Here are some key points to help you collect relevant data that you can then analyze in a meaningful way:
👉 Collect data over a sufficiently long period of time!
As also mentioned in the article on “common mistakes made with EQUISYM®”, if you do not record for long enough, at worst you will see an error message saying “Less than 5 strides detected” or you will get completely inconsistent curves.
The larger your sample, the more representative it will be of the horse’s locomotion and therefore the more meaningful it will be! There is no need to let the horse run around on the lunge for hours, but 30 seconds of trotting at a constant speed per condition is sufficient.
👉 Regarding the environment and soil quality…
Ensure that the environment in which you wish to conduct your locomotor examination does not pose any major risks to the safety of the rider and the horse. For example, trotting the horse among other horses is not ideal.
The type of ground also has an impact on your data. As much as possible, carry out your locomotor examination on hard ground or soft but it must be a flat, non-slippery surface so that the horse does not stumble.
👉 Straight line: slow down before turning with as little interference as possible.
Although the EQUISYM algorithm excludes acceleration and deceleration phases, do not hesitate to instruct the rider/groom trotting the horse to return to a walk before turning around to come back in a straight line. The idea is to collect as many strides as possible while remaining as straight as possible. Also, the rider/groom should intervene as little as possible, since this could impact the data. For example, if the horse refuses to move forward and the rider pulls it forward, the head data may not be representative of its natural locomotion. Similarly, the horse should be kept as straight as possible.
👉 Circles: use the same circle diameter whether on hard or soft ground and between the right and left hands.
As you will have understood from this article, one of the key points is the regularity with which you collect your data! Taking measurements on a 5m circle on the right hand, then 10m on the left hand will inevitably have an impact on your data. The idea is to try to keep the same circle size in all conditions. Overall, we have noticed a tendency to lunge on smaller diameters on hard ground compared to soft ground.
The team is currently working on the issue of circle repeatability.
👉 Longitudinal monitoring: knowing how to be consistent in data collection.
Being consistent in how you collect data (circle size, speed, ground type, etc.) is particularly important if you want to conduct longitudinal monitoring on a horse. This will allow you to best quantify changes in locomotion over time.
👉 Would you like to call on your CSM for a report/data analysis?
Thanks to your EQUISYM® app, you can film your examinations. Without necessarily filming the entire examination (we understand that it’s not always easy to film the beginning of a flexion!), it may be useful to film at least part of it. If you would like a report or a simple opinion from your CSM on the data (who will probably not be present during the locomotor examination), this allows them to view part of the examination, particularly in cases of doubt or unusual data, and provides them with essential keys to better understand the data presented.
Please also feel free to share information about the horses presented to your CSM (why you were called, your clinical opinion, etc.).