STRIDE RATES OF HORSES TROTTING AND CANTERING ON A TREADMILL

Fifteen Thoroughbred racehorses were exercised at the walk, trot and c anter three times a week for seven weeks on an inclined treadmill. Str ide rates of each horse were measured at the trot and canter during ea ch exercise period. At both gaits, stride rates were consistent betwee n trials for each horse and a general linear relationship between stri de frequencies at the trot and canter occurred. Stride rates outside o f the 95% confidence level occurred in only 17 of the 522 trials and, of these, gait abnormalities could be identified in only five of these trials. Three horses exhibited signs of dorsal displacement of the so ft palate during some of the trials. No effects of this condition on s tride frequencies were observed. The consistency of the stride rates a t the trot and canter suggests that individual horses have a preferred stride frequency at a given velocity and gait. Horses that have high ratios between stride frequencies at the trot and canter would tend to have longer stride lengths at the canter at a given speed. Since maxi mum velocity is directly related to the length of stride, horses with longer strides should have higher peak speeds than those horses with s horter strides. Many other factors must be considered in any predictio ns of performance potential.