End-user practices in equine movement analysis: The potential of objective analysis tools to meet their needs

The use of objective gait analysis tools is becoming increasingly popular in equine research. The advancement of these technologies seeks to promote objective, mobile solutions which can be applied in equine training, monitoring or clinical contexts. This has led to the introduction of various tools in the commercial sphere. However, there has been slow adoption of objective technologies in the applied field. The purpose of this study was to understand existing equine movement analysis processes. We undertook qualitative interviews with industry stakeholders in the elite field to understand what key information they gather through their own, subjective analysis of the horse. We then mapped this information onto the capabilities of existing technologies to see what opportunities exist for user-driven technology solutions in this area. Our study highlights the need for knowledge exchange in the development and deployment of technologies within the equine industry. Commonalities in the important movement features identified by the stakeholders are presented that could be usefully considered and interpreted by future technology developers and researchers with respect to the underpinning biomechanical parameters. Objective technologies designed to capture and integrate these user-based parameters could be developed to augment the current subjective practices in equine analysis and monitoring.