Evaluation of two models of saddles on the Arabian horse back through the thermography

• Grant number: 16/25905-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2017
• End date: June 30, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Clinics and Surgery
• Principal Investigator: Renata Farinelli de Siqueira
• Grantee: Beatriz Moreira Andrioli
• Host Institution: Universidade Universus Veritas Guarulhos (Univeritas UNG). Guarulhos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Excluding cases of lameness, one of the main causes of alteration in gait and performance of athletes is dorsopathies. The primary source of pain, in these cases, is the irritation of the dorsal nerve roots and spinal nerves. Any equestrian sport is directly linked to balance, ie the center of gravity of the rider must be in line with the center of gravity of the horse. For this to occur, the saddle must be balanced and the rider must have good posture. Therefore, the most frequent cause of low back pain is that induced by the saddle, from improper adjustment or improper positioning. Thermography is a noninvasive imaging modality that measures the heat emitted by an object. In low back pain, thermography allows the mapping of possible lesions present in the thoracolumbar region. The objective of this work is to evaluate the pressure that the panels of the two saddle models most commonly used in Arabian horses exert on the thoracolumbar region of these animals and from there suggest the most appropriate. It will be used 6 horses of the Arabian race, studied through a thermal camera FLIR model T450 (FLIR Thermal Infrared Camera Systems, Inc. Danderyd - Sweden) before and after work. The horses will be exercised in two moments, one with each saddle model (English and western saddle) by the same rider. A comparison of the temperature observed on both sides of the animal's back before and after exercise and the pressure points exerted by the saddle panels will be made. The images obtained from the thermography of the saddles will also be compared to the images obtained through the thermography of the horses. The data will be submitted to the normality test and analyzed by a means comparison test that is adequate according to the distribution found, at 5% of significance. (AU)