 participants were questioned, of which 362 were currently using auxiliary reins at least every two weeks. Auxiliary reins were mainly used according to their discipline: the running side rein was the most popular when working from the ground and the sliding ring martingale was the most popular for ridden equestrian activities. Most of the test subjects only attached the auxiliary reins after the warm-up phase, but half of the participants did not change them during the entire training session. Most participants (75%) could at least identify what the correct head position of the horse should look like. However, there were still too many (50%) who adjusted their horse too tightly and did not change anything at that time despite the related breathing problems. The study found that most participants used the reins responsibly, but there is still a need for clarification and information relating to the functions of the different auxiliary reins among horse owners.

The Effect of Lunging with Three Aids on the Thermographically Determined Temperatures of the Distal Portion of Horse Limbs

The regulation of head and neck position during physical exercise may be obtained using lunging aids (LAs): Chambon (CH), rubber band (RB), or triangle side reins (TR). The use of LAs would shift the center of horse mass caudally, thereby change the limb load. The aim is to evaluate the pattern of superficial temperatures (PST) of hoof wall (HW), the coronary band (CB), and the dorsal aspect of the fetlock joint (FJ) obtained before and after lunging with LAs and freely moving head (FMH). Sixteen horses were imaged using an infrared camera. The temperatures of HW, CB, and FJ were measured, and differences between images obtained before and after lunging were evaluated. The correlations between HW, CB, and FJ were then described using respective coefficients (r, rho). Before lunging PST was similar (P < .05) in FMH, CH, RB, and TR, with the strong positive correlations for forelimbs (HW/CB:rho = 0.9022; HW/FJ:rho = 0.7064; CB/FJ:rho = 0.8010) and hindlimbs (HW/CB:rho = 0.7287; HW/FJ:r = 0.7831; CB/FJ:r = 0.7233). After lunging, PST and correlations changed (P > .05) depending on LAs application. No correlations for FMH and CH, and positive correlations for RB and TR were noted: HW/CB for forelimbs (RB:r = 0.6813; TR:r = 0.8396), CB/FJ for hindlimbs (RB:r = 0.5621; TR:rho = 0.4579). The PST of the distal portion of limbs and relations between measured temperatures change depending on used LAs.

Gymnastic Training of Hippotherapy Horses Benefits Gait Quality When Ridden by Riders with Different Body Weights

The objective was to evaluate the effects of gymnastic training on stride characteristics of walk and trot in therapy horses carrying riders of different weights. Eighteen horses used for therapeutic riding 5 days/week were randomly divided into 2 groups. Nine horses performed gymnastic (GYM) exercises after therapeutic riding on 4 days/week for 3 months, 9 horses did no additional exercises (SED). On days 0 and 90, an inertial sensor mounted to the girth on the ventral midline was used to evaluate stride characteristics when horses were ridden at walk (1.3 m/second) and trot (3.0 m/second) by able-bodied riders representing rider: horse body weight ratios (BWRs) 15%, 20%, and 25%. On day 0, the measured variables did not differ significantly between sedentary (SED) and GYM groups, but on day 90, the following statistically significant results were found: GYM-trained horses had higher regularity for all BWRs at walk and 15% and 20% BWRs at trot. Higher stride symmetry was found in GYM-trained horses carrying 25% BWRs at walk and all rider weights at trot. Dorsoventral displacement was higher in GYM-trained horses when carrying 20% and 25% BWRs at walk and 25% BWRs at trot. Dorsoventral power was lower in SED-trained versus GYM-trained horses carrying 15% BWR at walk and 20% BWR at trot. A more regular and symmetrical stride with a larger range of dorsoventral trunk motion is likely to provide a better therapeutic riding experience.

The Pattern of Superficial Body Temperatures in Leisure Horses Lunged with Commonly Used Lunging Aids

Simple Summary

In the training of horses, special lunging aids may be used to regulate head and neck position during exercise without the intervention of a rider. The rubber band and triangle side reins and the chambon have an impact on thoracolumbar kinematics and the motion of the fore- and hindlimbs. Lunging aids are assumed to modulate the work of horses’ muscles, which results in altering the superficial thermographic patterns. Thermography is a non-invasive, contactless imaging technique based on detecting emitted infrared radiation representing the temperature of the body surface, influenced by muscle metabolism and blood circulation. Training sessions for 16 horses performed in the study included exercises at walk, freely active trot, and canter. Surface temperatures of 11 regions of interest were evaluated on all images, corresponding to areas influenced by neck fixation and engaging hindquarters. In conclusion, thermography was shown as a useful tool in lunging aids’ usefulness evaluation. Different types of lunging aids influence the mobility of horse neck and back and its choice for leisure horses lunging should be made individually. Lunging aids change the surface temperature of different body parts during the leisure horse work on the lunge.

Abstract

Background: The natural head and neck position (HNP) of horses differs from the position in horse riding when bit is used. The special lunging aids (LAs) are applied in order to modify HNP. Different types of LAs have the potential to affect the work of horse muscles and the superficial thermographic patterns (STPs). The effects of thre LAs on STPs of neck, chest, back, and hindquarters were investigated. Methods: Sixteen leisure horses were lunged with freely moving head (FMH), rubber band (RB), chambon (CH), and triangle side reins (TRs). The thermographic images (n = 896) were analyzed before/after lunging for mean temperatures (T_mean) and minimum–maximum difference (T_diff). Results: Superficial T_mean increased (p < 0.001) in cranial part of neck, back, thoracic area, and limbs after lunging regardless of LAs application or its type. In comparison to other LAs: With RB, T_mean was higher in regions of interest (ROIs) 2,7 and lower in ROIs 3–4 (p < 0.05); with CH, T_mean was higher in ROIs 2–4 and 7 (p < 0.01); and with TRs, T_mean was higher in ROIs 2–4,7,9–11 (p < 0.01). In ROIs 2–4 and 7, T_diff was lower with LAs than with FMH (p < 0.01) and in ROIs 9–10 with TRs. Conclusions: The choice of LAs should be dictated by the expected effect; however, all LAs increase the quality of the leisure horse lunging. LA use is more desirable than lunging with FMH.

CINÉTICA DO PASSO E DO TROTE DE CAVALOS TREINADOS COM E SEM RÉDEA PESSOA

O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o emprego da rédea Pessoa, em cavalos atletas, por meio da análise cinética do passo e do trote. Foram utilizados 12 cavalos com idade de cinco anos, pesando em média 400 kg. Utilizou-se dois tratamentos, no primeiro grupo, os cavalos foram treinados a guia sem o uso da rédea Pessoa e no segundo tratamento realizou-se o treino mediante uso da rédea Pessoa. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi inteiramente casualizado, com seis repetições por tratamento. As variáveis monitoradas foram as forças: dorso-ventral (FDV), de propulsão (FP), médio-lateral (FML) e total (FT) nos andamentos passo e o trote. Foi verificada ausência de melhora significativa nos parâmetros cinéticos avaliados no andamento ao passo para os cavalos treinados sem a rédea Pessoa. Para os cavalos treinados com rédea Pessoa verificou-se aumentos significativos nas forças de FDV e FP, no andamento ao passo, obtendo valores médios finais de 0,84 e 1,49 W/kg, respectivamente. Observou-se melhora no desenvolvimento dos três componentes de força como FDV, FP e FT (P<0,05), no andamento ao trote, somente para os cavalos treinados com a rédea Pessoa. Concluiu-se que o treinamento com a rédea Pessoa modificou a cinética de deslocamento dos andamentos passo e trote em equinos. E que o trote de cavalos, submetidos ao treinamento com rédea Pessoa, apresentou maior propulsão, bem como melhoras das forças dorso-ventral e total.