Inertial measurement units are comparable to motion capture for measuring intersegmental spinal angular velocities in horses.

IMUs are valid, portable alternatives to motion capture for assessing equine spinal kinematics in clinical settings.

This study evaluated the validity of inertial measurement units (IMUs) as an alternative to traditional marker-based motion capture systems for quantifying intersegmental spinal angular velocities in horses. Four horses were instrumented with custom-designed marker clusters incorporating 3D-printed bases that simultaneously secured IMUs, ensuring both measurement systems recorded from identical anatomical locations and orientations. A robust dataset of 3,737 paired time points across 37 gait cycles was analyzed. Agreement between the two systems was assessed using Bland-Altman analysis and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) across three planes of motion (sagittal, frontal, and transverse). Bland-Altman analysis revealed no significant systematic bias between the IMU and motion capture methods. ICC values demonstrated excellent agreement in 7 of 9 comparisons (r = 0.964 to 0.991) and good agreement in the remaining 2 comparisons (r = 0.854 and 0.875). These findings validate IMUs as a reliable tool for measuring intersegmental spinal kinematics in horses. The practical significance of this validation is considerable, as IMUs are portable, cost-effective, and do not require specialized laboratory infrastructure, unlike traditional motion capture systems. This makes IMUs particularly suitable for field-based and clinical assessments of equine spinal function, commonly referred to as topline evaluation. The study supports broader adoption of IMU technology in equine practice for diagnosing and monitoring spinal conditions, performance evaluation, and rehabilitation outcomes outside of research laboratory settings.

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