Abstract
BackgroundThe use of tack (equipment such as saddles and reins) and especially of bits because of rein tension resulting in pressure in the mouth is questioned because of welfare concerns. We hypothesised that rein tension patterns in walk and trot reflect general gait kinematics, but are also determined by individual horse and rider effects. Six professional riders rode three familiar horses in walk and trot. Horses were equipped with rein tension meters logged by inertial measurement unit technique. Left and right rein tension data were synchronized with the gait.ResultsStride split data (0–100 %) were analysed using mixed models technique to elucidate the left/right rein and stride percentage interaction, in relation to the exercises performed. In walk, rein tension was highest at hindlimb stance. Rein tension was highest in the suspension phase at trot, and lowest during the stance phase. In rising trot there was a significant difference between the two midstance phases, but not in sitting trot. When turning in trot there was a significant statistical association with the gait pattern with the tension being highest in the inside rein when the horse was on the outer fore-inner hindlimb diagonal.ConclusionsSubstantial between-rider variation was demonstrated in walk and trot and between-horse variation in walk. Biphasic rein tensions patterns during the stride were found mainly in trot.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13028-015-0182-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
The use of tack and especially of bits because of rein tension resulting in pressure in the mouth is questioned because of welfare concerns
Three riders only used rising trot while trotting, while for the others the proportion of rising trot of all time trotted varied from 43 to 99 %, median 72 %. From these time slots in total 3118 walk strides and 9308 trot strides were selected after stride split
Between‐gait, rider and horse variation Both rider and horse variations were substantial at walk, while rider variation was relatively higher than horse variation at trot
Summary
The use of tack (equipment such as saddles and reins) and especially of bits because of rein tension resulting in pressure in the mouth is questioned because of welfare concerns. We hypothesised that rein tension patterns in walk and trot reflect general gait kinematics, but are determined by individual horse and rider effects. Horses were equipped with rein tension meters logged by inertial measurement unit technique. Different kinds of tack have been developed to facilitate the use of the horse, tack being equipment used on the horse to facilitate the use of it, such as saddles and reins. Rein tension measurements at trot in unmounted horses or horses ridden with a free head and neck position showed peaks with maximal tension occurring in the second half of each diagonal stance phase [9, 10]. In sitting trot with the horse’s nose line on the vertical the largest rein tension peaks were found in the suspension
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