2025 Scholarship Awarded to Three World-Leading Biomechanics Researchers Whose Work Builds Upon the Pioneering Advances of Professor Ingvar Fredricson, DVM, PhD

PRESS RELEASE

“Biomechanical research is crucial to improving horse welfare,” says Professor of Veterinary Medicine Dr. Ingvar Fredricson. Through world-leading research in combination with modern technology and applied methodological developments to detect, diagnose, and prevent lameness with unparalleled precision

The Professor Ingvar Fredricson Foundation has decided to award its 2025 scholarship to:

Lars Roepstorff, DVM, PhD: Professor of Anatomy and Physiology, Department of Animal Biosciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

Marie Rhodin, DVM, PhD: Professor of Anatomy, Department of Animal Biosciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Diplomate of both the American and European Colleges of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation

Elin Hernlund, DVM, PhD: Associate Professor of Functional and Applied Anatomy of the Equine Locomotor Apparatus, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Diplomate of the European College of Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation

The scholarship honors their joint contributions to equine health, performance, and well-being, and it celebrates their role in carrying forward the legacy of Professor Ingvar Fredricson, the pioneer of Swedish biomechanical horse research.

The scholarship will be presented on Sunday, November 2, 2025, at 11:15 a.m. in Hall B during the Jönköping Horse Show. Afterwards, the Foundation invites guests to a free, open clinic with live demonstrations by Professors Roepstorff and Rhodin and Associate Professor Hernlund, concluding at 12:15 p.m. Free seating in the stands is available throughout the event. Participants are warmly welcome to meet the researchers afterward.

Biomechanical research is essential for improving horse welfare. Nearly fifty years after I first began exploring how motion analysis could help prevent and diagnose lameness, it is deeply satisfying to see how those early ideas have grown into a field that is transforming the way we care for horses. I realized early on that the human eye is too slow to detect the subtle signs of incipient lameness. The knowledge and technical tools we needed simply didn’t exist, so we had to think differently. We rented high-speed cameras and adapted technology from the aerospace industry, which made it possible to collect and analyze precise, high-resolution images of the horse’s movement patterns. This marked the start of modern biomechanical research in Sweden.

Today technology has taken a quantum leap forward. Lars, Elin, and Marie are at the forefront, developing a broad range of advanced biomechanical techniques — from AI-based diagnostics and 3D motion analysis to surface measurements using mechanical hooves and wearable systems — to detect, diagnose, and prevent lameness with unmatched precision. Their work improves equine care globally and shows how far the original vision has come, thanks to their scientific excellence, dedication, and innovation.

‍               –Professor Ingvar Fredricson, DVM, PhD   

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The Professor Ingvar Fredricson Foundation is dedicated to preserving the horse’s significance as a cultural bearer and to developing equestrian sport on the horse’s terms. The Foundation works to ensure that well-proven experience and current research gain increased practical significance for the horse’s well-being, sustainability, and performance, as well as to highlight the horse as a cultural bearer from a historical perspective.

The Foundation’s board consists of Kajsa von Geijer – Chair, Ingvar Fredricson, Jan-Olof Wannius, Jens Fredricson, Peder Fredricson, and Annikka Berridge.

For inquiries, please contact Kajsa von Geijer at +46 730 799 014.

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