Standardising Equine Movement Assessment: Insights from Clinical Discussion Groups
- abphysio
- Jul 30
- 3 min read
How insights from expert clinicians on subjectivity, scope of practice, and practical protocols helped shape the Equine Quality of Movement Score.
The problem: When subjectivity rules the day
Assessing equine movement remains largely subjective, based on gut feel, experience, and personal observation. Many clinicians only record binary outcomes – better v’s worse. Without structured grading, monitoring subtle changes can feel unreliable at best and may lead to missed issues or imprecise communication. Inconsistent evaluation of changes in movement undermines professional credibility and limits effective collaboration.
During the process of developing a new assessment tool to monitor quality of movement in horses, experienced equine physiotherapists were invited to take part in discussion groups. You can read the full journal article here: [Development of a grading system for visually assessing equine quality of movement]
What the experts told us
From the two discussion groups (Aust/NZ and Europe), three main messages emerged:
Subjectivity & Standardisation
Clinicians expressed the need for clear scoring boundaries and shared descriptors to reduce personal interpretation. To increase reliability, they advocated defined movement test protocols (distances, circle sizes, surface types) that balance scientific rigour with practicality. A combination of human expertise and technology was suggested, as “a tool in the hands of a fool is completely useless,” Expert 5. While technology is useful, it is still important to do the basics well and keep making them better.
Protocols & Practical Steps Under real-world pressure, when there are so many variables affecting each horse's
quality of movement, simple protocols are essential: start walking before trotting, firm before soft ground, and begin in-hand before lunging. The effects of warm-up, the number of repetitions, and the decision when to cease testing were all discussed, particularly when performance improves after initial movement or when safety becomes a concern.
Scope of Practice & Professional Identity
Experts emphasised the vital role of functional diagnosis, not medical diagnosis. Creating a new assessment tool was viewed as strengthening professional boundaries by focusing on muscle function and movement control, while allowing veterinarians to manage diagnostic pathology. Clear terminology and the use of outcome measures can enhance communication within the health care team.
Why This Matters: Creating Consistency and Credibility
The lack of standardised movement assessment creates what one LinkedIn post described as the “Wild West” of clinical movement assessment: varied protocols, unpredictable reporting, and reduced confidence in the industry. Even with the best intentions, subjective assessment limits progress in evidence-based care.
Drawing on the themes above, the Equine Quality of Movement Score (EQoMS) was designed to be:
Structured and standardised—with clear test order, standardised movement test protocols, guidance on repetition counts, and scoring criteria
Field-friendly—using the clinician’s eye, video, and optional instrumented gait analysis
Aligned with scope—focusing on functional movement rather than medical diagnosis
Reliable and collaborative—using shared language to enhance inter-disciplinary communication
Is the EQoMS perfect? No. But it is a vast improvement on subjective visual assessment. Moving from a subjective better or worse to a graded change improves granularity. And standardising the movement tests and protocols improves consistency, which offers a significant advancement in narrowing the gap between science and practice in the field.
If you want to move beyond guesswork and use a standardised approach to assessing equine quality of movement, the EQoMS offers a clear path forward.
Join the EQoMS online training program to refine your observation, sharpen your scoring, and strengthen your professional practice.
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