Methods, Applications and Limitations of Gait （方法,应用程序和步态的局限性）.pdfVIP

The Veterinary Journal 1999, 157, 7–22 Methods, Applications and Limitations of Gait Analysis in Horses E. BARREY INRA, Station de Génétique Quantitative et Appliquée, Groupe cheval, 78352 Jouy-en-Josas, France SUMMARY Over the last 30 years, the increase in interest in horses for racing and riding activities has stimulated scien- tific research in equine locomotion. This paper presents a review of the measurement methods and their applications used to assess equine locomotion. After describing gaits and velocity-related changes in stride variables, the current applications of gait analysis are presented. The economic consequences of lameness justifies the great effort now being put into lameness quantification and prevention. To improve breeding and reduce the costs of training, early performance evaluation tests for each discipline are proposed. After extensive fundamental and methodological research on the various aspects of equine locomotion, the horse industry should benefit from the applications of gait analysis by improving the profitability of racing and riding activities. KEYWORDS: Horse; locomotion; biomechanics; performance; lameness. INTRODUCTION XVIIth and XVIIIth Century by veterinarians such as Bourgelat (1754). In the XIXth Century, the first According to recent archeological research in the experimental measurements were undertaken by Ukraine, horses have been domesticated and rid- Marey (1873, 1894), who studied the timing of each den since about 4000 BC. From this date, humans gait using a chronographic method (Fig. 1), and began to understand and exploit the locomotor then by Muybridge (1887), wh