Characteristics of horse gait during swimming exercise in swimming pool

Horses are frequently brought to the pool, although little is known about how they swim. One aim of this study was to describe the characteristics of the horses’ gait while swimming in a pool; another objective was to search for significant correlations between morphology, signalment, and swimming style. Videoclips were obtained for 39 horses during swimming, along with data regarding breed, age, sex, discipline, reason for swimming (i.e., rehabilitation or training), weight, height at the withers, elbow and stifle, scapulohumeral and coxofemoral angle, and croup inclination. The videos were examined to determine the sequence and maintenance of limb movement, position of the carpus at the end of protraction of the front limb, and height of the croup. Eighteen horses were classified as pacers, 19 as disconnected pacers, two as “rear engine” swimmers depending on their most prominent limb sequence. Seventeen horses maintained the same swimming pattern throughout the entire session, 22 horses did not. Twenty-one horses kept the carpus flexed at the end of protraction of the forelimb, 18 horses kept it extended. Nineteen horses kept the croup horizontal, 13 kept it lower, and seven kept it higher than the withers. Rear engine horses were excluded from the data analysis because of their low prevalence. Inexperienced horses had a higher prevalence of maintenance of the swimming style, rehabilitating horses kept the croup predominantly horizontal or lower than the withers.