Joint moments in the distal forelimbs of jumping horses during landing.
Authors: Meershoek L S, Roepstorff L, Schamhardt H C, Johnston C, Bobbert M F
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary Understanding how tendons load during jumping is fundamental to preventing the soft tissue injuries that prematurely end many athletic careers, yet few studies have quantified these forces during actual landing. Meershoek and colleagues used three-dimensional kinematics combined with force plate data from six experienced jumping horses, then applied inverse dynamics to calculate joint moments in both the leading and trailing forelimbs during landing. The trailing forelimb experienced substantially higher flexor loading than the leading limb—peak fetlock moments reached 2.44 Nm/kg bodyweight compared to 1.93 Nm/kg—representing increases of 45–82% over trotting values, whilst an unexpected extensor moment (0.26 Nm/kg) appeared in the coffin joint of the leading limb during early stance. These asymmetrical loading patterns suggest that trailing limb flexor tendons face considerably greater mechanical demand during landing, which has direct implications for injury risk stratification and targeted conditioning, and may explain why certain horses develop characteristic injury patterns between their forelimbs.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Trailing forelimbs experience substantially greater tendon loading during jump landings, suggesting this limb may be at higher risk for flexor tendon injury in jumping horses
- •The asymmetrical loading pattern between leading and trailing forelimbs should inform conditioning programs and injury prevention strategies tailored to each limb's specific demands
- •Monitor for unexpected extensor tendon stress in leading forelimbs during jumping, as this atypical loading pattern may contribute to injuries not typically associated with jumping
Key Findings
- •Peak flexor joint moments were significantly higher in trailing forelimbs (coffin -0.62 Nm/kg, fetlock -2.44 Nm/kg) compared to leading forelimbs (coffin -0.44 Nm/kg, fetlock -1.93 Nm/kg) during jump landings
- •Loading of flexor tendons during landing exceeded trot values by 82% in coffin joint and 45% in fetlock joint
- •Unexpected extensor coffin joint moment (0.26±0.18 Nm/kg bwt) occurred in the leading limb during early stance phase
- •Movement and loading patterns showed small variation both within and between horses during landing