Visually Assessing Equine Quality of Movement: A Survey to Identify Key Movements and Patient-Specific Measures.
Authors: Bowen Annette G, Tabor Gillian, Labens Raphael, Randle Hayley
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary Equine rehabilitation and performance management lack standardised, field-based outcome measures for assessing movement quality, which undermines the ability of practitioners to demonstrate treatment efficacy objectively. Researchers surveyed 81 equine sports medicine veterinarians and allied-health clinicians to identify which movements are most commonly assessed during rehabilitation and performance cases, establishing priorities for developing a practical measurement tool. Walk and trot on firm and soft surfaces—both in straight lines and on small circles—emerged as fundamental assessments, alongside step-back, hind leg cross-over, transitions, and lunging work at multiple gaits; however, access to appropriate surfaces and variation in horse and handler training significantly limit practitioners' ability to observe certain movements consistently. The vast majority of respondents (82%) supported the development of a modified Patient-Specific Functional Scale tailored to complex equine movements, with subjective visual assessment of live or video recordings currently serving as the predominant method for tracking progress. These findings provide a framework of 24 in-hand movements that can underpin the creation of a standardised, practical assessment tool—enabling farriers, veterinarians, physiotherapists and coaches to document functional improvements in a manner relevant to their individual disciplines and ultimately strengthen evidence-based decision-making in equine practice.
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Practical Takeaways
- •You now have evidence-based consensus on 24 key movements to assess during rehabilitation—use these as a standardized checklist rather than ad hoc selection
- •A modified Patient-Specific Functional Scale for equine movement is being developed and will provide objective outcome measures for tracking treatment efficacy in your cases
- •Video assessment is already standard practice among most clinicians; ensure you have consistent recording protocols and surface access to reliably compare movements over time
Key Findings
- •24 in-hand movements were identified as key assessment movements, including walk and trot on firm/soft surfaces, circles, step back, hind leg cross-over, transitions, and lunging
- •82% of survey participants agreed or strongly agreed that a modified Patient-Specific Functional Scale would be useful for measuring complex movements in horses
- •Subjective visual assessment of live or videoed horses was the most common method used to track movement progress
- •Main barriers to movement observation are access to suitable surfaces and the training level of the horse and handler