Research trends in equine movement analysis, future opportunities and potential barriers in the digital age: A scoping review from 1978 to 2018.
Authors: Egan, Brama, McGrath
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary Over four decades of published equine gait analysis research reveals a discipline shaped largely by available technology rather than clinical need, with observational (subjective) assessment still dominating practice despite well-established reliability problems. Egan, Brama and McGrath systematically reviewed 510 studies from 1978 to 2018, documenting research design trends, methodological limitations and emerging opportunities across the field. Wearable sensor technology has gained traction (13.5% of studies), yet small sample sizes persistently undermine research rigour; notably, only 10.4% of studies addressed intervention efficacy in clinical, rehabilitation or performance contexts. Standardisation of research reporting protocols and pooled data repositories could overcome current barriers to meta-analysis, whilst integration of large-scale wearable datasets—a proven approach in human biomechanics—remains largely unexploited in equine research. For practitioners relying on movement analysis to guide diagnosis and treatment, these findings highlight both the maturity of available objective tools and the critical gap between what researchers can measure and what evidence actually validates for clinical decision-making.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Objective gait analysis tools and wearable technology are available but underused in practice—consider adopting these methods to move beyond subjective visual assessment which has proven unreliable
- •Current equine movement research has significant sample size and standardization issues that limit real-world application; look for multi-center studies with larger datasets when evaluating evidence
- •There is a clear research gap in intervention studies—evidence-based protocols for treating gait problems and optimizing performance through rehabilitation are lacking, so clinicians must rely on traditional methods until better data emerges
Key Findings
- •Observational research dominated the field at 42.9% of studies from 1978-2018, with subjective evaluation remaining the primary method despite evidence of unreliability
- •Wearable technology accounts for 13.5% of studies, indicating established but underutilized potential in equine gait analysis
- •17.8% of studies identified transferability limitations, with restricted sample size as a major underlying contributor
- •10.4% of studies called for advances in intervention research across clinical, rehabilitative exercise, and performance/training areas