What
makes a fast racehorse?
BBSRC Media Office
Around 80 per cent of
modern thoroughbred
racehorses have in their
pedigree the 18th century
horse Eclipse, which went
its entire racing career
unbeaten. 200 years later
the question of what
makes a fast racehorse
still perplexes trainers
and racing fans but
researchers at The Royal
Veterinary College may
have found the answer to
this and other questions
on animal locomotion.
The research, funded
by the Biotechnology and
Biological Sciences
Research Council (BBSRC),
has combined data about
the length, shape and
structure of horses with
analysis of horses in the
field to develop
mathematical and computer
models of horse movement.
Using the models the
research team can then
build 'theoretical limbs'
on a computer and use
them to test answers to
questions on not only why
Eclipse was so fast but
also why horses can
remain balanced when each
leg is off the ground for
80 per cent of the ground
during gallop and what
limits a horse's maximum
gallop speed.
Dr Alan Wilson, leader
of the research group,
said, "A horse's leg
resembles a pogo stick
that uses energy stored
in the muscles and
tendons to propel the
animal forwards and
upwards. We have found
that the stiffer a
horse's leg restricts how
quickly it can transmit
force to the ground and
bounce back up again and
also increases the
chances of injury. The
team has also found that
fast horses can bring
their legs forward
quickly in preparation
for the next stride but
that this is more
difficult and therefore
slower for large and
long-legged horses."
Using portraits of
Eclipse and contemporary
accounts of the horse
running the researchers
reconstructed one of its
legs and have discovered
that its legendary speed
may have been due to its
'averageness'. Dr Wilson
said, "Analysis shows
that Eclipse's body shape
and everything about him
seems to have been right
in the middle of the
normal range, suggesting
that all the factors for
speed were perfectly
matched."
The research of the
Structure and Motion
Laboratory at The Royal
Veterinary College not
only answers questions
about the top speed of
racehorses but also
examines the locomotion
of a wide range of
animals including humans
and may help to design
more stable robots and
help us to understand how
dinosaurs walked.
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