Michael A. Weishaupt

University of Zurich | UZH · Clinic for Horses

Conformation traits are important in the selection and distinction between horse breeds, but tend to be evaluated subjectively within a breed and cannot be compared between them. The horse shape space model, using a combination of 253 landmarks and semi-landmarks, provides objective information on the shape of a horse photographed from the side tha...

Horses have been used and bred for centuries for their movements. However, specific breeds are expected to have different movement capabilities. We have measured 425 horses from four different breeds at walk and trot on a straight line using an inertial measurement unit (IMU) system (EquiMoves®). This article describes how the data was collected, f...

Horses have been used and bred for centuries for their movements. However, specific breeds are expected to have different movement capabilities. We have measured 428 horses from four different breeds at walk and trot on a straight line using an inertial measurement unit (IMU) system (EquiMoves®). This article describes how the data was collected, f...

The public is increasingly questioning equestrianism’s social license to operate. While the focus historically centered on horseracing, increased scrutiny is now being placed on how dressage, showjumping, and eventing are addressing equine management and welfare concerns. Nominated equestrian federation and equestrian organization experts (n = 104)...

Gait quality is an important selection criterion in many European horse breeds, but is usually evaluated subjectively. The aim was to compare the objective gait quality parameters speed, stride length, maximal protraction (Aprot) and retraction (Aret) angles of the fore and hind limbs and suspension duration (SpD) of two Swiss horse breeds. We meas...

Horse breeds are expected to show differences in their conformation traits due to selection for specific uses and aesthetics. However, these differences have seldom been compared objectively, as each breed is evaluated subjectively by their own judges. Therefore, joint angles were extracted from standardised photographs from the side at stance of 8...

Background Although the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is the major contact point between the reins in the riders’ hand, the bit in the mouth, and the rest of the horse under saddle, the role of inflammation of this joint on equine locomotion and rein tension is unknown. Objective To determine the effect of acute TMJ inflammation on rein-tension an...

Vertical ground reaction force (GRFz) measurements are the best tool for assessing horses’ weight-bearing lameness. However, collection of these data is often impractical for clinical use. This study evaluates GRFz predicted using data from body-mounted IMUs and long short-term memory recurrent neural networks (LSTM-RNN). Twenty-four clinically sou...

Vertical ground reaction force (GRFz) is an excellent parameter for assessing lameness in horses, but cumbersome to obtain. Predicting GRFz using inertial sensors (IMU) information would solve this problem. This study compares GRFz curves and peak-GRFz values with predictions of GRFz from long short-term memory neural networks (LSTM), using IMU dat...

In order to improve saddle fit and comfort for the horse, many equestrians use a saddle pad in addition to an ordinary saddle cloth or blanket. To date, only a few scientific studies have investigated if such pads lower the magnitude of pressure exerted on the horse’s back. The results of these studies are highly variable, presumably due to the dif...

Es ist unumstritten, dass lahmende Pferde nicht geritten werden sollten. Doch die Kompetenz von Pferdebesitzern, eine Lahmheit bei ihrem Pferd zuverlässig zu erkennen, wird zunehmend hinterfragt. Dieses Thema wurde jetzt in einer Studie genauer untersucht.

Ill-fitting saddles can impair the wellbeing and performance of horses. Saddle fit is generally assessed subjectively by a trained professional or with an electronic saddle pressure mat, but little is known about the agreement between both methods. The study aims were 1) to assess the prevalence of saddle fit issues in a riding sound Swiss horse po...

Objectively assessing horse movement symmetry as an adjunctive to the routine lameness evaluation is on the rise with several commercially available systems on the market. Prerequisites for quantifying such symmetries include knowledge of the gait and gait events, such as hoof to ground contact patterns over consecutive strides. Extracting this inf...

Lameness is a symptom indicative of pain or injury of the locomotor apparatus. Lame horses generally should not be ridden. However, owners’ ability to assess lameness has been questioned. This study’s aim was to use subjective lameness assessments and objective gait analysis to generate a descriptive overview of movement and weight-bearing asymmetr...

Background There is a paucity of research describing the gait pattern of lame horses at the walk. Objectives To describe the changes in motion pattern and vertical ground reaction forces (GRFz) in horses with induced forelimb lameness at the walk and compare those changes with the changes observed at the trot. Study design Experimental study. Me...

Gait quality, that is, the way horses move according to functional and aesthetic principles, englobes many traits that are scored by experts during breeding competitions. The experts can score a trait on a subjective valuating (SV) scale or on a linear profiling (LP) scale representing the biological extremes of the population. However, the reliabi...

In Icelandic horses (ICE), high, long hooves with added weights are often used to improve gait quality in competitions. From a biomechanical point of view, excessively long hooves can be problematic as they increase forces acting on the distal limb. The study aimed to determine if hoof capsule size and angle of ICE at competitions are comparable to...

In order to improve the four-beat-rhythm and forelimb action of the tölt in Icelandic horses (ICE), special shoeing techniques are applied particularly in the front hooves by increasing hoof length and height, or by adding weight to the distal limbs. Although regulations limit dorsal hoof wall length (LDHW) in competition ICE, their shoeing often d...

Background Left‐right movement symmetry is a highly desirable characteristic in sport horses. Objectives This study compared movement symmetry in well‐trained dressage horses in unridden and unrestrained position and ridden in a dressage frame, and investigated possible associations between gaits. Study design Experimental study. Methods Seven s...

The use of horses in competitive sports receives increasing criticism from the public, mainly due to the potential for injury. However, it is unclear if orthopaedic and other health issues are more common in competition horses when compared to leisure horses. The aim of this study was to assess husbandry, use, and orthodpeadic health in Swiss ridin...

Poor riding performance may be due to medical issues with the horse or a variety of other factors, such as inadequate equipment or deficiencies in training. The physical fitness of the equestrian is one of the most unexplained factors of current research. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between the physical fitness of the eq...

The superimposed influences of different head and neck positions (HNPs) and rider effects on symmetry in sound horses have not been studied. Our aim was to investigate the effects of HNPs and rider on the symmetry in minimum height of the withers at the walk. Seven high-level dressage horses were studied with and without rider in six HNPs: HNP1, fr...

A 3‐year‐old Warmblood gelding was evaluated for intermittent respiratory distress and an inspiratory noise. These signs were mainly observed at exercise but sometimes occurred at rest as well. At the age of 2 months, a severe episode of respiratory distress had necessitated a temporary tracheotomy, which had then healed uneventfully. Examination o...

Asymmetric forces exerted on the horse's back during riding are assumed to have a negative effect on rider–horse interaction, athletic performance, and health of the horse. Visualized on a saddle pressure mat, they are initially blamed on a nonfitting saddle. The contribution of horse and rider to an asymmetric loading pattern, however, is not well...

Supplementary Item 1. Model output evaluating asymmetry parameters and stride duration.

The walk and trot are inherently symmetrical gaits, making them potentially suitable for the detection of left-right asymmetries. The aims of this study were to describe asymmetrical vertical excursions of the withers at walk in non-lame high-level dressage horses and to seek associations between these asymmetric movements and other kinematic varia...

The marker set up. The markers used in the current study were those on the sixth, tenth and thirteenth thoracic vertebrae (T6, T10, T13), third sacral vertebra (S3), spina scapula (3), elbow joint space (5) and lateral fore and hind hoof walls (not numbered). (TIF)

Raw data for vertical positions of T6, T10, T13 and means of the vertical positions of the tubera spina scapulae markers for the trials in median speed for each horse. The curves showing vertical positions are centered around zero. For the ground reaction forces, the upper tracks are for the forelimbs and the lower tracks are for the hind limbs; in...

Stance minimum vertical positions of T6 plotted against stance minimum vertical positions of other midline and forelimb markers evacuated from the time point during early stance of the left forelimb (only values for left forelimb stance are plotted to avoid stride-level clustering within trial). Minimal vertical positions for markers on the tuber s...

The data used for the statistical analysis. (XLSX)

Distributions of trial-level models independent data tested in kinetic and kinematic models. All variables are expressed as differences between left and right. Data—see S1 Table. (PDF)

Video of horse 2. Original speed 1.58 m/s; shown at 50% of original speed. (MP4)

Gait analysis parameters are sensitive to speed alterations. This study described changes in movement in 24 sound Franches-Montagnes stallions subjected to incremental speed tests at walk and trot. The speed ranges were adjusted individually and ranged from 1.4-2.0 m/s at the walk and 3.3-6.5 m/s at the trot with increments of 0.1 and 0.5 m/s, r...

Saddle slip, defined as a progressive lateral displacement of the saddle during ridden exercise, has recently been given attention in the scientific press as a potential sign of lameness. The aim of this study was to objectively quantify the normal lateral movement (oscillations) of the saddle relative to the horse in non-lame horses, and associate...

Data used for analysis. (XLSX)

Example of raw data. Lateral movement of the saddle and L3 in one horse for left rising, right rising and sitting trot. Higher y-axis values imply movement to the right and lower values movement to the left. (TIF)

The debate on proper head and neck positions (HNP) in horse training is lively, but little is known about the biomechanical effects of various HNPs in horses ridden at walk. The aim was to quantify the influence of different HNPs on the kinematics of horses ridden at walk. The standard competition position (HNP2) was compared to a free, unrestraine...

Background The main criteria for lameness assessment in horses are head movement for forelimb lameness and pelvic movement for hindlimb lameness. However, compensatory head nod in horses with primary hindlimb lameness is a well‐known phenomenon. This compensatory head nod movement can be easily misinterpreted as a sign of primary ipsilateral foreli...

In studies of equine locomotion treadmills and accompanying measuring systems has become a widely used tool. Before any reliable data can be collected horses have to habituate to treadmill locomotion. The aim of the present study was to investigate this process of habituation to an instrumented treadmill by analysing kinetic data and heart rate (HR...

Background: Objective gait-analysis is becoming more popular as a tool assisting veterinarians during the clinical lameness exam. At present, there is only limited information on the effect of misplacement of markers/motion-sensors. Objectives: To investigate and describe the effect of marker misplacement on commonly calculated pelvic symmetry p...

The objectives were to compare sagittal plane posture of the pelvis, trunk and head of elite dressage riders when they ride actively to train the horse versus sitting passively and following the horses' movements at trot, and to evaluate the effects of these changes in rider posture on load distribution on the horse's back. Synchronised motion capt...

OBJECTIVE To compare gait mechanics and limb loading in Icelandic horses tölting and trotting at equal speeds and estimate their impact on orthopedic health. ANIMALS 12 orthopedically normal Icelandic horses. PROCEDURES Kinetic and kinematic gait variables were simultaneously recorded as each horse was ridden at a tölt and trot on an instrumented t...

This paper presents a simplistic passive dynamic model that is able to create realistic quadrupedal walking, tölting, and trotting motions. The model is inspired by the bipedal spring loaded inverted pendulum (SLIP) model and consists of a distributed mass on four massless legs. Each of the legs is either in ground contact, retracted for swing, or...

Objective: Kinetic data of stride characteristics and ground reaction forces of cattle become increasingly important as automated lameness detection may be installed in dairy cow housing systems in the future. Therefore, sound heifers and cows were measured on an instrumented treadmill to collect such basic data. Material und methods: Nine heife...

Pferde lieben es genauso wenig wie wir, wenn man ihnen auf den Nerv drückt. Nerven können durch krankhafte Veränderungen vermehrt belastet oder gereizt werden, sehr wohl aber auch durch schlecht sitzende Ausrüstung wie Zaum, Sattel oder Gurte

Introduction To enhance expressiveness and regularity of the tölt, Icelandic horses are commonly shod with excessively high and long hooves. The aim of this study was to objectively assess the effect of shoeing on distal interphalangeal ( DIP ) joint moments of the left forelimb during break‐over at walk, tölt and trot. Methods Twelve sound Icelan...

IntroductionWeighted boots and unnaturally high and long hooves (SH) are used to improve the 4-beat rhythm of the tölt and enhance forelimb action.Methods The effect of these methods on loading and movement of the limbs was investigated in thirteen Icelandic horses at walk, tölt and trot on an instrumented treadmill. Vertical ground reaction forces...

To investigate the effect of increasing velocity within one gait on horse and rider movement and to describe the resulting changes in saddle forces, seven ridden dressage horses were examined on an instrumented treadmill. The speed ranged between 1.3-1.8 m/s at walk and 2.6-3.6 m/s at trot. Kinematics of the horse and rider, vertical ground reactio...

Measurement of atrial/A-type natriuretic peptide (ANP) concentrations may be of use for assessment of cardiac disease, and reliable data on the analytic performance of available assays are needed. To assess the suitability for clinical use of commercially available ANP assays, intra-assay and inter-assay coefficient of variation and dilution parall...

Orthopaedic, or other, injuries in sports medicine can be quantified using the ‘days-lost to training’ concept. Both the training regimen and the surface used in training and racing can affect the health of racehorses. Our aim was to associate ‘days-lost to training’ in elite-level show-jumpers to horse characteristics, training and management stra...

With the intention of limiting the weight on horses' backs and guaranteeing maximal freedom of movement, commonly used racing saddles are small and have minimal cushioning. Poor saddle cushioning may limit performance or even affect soundness of the back. The aim of this study was to measure the pressure under an average racing saddle ridden by a j...

To enhance expressiveness of forelimb movement and improve the four-beat rhythm of the tölt, Icelandic horses are commonly ridden with excessively high and long hooves. The aim of this study was to objectively assess the effect of shoeing on intra- and inter-limb coordination and limb movement consistency (inter-stride variability) at walk, tölt an...

Tölt is a symmetric four-beat gait with a speed range extending into that of trot and canter. Specific shoeing methods, such as unnaturally high and long hooves, are used to enforce individual gait predisposition. The aim of this study was to assess the consequences of this shoeing style on loading and movement of the limbs at walk, tölt and trot,...

The aim of this study was to investigate the behavioural response of horses to rein contact and the movement of the riders' hands through analysis of data from horses ridden at two different head and neck positions. It was hypothesised that the riders' hand movements and rein tension would generate behavioural responses from horses and that these r...

The aim of this study was to compare an inertial motion system (IMS) to an optical based locomotion analysis system measuring limb sagittal segment angles in horses at the walk and trot. The metatarsal/metacarpal bones of two horses (20 trials) were fitted with optical system markers and an IMS. Between the systems, measuring range of motion (ROM)...

Training regimens of show jumping horses under field conditions are largely undocumented. The aims of this study were to quantify and compare training regimens used in professional level show jumping yards, with respect to time exercised and type of activity. Prospective cohort study. A prospective 6-month cohort study of show jumping horses in 4 E...

Objective: Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) serve as biomarkers for increased cardiac pressure/volume loading and for myocardial stress or damage. The objective was to describe the time course of plasma ANP concentrations (CpANP) and plasma cTnI concentrations (CpcTnI) in horses with mitral regurgitation (MR) compared...