Gait analysis is increasingly being used by veterinarians, farriers, and trainers to provide an objective and precise evaluation of equine gait. Digital analysis offers advantages to a visual scan, although both can be used successfuly to enhance rehabilitation, sports performance and to provide biofeedback.
Advantages to using gait analysis include the following:
- Lameness or neurological disease can be spotted
- Regular analysis can inform practitioners and enable fine-tuning therapy
- Gait comparisons can inform training programs to aid recovery
- The horse's gait can be compared to an 'ideal' to enhance performance.
Veterinarians, farriers and trainers are using a number of different kinds of systems in their gait analysis procedures. A number of companies have developed analysis software to aid in gait analysis, with everything from the use of multiple video tapes to advanced computerized digital systems.