Students Help Instructors Collect Equine Research Data
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Four animal and veterinary science students collected data at an equine endurance ride for a research project on animal biomechanics and fatigue.
The students traveled to Ridgecrest on Feb. 22 to attend the Twenty Mule Team Endurance Ride. They were accompanied by Assistant Professor Cord Brundage, Lecturer Elizabeth Schilling, and Animal Compliance and Safety Specialist and Lecturer Holly Greene.
They collected data for Greene’s research project on biomechanics and fatigue in endurance horses. The project is funded by the California State University Agricultural Research Institute and builds on a study that Greene co-authored in 2004.
The goal of the research project is to determine whether fatigue alters horses’ gaits in a predictable manner that could prevent potential injury.
Although endurance riding is the fastest-growing Federation Equestre Internationale discipline and the second-most popular after show jumping, there are relatively few studies focusing on fatigue and failure to finish in sanctioned events.
Studying the animals’ locomotion will provide baseline data for studies on lameness and mechanical breakdown and a greater understanding of musculoskeletal fatigue that will help address the horses’ health and safety.
The students started work early in the morning and lasted into the night. They also had to endure a storm to collect the data.
The Twenty Mule Team Endurance Ride is sponsored by the American Endurance Ride Conference and features races ranging in length from 15 miles up to 100 miles in five different weight divisions.