The peak forces on a horse's musculoskeletal structure are the maximum forces sustained at a certain gait and speed, and they can be measured with a force plate on the ground. The vertical peak forces on the horse’s skeleton increase with an increase in speed at the trot, but decrease by an average of 14% after transition to the gallop (Taylor 1991). In the trot, the horse’s center of mass experiences more vertical movement than in the gallop, which adds to the increase in trotting peak forces (Rubin 1982).The legs that experience the most reduction in force are those paired in the canter: the trailing fore and leading hind. The switching of lead legs during the gallop may be an attempt on the horse’s part to spread out the reduction of force between all of its legs (Rubin 1982).

This website was created as a part of a class project in the Animal Physiology Class at Davidson College.

E-mail me at emmccracken@davidson.edu