Association Between Stride Parameters and Racetrack Curvature for Thoroughbred Chuckwagon Horses

Increased risk of musculoskeletal injury in galloping racehorses has been linked to decreased stride length and reduced speed over consecutive races prior to the injury. As racetrack curvature influences horses’ maximal speed, we hypothesized it also affects stride parameters. During training sessions, twenty-eight wagon-pulling Thoroughbred Chuckwagon horses were equipped with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) loggers, allowing for identification of speed, stride length (SL) and stride frequency (SF), and average speed, SL and SF were calculated for consecutive 100 m sections. Effects of curvature on speed were investigated with a linear mixed model with speed as output variable, curvature as fixed factor, and horse as random factor. Effects of curvature and speed on stride parameters were investigated with linear mixed models with output variables SL and SF, continuous covariates speed, curvature, and the two-way interaction between curvature and speed as fixed factors, and horse as random factor. Curvature was associated with a significant increase in speed (p = 0.004), decrease in SL (p < 0.001) and increase in SF (p < 0.001), and for SL and SF the magnitude of these effects was dependent on speed (p < 0.001). At a curvature of 60° per 100 m, an increase in speed of 0.264 m/s was found compared to the straight, although this effect is likely confounded by fatigue. At the median speed of 14.5 m/s and a curvature of 60° per 100 m, a SF increase of 0.053 Hz (+2.4%) and a SL reduction of 0.137 m (−2.1%) was found compared to the straight. This is in the same order of magnitude as the 0.10 m SL reduction over consecutive races previously associated with increased injury risk. We conclude that, in Chuckwagon horses, interactions between speed and curvature are affecting stride parameters that have previously been identified as predictors of musculoskeletal injuries.