Objective quantification of collected gaits’ quality: comparing piaffe with trot in Lusitano horses

In dressage, collected movements such as the piaffe are frequently performed. The piaffe is a highly collected, elevated diagonal gait that originates from the trot and is only asked at advanced levels. In this exercise, the horse lowers and compresses the hindquarters while lightening the forehand, creating the characteristic uphill frame. Traditionally, the quality of this movement is judged subjectively.

Until now, no practical and objective method has been available to evaluate the quality of the piaffe both in field conditions and during ridden work. With EquiMoves®, this becomes possible.

The objective of this study was to compare the kinematics of ridden piaffe with in-hand piaffe and to contrast both with in-hand trot. Six Lusitano horses were equipped with seven EquiMoves® IMU sensors placed on the head, withers, sacrum, and limbs. Using the precise motion data from these sensors, the researchers calculated stride duration and inter-limb coordination by determining the cross-correlation between all limb-pair combinations based on the angular velocity in the sagittal plane.

The results show no significant differences between ridden and in-hand piaffe for the variables studied. However, clear differences were found between in-hand piaffe and in-hand trot: trot showed shorter stride durations, while piaffe was characterized by lower angular velocities.

These results demonstrate that EquiMoves® provides a promising, user-friendly, and truly objective method for analysing collected movements that are currently evaluated subjectively. Further development of this approach will help riders, trainers, and horse owners better understand and refine training techniques, contributing to more informed and evidence-based work with collected gaits.

https://agris.fao.org/search/en/providers/125181/records/674980aa7625988a3722ba94