I had read about this study elsewhere-and the COTH covered it too trying to correlate conformation with jump…a difficult task no doubt considering how many different shapes and sizes are successful in the jumper ring, It would be interesting if a sample of the “great” jumpers were used BDR, QDR, the holsteiner greats, Gem Twist, etc from the different breeds to see if there is any commonality.
http://www.chronofhorse.com/article/science-trying-measure-jumping-ability
Measuring Jumpers’ Structure In 3-D
From France’s National Veterinary School in Alfort, Crevier-Denoix presented “A 3-D Video Morphometric Measurement Method.” (Morphometric is the measuring of structure.) This study focused on how jumpers inherit the conformation that’s related to superior performance.
“The study is to calculate heritability,” said Crevier-Denoix.
Typically, horsemen evaluate jumpers’ conformation through observation, a subjective opinion. Crevier-Denoix commented on scientific methods such as (1) objective measurements of height, width and circumference of the limbs; or (2) photographs of reference-point markers glued to the horse. But method 1 may not indicate data relevant to performance, and method 2 takes time and requires each horse to stand squarely.
“A breeding program needs objective, precise measurement on large numbers, such as young horses in the field,” explained Crevier-Denoix. Therefore, she used a video method similar to van Weeren’s, “derived from kinematic analysis to record the horse while walking. It uses natural and spontaneous reference positions.”
Computerized video techniques form a model, producing three-dimensional data from real-life distances and angles of the horse’s body in motion.
Researchers measure anatomical landmarks of the horse’s skeletal structure, filmed for later analysis. “3-D gives you real length and angles,” said Crevier-Denoix.
Working with the Haras Nationaux (French National Stud) and Selle Franç¡©s breeders, Crevier-Denoix and her team recorded horses in the field. In their initial study, they chose 40 jumpers already showing in France.
They marked a path for each horse to walk, with four digital video cameras to record the gait. Each horse was led down the path, turned, and walked back.
“We recorded a calibration structure,” said Crevier-Denoix. In the structure formed from the four video images, they tracked positions of landmarks related to the horse’s offside legs.
She explained, “The reference position was the vertical image of the right fore and right hind at the walk. We selected 15 bony landmarks for the forelimb and 13 on the hind limb.”
Landmarks included tracking the withers, croup, and hip angle on both the fore and hind legs.
This study was able to record many horses in a short time (2 minutes each), at the owners’ convenience. Horses simply walked the path while cameras recorded the gait.
“The recording time is very short, and so it was accepted by owners and riders,” said Crevier-Denoix. “It could be done at a show.”
They chose the walk because it’s a uniform gait. “There is less variability at the walk, compared to the horse standing square. Also, it’s easier with foals,” said Crevier-Denoix.
The video produced morphometric (structure-measuring) data for computer software to calculate the height and length of body segments. In the laboratory, software projected angles between segments in the structure and produced the three-dimensional image. Researchers could view a horse’s skeletal planes–both straight on and lengthwise.
The first study compared two groups of 20 Selle Franç¡©s jumpers. Group A had a high sport index, greater than 150; group B had a low index of 101. Researchers found that the group A jumpers were higher in the hindquarters by 2 to 3 centimeters. They had longer croups, longer thighs (femur bones), and longer cannon bones. They were also shorter in length of the trunk (the measurement from shoulder to hip).
So are jumpers built “downhill”? Crevier-Denoix said no, clarifying, “The motor is in the hindquarters for speed and propulsion.”
She also noted that breeders like short cannon bones, but the study showed that the better jumpers had longer cannons. “It reduces inertia in jumping. It facilitates elbow flexion. The horse actively flexes the elbow and jumps more efficiently,” she said.
In their angles, the group A horses had a smaller angle (less steep) from croup to withers. The angle of the hind pastern was straighter, and the angle of forearm to shoulder was less.
“The longer croup and thigh are well-known in race horses,” said Crevier-Denoix. “Longer proximal bones and muscles are more efficient in both propulsion and engagement.”
She added, “We need to study a larger population to validate the data. In the literature, there is little data to compare conformation with performance, but this method can reveal significant differences.”
The French are now expanding this study to young horses (750 Selle Franç¡©s aged 4 and 5 years) and keeping records of 130 foals.
Yes the riders have improved in dressage, but many of the top riders are still the same ones since the 1990s.