The influence of head and neck position on kinematics of the back in riding horses at the walk and trot.

Authors: Rhodin M, Johnston C, Holm K Roethlisberger, Wennerstrand J, Drevemo S

Journal: Equine veterinary journal

DOI: 10.2746/0425164054406928 PubMed: 15651727Log in to save

Summary

# Editorial Summary: Head and Neck Position Effects on Spinal Kinematics Whilst practitioners and riders have long assumed that head and neck positioning influences the horse's back, objective evidence has been lacking until now. Rhodin and colleagues used three-dimensional motion capture on eight Warmblood horses trotting and walking on a treadmill, systematically altering head and neck position via side reins to measure how these changes affected thoracolumbar spine movement. At walk, elevation of the head significantly restricted flexion-extension and lateral bending of the lumbar spine, as well as axial rotation, whilst also shortening stride length; trotting stride length remained unaffected by head position, though spinal restriction still occurred. These findings carry considerable implications for training and rehabilitation programmes: side reins and other head restraint devices constrain back movement regardless of gait, and the walk appears particularly sensitive to postural changes, suggesting that practitioners should apply such equipment judiciously and with full understanding of their mechanical consequences on spinal kinematics.

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Practical Takeaways

•High head and neck positioning via side reins restricts back movement and reduces stride length at walk—consider this when using restraint aids in training or rehabilitation
•Effects of head position are most pronounced at walk, making this gait critical for assessing functional impact of training methods
•Use side reins judiciously with understanding that they alter biomechanics; avoid prolonged high head positioning if maximizing back mobility is the goal

Key Findings

•High head position at walk significantly reduced flexion-extension movement, lateral bending, and axial rotation of the lumbar back compared to free or low head positions
•At walk, high head position resulted in significantly shorter stride length; this relationship was not observed at trot
•Head and neck position had greater kinematic effects on the back at walk than at trot

Conditions Studied

head and neck positioning effects on back kinematics

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