Equine locomotion analysis

Our research enables veterinarians to measure what we can’t see, such as movement and muscle activity

Equine lameness potentially affects all horses and their owners and is the costliest health problem in the equine industry. Not only in terms of economical loss but also in terms of loss of quality of life raising an important welfare question. Appropriate treatment depends on accurate diagnosis. However, diagnosis of lameness is often subjective, based on visual examination, often leading to contradictory opinions among different equine professionals, physiotherapists and veterinarians. With quantitative gait analysis, we aim at supporting the equine community to objectively evaluate the locomotion of horses, hence detecting lameness earlier and more accurately. We explore many techniques to achieve this including optical motion capture, inertial measurement unit sensors (IMUs), force-/pressure plates and surface electromyography (sEMG). We combine these techniques with advanced data analysis and processing techniques such as machine learning in order to achieve our goals of improving animal welfare and increase the sustainability of the horses carer as an athlete.