Abstract
BackgroundEquine water treadmills (WTs) are growing in popularity because they are believed to allow for high resistance, low impact exercise. However, little is known about the effect of water height on limb loading. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of water height and speed on segmental acceleration and impact attenuation during WT exercise in horses. Three uniaxial accelerometers (sampling rate: 2500 Hz) were secured on the left forelimb (hoof, mid-cannon, mid-radius). Horses walked at two speeds (S1: 0.83 m/s, S2: 1.39 m/s) and three water heights (mid-cannon, carpus, stifle), with a dry WT control. Peak acceleration of each segment was averaged over five strides, attenuation was calculated, and stride frequency was estimated by the time between successive hoof contacts. Linear mixed effects models were used to examine the effects of water height, speed, and accelerometer location on peak acceleration, attenuation and stride frequency (p < 0.05).ResultsPeak acceleration at all locations was lower with water of any height compared to the dry control (p < 0.0001). Acceleration was reduced with water at the height of the stifle compared to mid-cannon water height (p = 0.02). Water at the height of the stifle attenuated more impact than water at the height of the cannon (p = 0.0001).ConclusionsWater immersion during treadmill exercise reduced segmental accelerations and increased attenuation in horses. WT exercise may be beneficial in the rehabilitation of lower limb injuries in horses.
Highlights
Equine water treadmills (WTs) are growing in popularity because they are believed to allow for high resistance, low impact exercise
Peak acceleration was affected by both water height and accelerometer location (Fig. 2)
Peak accelerations at the hoof, cannon, and radius were significantly lower with water of any height, compared to accelerations at the same location in the dry condition (p < 0.0001 for all water heights)
Summary
Equine water treadmills (WTs) are growing in popularity because they are believed to allow for high resistance, low impact exercise. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of water height and speed on segmental acceleration and impact attenuation during WT exercise in horses. Linear mixed effects models were used to examine the effects of water height, speed, and accelerometer location on peak acceleration, attenuation and stride frequency (p < 0.05). Water treadmills are believed to provide a form of Previous studies have illustrated that the presence and height of water have a significant impact on the movement patterns of horses’ limbs. This is because water resistance and buoyancy increase as a function of water height [4, 5]. Another study reported that stride frequency (SF) decreased and stride length (SL) increased with water heights at the carpus and ulna [6]
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