KINEMATIC DETECTION OF SUPERIOR GAIT QUALITY IN YOUNG TROTTING WARMBLOODS

This study was conducted to identify objective criteria to select youn g horses with a good gait, which is a prerequisite for good performanc e in adult horses. The trot of 24 26-month-old Dutch Warmbloods, led o n a loose shank, was subjectively scored by a judge and objectively as sessed on a treadmill by using kinematic analysis equipment. It appear ed that forelimb and hind limb stride and swing duration, scapula rota tion, forelimb maximal fetlock extension, forelimb maximal retraction, hind limb maximal protraction, maximal stifle flexion, and maximal ta rsal flexion significantly correlated with a generally accepted gait s core in which length, suppleness, and strength are judged. Moreover, t he ranking of the individual horses on the basis of gait quality accor ding to their objectively measured kinematic variables was similar to the subjective ranking given by the judge. Thus, a complete picture wa s obtained of the variables in equine locomotion that determine the qu ality of the trot in warmbloods.