Kinematic Analysis During Straight Line Free Swimming in Horses: Part 1 - Forelimbs.
Authors: Santosuosso Emma, Leguillette Renaud, Vinardell Tatiana, Filho Silvio, Massie Shannon, McCrae Persephone, Johnson Sarah, Rolian Campbell, David Florent
Journal: Frontiers in veterinary science
Summary
# Swimming Kinematics in Horses: What the Forelimbs Tell Us Despite widespread use of swimming for equine rehabilitation and conditioning, little was known about how horses' limbs actually move in water—knowledge essential for prescribing swimming safely and effectively. Researchers recorded eleven elite endurance horses swimming in a 100-metre pool and compared their forelimb joint angles (elbow, carpus, fetlock) against passive mobilisation performed on land, using anatomical markers to calculate precise joint angles and angular velocities throughout the swimming stride cycle. The carpus and fetlock showed significantly reduced ranges of motion during swimming compared to passive mobilisation (p < 0.001), whilst elbow range of motion remained unchanged; notably, the carpus demonstrated the greatest overall range of motion of the three joints during swimming, and all joints moved faster during the retraction phase than protraction, with the carpus achieving the highest angular velocity during protraction. These findings indicate that swimming as a rehabilitation tool is particularly well-suited to horses requiring substantial elbow mobility with more moderate carpus and fetlock extension—making it potentially valuable for conditions affecting the lower forelimb whilst protecting those joints from excessive loading. For practitioners designing rehabilitation programmes, this suggests swimming offers a distinct kinetic environment compared to conventional exercise, and warrants careful consideration when selecting modalities for individual horses based on their specific joint involvement and recovery goals.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Swimming selectively reduces carpus and fetlock joint motion while maintaining full elbow range of motion, making it a targeted rehabilitation tool for horses requiring protected carpal and fetlock loading
- •The carpus is the most dynamically active joint during swimming due to its higher angular velocities and greater range of motion, suggesting swimming may be particularly beneficial for building carpal stability
- •Swimming as a rehabilitation exercise suits horses where you want substantial elbow mobility combined with moderate carpal and fetlock extension—useful for specific lameness presentations or conditioning protocols
Key Findings
- •Carpus and fetlock range of motion were significantly smaller during swimming compared to passive mobilization (p < 0.001), while elbow ROM showed no difference
- •Carpus demonstrated the greatest range of motion of all forelimb joints during swimming
- •All forelimb joints exhibited greater absolute angular velocities during retraction than protraction (p < 0.001)
- •Carpus joint reached the highest angular velocity during protraction compared to other forelimb joints