Gait Analysis

Sports science and sports medicine are well-established areas within human medicine. Professional athletes in many disciplines apply a multitude of sports enhancing techniques to attain a higher level of performance and move ahead of their competitors. In addition, an ever-increasing array of technologies and treatments are available to aid diagnosis, accelerate rehabilitation and ultimately enhance performance.

A similar trend is emerging within equine sport. Individual sports organisations are looking for ways to improve competitiveness and professional bodies, such as the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA), are actively promoting the application of Evidenced Based Veterinary Medicine (EVBM). In addition the number of competition horses continues to grow along with the competition for the top prizes. This trend is likely to accelerate with the announcement that the UK will host the 2012 Olympics.

Equinalysis is focused on bringing established human and equine sports products to the wider equine industry to aid diagnosis, promote health and enhance performance. Further focus will be on products and services that are non-invasive (and therefore easy-to-use and can be applied "in the field") and support EBVM.

Currently the assessment of equine locomotion and lameness is carried out visually and cannot be reliably or consistently quantified. Equine practitioners often disagree on the extent of lameness. In addition the assessment cannot easily be communicated and has very little or no historic value. The objective measurement of lameness and changes in locomotion are the missing pieces of critical information needed to make key decisions related to equine health and performance.
For the last two years Equinalysis has been developing a video based equine gait analysis system in partnership with leading human biomechanics specialists. The system has been developed to address the need for lameness diagnosis, treatment monitoring and performance enhancement. It is currently being utilised within the elite sport of dressage as a method of objectively analysing equine gait as a performance enhancing technique. The application of the system is not limited to dressage, providing similar benefits for performance horses in general.

Equinalysis' first marketable product is a unique system, specifically designed and developed to visually track, measure, quantify and display accurate biomechanical data. It is currently the only equine dedicated biomechanical system available. System development occurred over 24 months in consultation with leading practitioners from the veterinary, farriery and biomechanics disciplines. The system is already in daily use with equine specialists across the UK, USA and Nordic regions.