Description and Analysis of Horse Swimming Strategies in a U-Shaped Pool
Aquatic training has been integrated into equine rehabilitation and training programs for several decades. While the cardiovascular effects of this training have been explored in previous studies, limited research exists on the locomotor patterns exhibited during the swimming cycle. This study aimed...
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2025-01-01
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| author | Pauline Gaulmin Frédéric Marin Claire Moiroud Audrey Beaumont Sandrine Jacquet Emeline De Azevedo Pauline Martin Fabrice Audigié Henry Chateau Chloé Giraudet |
| author_facet | Pauline Gaulmin Frédéric Marin Claire Moiroud Audrey Beaumont Sandrine Jacquet Emeline De Azevedo Pauline Martin Fabrice Audigié Henry Chateau Chloé Giraudet |
| author_sort | Pauline Gaulmin |
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| description | Aquatic training has been integrated into equine rehabilitation and training programs for several decades. While the cardiovascular effects of this training have been explored in previous studies, limited research exists on the locomotor patterns exhibited during the swimming cycle. This study aimed to analyze three distinct swimming strategies, identified by veterinarians, based on the propulsion phases of each limb: (S1) two-beat cycle with lateral overlap, (S2) two-beat cycle with diagonal overlap, and (S3) four-beat cycle. 125 underwater videos from eleven horses accustomed to swimming were examined to quantify the differences in locomotor patterns between these strategies. Initially, a classifier was developed to categorize 125 video segments into four groups (CatA to CatD). The results demonstrated that these categories correspond to specific swimming strategies, with CatA aligning with S1, CatB with S2, and CatC and CatD representing variations of S3. This classification highlights that two key parameters, lateral and diagonal ratios, are indeed effective in distinguishing between the different swimming strategies. Additionally, coordination patterns were analyzed in relation to these swimming strategies. One of the primary findings is the variability in swimming strategies both within and between individual horses. While five horses consistently maintained the same strategy throughout their swimming sessions, six others exhibited variations in their strategy between laps. This suggests that factors such as swimming direction, pauses between laps, and fatigue may influence the selection of swimming strategy. This study offers new insights into the locomotor patterns of horses during aquatic training and has implications for enhancing the design of rehabilitation protocols. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4ba363154a244017944ea582dcb61854 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
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| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj-art-4ba363154a244017944ea582dcb618542025-01-24T13:18:01ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152025-01-0115219510.3390/ani15020195Description and Analysis of Horse Swimming Strategies in a U-Shaped PoolPauline Gaulmin0Frédéric Marin1Claire Moiroud2Audrey Beaumont3Sandrine Jacquet4Emeline De Azevedo5Pauline Martin6Fabrice Audigié7Henry Chateau8Chloé Giraudet9Centre d’Imagerie et de Recherche sur les Affections Locomotrices Equines (CIRALE), Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, 94700 Maisons-Alfort, FranceLaboratoire de BioMécanique et BioIngénierie (UMR CNRS 7338), Centre of Excellence for Human and Animal Movement Biomechanics (CoEMoB), Université de Technologie de Compiègne (UTC), Alliance Sorbonne Université, 60200 Compiègne, FranceCentre d’Imagerie et de Recherche sur les Affections Locomotrices Equines (CIRALE), Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, 94700 Maisons-Alfort, FranceCentre d’Imagerie et de Recherche sur les Affections Locomotrices Equines (CIRALE), Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, 94700 Maisons-Alfort, FranceCentre d’Imagerie et de Recherche sur les Affections Locomotrices Equines (CIRALE), Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, 94700 Maisons-Alfort, FranceCentre d’Imagerie et de Recherche sur les Affections Locomotrices Equines (CIRALE), Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, 94700 Maisons-Alfort, FranceLIM France, 24300 Nontron, FranceCentre d’Imagerie et de Recherche sur les Affections Locomotrices Equines (CIRALE), Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, 94700 Maisons-Alfort, FranceCentre d’Imagerie et de Recherche sur les Affections Locomotrices Equines (CIRALE), Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, 94700 Maisons-Alfort, FranceLaboratoire de BioMécanique et BioIngénierie (UMR CNRS 7338), Centre of Excellence for Human and Animal Movement Biomechanics (CoEMoB), Université de Technologie de Compiègne (UTC), Alliance Sorbonne Université, 60200 Compiègne, FranceAquatic training has been integrated into equine rehabilitation and training programs for several decades. While the cardiovascular effects of this training have been explored in previous studies, limited research exists on the locomotor patterns exhibited during the swimming cycle. This study aimed to analyze three distinct swimming strategies, identified by veterinarians, based on the propulsion phases of each limb: (S1) two-beat cycle with lateral overlap, (S2) two-beat cycle with diagonal overlap, and (S3) four-beat cycle. 125 underwater videos from eleven horses accustomed to swimming were examined to quantify the differences in locomotor patterns between these strategies. Initially, a classifier was developed to categorize 125 video segments into four groups (CatA to CatD). The results demonstrated that these categories correspond to specific swimming strategies, with CatA aligning with S1, CatB with S2, and CatC and CatD representing variations of S3. This classification highlights that two key parameters, lateral and diagonal ratios, are indeed effective in distinguishing between the different swimming strategies. Additionally, coordination patterns were analyzed in relation to these swimming strategies. One of the primary findings is the variability in swimming strategies both within and between individual horses. While five horses consistently maintained the same strategy throughout their swimming sessions, six others exhibited variations in their strategy between laps. This suggests that factors such as swimming direction, pauses between laps, and fatigue may influence the selection of swimming strategy. This study offers new insights into the locomotor patterns of horses during aquatic training and has implications for enhancing the design of rehabilitation protocols.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/2/195horse swimmingswimming cycleequine locomotionrehabilitationmotion capture |
| spellingShingle | Pauline Gaulmin Frédéric Marin Claire Moiroud Audrey Beaumont Sandrine Jacquet Emeline De Azevedo Pauline Martin Fabrice Audigié Henry Chateau Chloé Giraudet Description and Analysis of Horse Swimming Strategies in a U-Shaped Pool Animals horse swimming swimming cycle equine locomotion rehabilitation motion capture |
| title | Description and Analysis of Horse Swimming Strategies in a U-Shaped Pool |
| title_full | Description and Analysis of Horse Swimming Strategies in a U-Shaped Pool |
| title_fullStr | Description and Analysis of Horse Swimming Strategies in a U-Shaped Pool |
| title_full_unstemmed | Description and Analysis of Horse Swimming Strategies in a U-Shaped Pool |
| title_short | Description and Analysis of Horse Swimming Strategies in a U-Shaped Pool |
| title_sort | description and analysis of horse swimming strategies in a u shaped pool |
| topic | horse swimming swimming cycle equine locomotion rehabilitation motion capture |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/2/195 |
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