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FROM THE HOOFCARE & LAMENESS ARCHIVES Videotaping a Moving Horse for
Gait Evaluation Note: this article was originally published in Hoofcare & Lameness. 1. Work the horse on a light-colored surface. If you must work on a dark surface, wrap white tape around the ground surface of the hoof so you will be able to see it hitting the ground. 2. Blacken the hoofs and wrap white tape around the hoof wall and across the heel bulbs, about 2.5 cm above the ground. 3. Use tape to mark the feet left and right. 4. Position yourself back the maximum distance from the horse and use the camera's zoom lens to determine a good focal distance. By doing this, you will not have altered the perspective. 5. Try to use a fence or brick wall in the background for a horizontal reference. You will be able to see clearly if the head is bobbing or the croup is rising. 6. Use a tripod to hold the camera steady. Once you set your focal distance, do not touch the zoom. Instead, pan the camera horizontally, keeping the same perspective on the horse. 1/250 or 1/500 should be an adequate speed. 7. Always be perpendicular to the horse's plane of motion. 8. Good lighting is a necessity. Autofocus cannot function well in low light. 9. Position cones on the course where the horse will be trotted. 10. Elevate the lens so that it is aimed at the height of the horse's elbow if you are shooting the whole horse. If you are just shooting the feet, to show how the horse lands or moves, lower the camera right down to the ground. Do not angle the camera. 11. When shooting straight on as the horse is coming toward you, make sure the handler keeps its head and neck straight. Use the cones to create a runway. 12. Create a title card to identify the sequence on the tape. Write the names of horse and owner, date, and problem. Once you have finished shooting, be sure to label the cassette immediately. Make a reference system so the tapes are easy to find. 13. A simple way to analyze the video is to make tracings on the monitor screen with the stop-action function as different limbs are on the ground. Then you can overlay them and show the owner any differences. This article originally appeared in Hoofcare & Lameness: The Journal of Equine Foot Science and is available for your personal use only. Re-publication is prohibited without the express written permission of Hoofcare & Lameness. Detailed information on this and many other hoofcare topics can be found in Hoofcare & Lameness publisher Fran Jurga's award-winning guide to hoofcare, "Understanding the Equine Foot". For more information, or to order, click here Back to the articles table of contents Write to H&L: PO Box 6600, Gloucester, MA 01930. Tel 978 281 3222; fax 978 283 8775. Email webinquiry@hoofcare.com. Internet http://www.hoofcare.com. © 1998
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