Studio biomeccanico delle andature del cavallo in funzione dell'attitudine

Biomechanics studies the mechanical laws that govern living arganism, is divided into two main branches: Kinetic and Kinematic. Kinetic analysis measures locomotor forces, both internal and external to the body; Kinematic analysis quantifies the features of gait that are assessed qualitatively during a visual examination. The output is in the form of temporal (timing), linear (distance) and angular measurements that describe the movements of the body segments and joint angles. In this study the bidimensional kinematics parameter at trot and walk of Bardigiano horses, an Italian horse breed, are considered, in order to analyze gait in field condition, calculate a genetic “gait” index, verify heritabilities of linear measurements and check if there is a correlation between gait analysis and the score obtained in the Performance Test. The recordings were made using a video digital camera. Images were transferred and analyzed using SIMI Reality Motion Sistem. We analyzed fourteen horses to calculate angular measurements, and sixty-eight for linear measurement. We calculated a genetic “gait” index for the following parameters: Stride length forelimb and hindlimb; Overtracking; Posterior and Anterior phase both fore and hindlimb. This measurements showed medium-high heritability and were positively and significantly correlated with judgements obtained in the Performance Test.