The trot characteristics during the first years of dressage training

The purpose of this study was to analyse the gait changes in young horses trained for dressage. An accelerometric device fixed at the sternum measured the dorsoventral and longitudinal acceleration of the riding horse. Fourteen young horses (4, 5 and 6 year-olds) trained for dressage were recorded during dressage tests. They were tested during three years. Eight variables were calculated to quantify the rhythm, the regularity, the symmetry, the longitudinal and vertical activities of each figure of dressage test at trot. A variance analysis tested the effect of the first three years of dressage training on the trot variables. It was found that stride frequency decreased significantly (P<0.05) after two years of training (1.34 stride/s at the beginning of training and 1.26 strides/s at six year old) and that dorsoventral displacement increased after one year of dressage training before stabilizing at 0.13 m (P<0.05). However, the symmetry and the regularity of the trot could be altered at some point during training.