EquiMoves used in breeding

Friesians

In 2010, John Voskamp and Wim Back,  nowadays board member of KFPS (Royal Friesian Studbook) initiated research using inertial sensors for the KFPS. These initial trials at Stoeterij Koningsland marked the beginning of EquiMoves’ development for analyzing horse gaits and supporting judges in their decision-making.

As published in Phryso EquiMoves was used for measuring young Friesian stallions at the 70-day test. Young Friesian stallions must complete a 10-week training program (70-day test) to qualify as studbook-approved breeding stallions. This training program, involving dressage and driving exercises, was evaluated to assess its impact on the stallions’ fitness progress. Data collection took place over nine weeks preceding the program and throughout the 70-day test.

Each stallion underwent six gait analysis tests in weeks 1, 6, and 10 of the training program, with measurements taken both before and after standardized exercise tests. The horses were walked and trotted in a straight line on a hard surface, and EquiMoves was used to measure their performance. During these trials in Exloo, young Friesian stallions were measured multiple times with EquiMoves by a team of researchers, resulting in publications such as:

• Non-Invasive Lactate Estimation Using Wearable Sensors for Remote Fatigue Assessment in Horses
• Detecting Fatigue of Sport Horses with Biomechanical Gait Features Using Inertial Sensors

Franche Montagne

In Switzerland, EquiMoves has been used to determine objective parameters for assessing gait quality in Franches-Montagnes horses. EquiMoves sensor technology quantified key kinematic parameters relevant to gait quality, including stride frequency, protraction and retraction, abduction and adduction, suspension duration, and vertical displacement of the withers. In the “Shape and Gaits 2.0” project, EquiMoves was used for phenotyping in genome-wide association studies of 109 Franches-Montagnes horses.