Page 1054 - Adams and Stashak's Lameness in Horses, 7th Edition
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1020 Chapter 9
stride and moderate to minimal collection. Forward horse ambles equally between the two gaits, it is
speed varies with the individual horse. The paso largo is referred to as having centro movement. Centro is not
VetBooks.ir speeds up to 25–30 mph, equivalent to a canter or slow the horse falls on the gait scale. Of the two gaits, the
an actual gait but rather a term used to describe where
a fast, lateral, four‐beat gait in which the horse can reach
picada is thought to be considerably smoother than
gallop. The paso largo is not just an increase in speed
but also shows a distinct extension in stride. the batida. The marcha picada is a four‐beat stepping
The paso corto is a four‐beat stepping gait with an gait with a regular four‐beat rhythm. It is a broken
irregular rhythm with diagonal couplets. According to pace with little vertical movement. This gait is charac
the PFHA, its forward speed is moderate, with full to terized by movement in a lateral sequence (LH, LF,
moderate collection. Steps are ground covering but RH, RF), with lateral couplets and periods of triple
unhurried, executed with medium extension and stride. hoof support. The timing of footfalls is similar to the paso
The speed of this gait is comparable with the speed of a llano of the Peruvian Paso Horse. The marcha batida
trot but is much smoother. is a four‐beat stepping gait with a period of triple sup
The classic fino gait is a four‐beat stepping gait with port and diagonal couplets (LH, RF, RH, LF). This gait
a regular four‐beat rhythm. According to the PFHA, it is is similar to the trot but shows very little suspension as
performed at full collection, with very slow forward horses are always in contact with the ground. There is
speed. The footfall is extremely rapid while the steps and no aerial phase (http://www.marchadorsinmotion.co/gaits,
extension are exceedingly short. It is a collected gait accessed 30 January 2020; http://www.namarchador. org/
with rapid footfalls that covers as little ground as pos breed/the‐marcha‐gaits/, accessed 30 January 2020).
sible. It requires a high degree of collection, the most
difficult of the three paso fino gaits.
Peruvian Paso performs a natural ambling four‐ LAMENESS IN THE GAITED HORSE
beat lateral gait, in that it has four equal beats and is
performed laterally: LH, LF, RH, RF. A unique trait of Lameness in the gaited horse is primarily associated
the Peruvian Paso gait is termino, an outward swing with the hindlimbs. The reason is possibly due to the
ing leg action, originating from the shoulder, in which shift in the center of mass caudally when utilizing
the front lower legs roll to the outside during the for these gaits, particularly at speed. The distal intertarsal
ward movement of the stride, similar to a swimmer’s and tarsometatarsal joints are most commonly
arms. 4 affected. Stifle joint osteoarthritis and back pain are
The paso llano is a four‐beat stepping gait with a also associated with the racking gaits, the running
regular four‐beat rhythm. It is the slowest gait of the walk, marcha picada, fox trot, etc. However, a study
Peruvian Paso other than the natural walk. This gait is by Axelsson et al. revealed no association of the tölt
similar to a pace as the lateral limbs move in couplets gait in Icelandic horses being a risk factor for osteoar
(LH, LF, RH, RF). The Peruvian Paso can also move in a thritis of the distal tarsal joints. Tarsal joint angles
more diagonal gait, which is called the pasi‐trote and is being either too small or too large also may predispose
similar to the fox trot in foot placement and rhythm gaited horses to distal tarsal osteoarthritis, but this is
without the vertical head movement, characterized by not unique to gaited horses. 3,13
diagonal couplets with forelimb impact being slightly The most unique lameness originally associated
before contralateral hindlimb impact. (https://www. with gaited horses is the disorder of degenerative
youtube.com/watch?v=I3e3Ea0IDz0, accessed 30 January suspensory ligament desmitis (DSLD), first described
2020; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST4QgNsfapc, in Peruvian Paso and Peruvian Paso cross horses.
accessed 30 January 2020). However, this lameness is not necessarily associated
The sobreandando is a four‐beat stepping gait with with gait. DSLD is a heritable, debilitating disease
an irregular rhythm with lateral couplets. It is a fast bro causing an insidious, progressive onset of bilateral to
ken pace. It is faster than the paso llano, but instead of quadrilateral lameness associated with diffuse enlarge
four equal beats, the lateral beats are closer together in ment of the suspensory ligaments that are not respon
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a 1–2, 3–4 rhythm (LH‐LF, RH‐RF), with a longer pause sive to rest. Exercise may help to improve or at least
23
between the front foot of one side to the hindfoot of the stabilize the clinical signs of DSLD. DSLD is now rec
other side. ognized as a more systemic disease of proteoglycan
The tölt is a four‐beat stepping gait with a regular accumulation in connective tissue such as collagen
four‐beat rhythm. It is a running walk of the Icelandic fibrils in tendons and ligaments and smooth muscle
pony, sometimes said to be more similar to the rack or cells. Halper proposed to change the name to equine
paso llano. The horse’s hindlegs should move well under systemic proteoglycan accumulation (ESPA) due to its
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the body and carry more of the weight on the hind end, more systemic effects. DSLD has subsequently
allowing the front to rise and be free and loose. This gait been reported in other breeds such as Paso Fino,
is characterized by the movement of the animal’s legs in Thoroughbred, Arabian, Hanoverian, American Saddlebreds,
a lateral sequence (LH, LF, RH, RF), with lateral cou Appaloosa, Quarter horse, and Akhal‐Teke (www.
plets with a rhythm similar to the sobreandando and paso akhal‐teke.org, accessed 30 January 2020; https://en.
llano. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV9P0w8vZi8, wikipedia.org/wiki/Akhal‐Teke, accessed 30 January
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accessed 30 January 2020). 2020) and in some pony and draft breeds. Akhal‐Teke
Mangalarga Marchador, a Brazilian horse breed, horses are from Turkmenistan, thought to be one of the
has a natural gait called the marcha, which can be oldest existing horse breeds. Peruvian Paso horses have
either marcha batida (ba‐chee‐da), a diagonal move been reported to develop the disease at an earlier age
ment, or marcha picada, a lateral movement. If the than other horses. 15,19
