Horses lean toward the inside as they take turns, fighting against a pull that would otherwise make them “topple over to the outside.” They dig their hooves into the ground and push down and out, as the ground pushes back against their hooves. The resulting biomechanical shifts alter the horse’s symmetry, balance, and even dynamic height, which can affect musculoskeletal health from head to toe, performance, and even lameness assessments, said one equine biomechanics specialist.

“Negotiating a circle involves a change of direction, and a change in direction causes inward acceleration toward the center, which is called centripetal acceleration,” said Sarah Jane Hobbs, PhD, of the University of Central Lancashire Centre for Applied Sport and Exercise Sciences, in the U.K.

Hobbs gave a one-hour presentation on locomotion in circles during the Centaur Biomechanics Virtual Equine Sports Science Summit on Oct. 3.

The mechanical equation for centripetal acceleration takes both radius and velocity into consideration, but by different amounts, Hobbs explained. “So the speed of the turn will be more influential than how sharp the turn is,” she said