Walk this way

One of the main ways in which a farrier assesses a horse's needs is by watching it walk. Technology has now moved on one step further so that a horses gait can be captured as a digital image…

Equinalysis is a system which provides highly-accurate quantification of equine dynamics via digital images. In much the same way as Lord of the Rings character Gollum was created by capturing actor Andy Serkis' movements through a special suit, Equinalysis works by placing markers on specific joint surfaces and taking measurements between these points to capture the movement.

Whether you use your horse for recreation riding, work, or simply as a family pet, it's feet and legs form the complete dynamic foundation from which it functions. If the horse's feet are imbalanced it could result in impaired performance and lameness.

A horse can become lame in a matter of weeks but the damage may have been accumulating for a number of years. This is where Equinalysis comes into its own by highlighting any possible problems before they are physically visible.

Recent studies have indicated that up to 95pc of all horses have some degree of foot imbalance which predisposes them to injury. A massive 70pc of all performance horses will sustain at least one musculo-skeletal injury in any one season and 75pc of these injuries are caused, or contributed to, by a foot imbalance.

A horse tendon has a strain rate of 21pc before the tendon fails and is damaged. This means that a 100mm tendon is able to stretch up to 121mm before the tendon fibres break. When you consider that the flexor tendon in a performance horse undergoes a strain rate of 17pc you can appreciate the importance of foot balance and how little margin there is for error.

Equinalysis is a unique computer programme, specifically designed and developed to visually track, measure and quantify accurate biomechanical data of a horses gait. Gait analysis is not a new concept.

It has existed and been widely used in human sports and medicine for decades. Professional athletes in many disciplines apply a multitude of sports-enhancing techniques to attain a higher level of performance ahead of their competitors. A similar trend is emerging within equine sports.

The concept of Equinalysis began several years ago. Haydn Price, British Olympic Team farrier, began using video to capture the hind limb movement of horses in order to be able to analyse their movement in greater detail. It became apparent that rather than just monitoring limb movement and foot flight it was essential to be able to objectively quantify how these horses were moving and to know the degree of change as they developed during their training.

In 2003 Haydn involved a specialist sports analysis company to develop a motion analysis system tailored to the equine industry. This system needed to be suitable to use away from the laboratory environment as he wanted a system that could be operated by other equine practitioners quite literally 'in the field'.

Two cameras are used to capture the horse at walk and trot, one camera captures lateral views and the other captures anterior and posterior views. To collate accurate data, screenings are primarily performed on a hard surface such as concrete; optionally screenings may be performed on a variety of surfaces and with or without a rider.

Edited video clips allow the technician to view the horse's dynamics in slow motion or frame by frame. This enables the precise moment of footfall to be analysed and an assessment can be made on how the hoof lands, how the limb above it loads as it rotates over the hoof and the extension, flexion and displacement of joints.

Cameras operate at 50-1500 frames per second - compared to the human eye which registers images at the equivalent of 12 frames per second. Currently, the assessment of equine locomotion and lameness is carried out visually and therefore cannot be reliably or consistently quantified, resulting in disagreements between practitioners on the extent of lameness. In addition, the assessment cannot be easily communicated between practitioners and has very little or no historic value.

Data collated from an Equinalysis screening, such as length of stride/step, carpal/tarsal flexion and hock displacement, provide objective and quantifiable information on your horse's dynamic movement. This data provides the evidence to ensure optimum equine dynamics can be achieved. It can also allow farriers to de-stress a particular joint and ensure that, as well as the shoe protecting the foot, it also provides a foundation for the whole limb.

The fitting of a shoe should take into account the 'loading' of each limb. Loading is directly related to the effectiveness of joints and can affect tendon and ligament health.

This data and images are stored on a cd-rom which accompanies a portfolio specific to each individual horse. This portfolio can then be accessed and reviewed historically by vets, farriers, physiotherapists or trainers, therefore providing an accurate record of the horses gait.

Anglia Equine

Mark Aikens has worked with horses for 25 years, initially within the racing sector in Southern Ireland prior to commencing an apprenticeship in farriery nearly 20 years ago. During his time as a farrier he has been fortunate enough to work in America alongside Steve Teichman, farrier to the United States Equestrian Team and in the UK with Haydn Price, farrier to the British Dressage Team.

Mark started his own farriery practice, Anglia Equine, in 1993. Since then he has specialised in shoeing event, dressage and endurance horses. He believes in taking a proactive rather than reactive approach to shoeing, realising that a foot imbalance will eventually result in impaired performance and lameness, and working to prevent this before it happens.

To help him in this approach, Mark uses the Equinalysis system to analyse the horse's gait. This enables him to eliminate any subjectivity encountered previously when optimising a horse's performance through shoeing. As an accredited technician, Mark is able to liaise with leading UK professionals with a proven track record in veterinary science, equine sports, farriery and biomechanics.

www.angliaequine.com