6th International Conference on Equine Locomotion
Dear colleagues and friends, It is our pleasure to invite you to attend the Sixth International Conference on Equine Locomotion (ICEL 6) at Cabourg, France, in June 2008. This meeting, formerly known as International Workshop on Animal Locomotion (IWAL), was conceived in 1991 by Henk Schamhardt and Ton van den Bogert in Utrecht, the Netherlands. In the tradition of previous meetings, ICEL 6 will be a friendly forum for research presentations and discussions related to equine locomotion and biomechanics, with ample opportunity for scientific and social interactions. Like previous IWALs (Utrecht, The Netherlands, 1991; California, USA, 1993; Saumur, France, 1996; Vienna, Austria, 2000) and ICEL 5 (Michigan, USA, 2004), the basic objective of this unique meeting is the promotion of the knowledge and understanding in the multidisciplinary field of biomechanics applied to equine health and performance : from tissue mechanics research to motion analysis, from new instrumentation development and modelling to clinical trials of new treatments for equine locomotor system disorders. In addition to the peer reviewed communications, both in oral and poster format, the congress organization will offer you time and space to visit the industrial exhibition and to communicate with leading industry in biomechanics and equine health. The conference will take place in the prestigious Grand Hotel of the charming city of Cabourg, facing the sea (the English Channel) on the west coast of France (Normandy area). The conference program aims to stimulate the interaction between disciplines and researchers, and to offer an exciting social program comprising the visit of famous sites of the Normandy area, which is also the first French region for horse breeding and industry (Thoroughbred, Trotters and Sport horses). We hope this meeting will offer you not only the best in your field of research but also that it will inform you about innovation and new developments in equine biomechanics. We look forward to welcoming you in Cabourg in 2008 and to a successful and rewarding ICEL meeting. Pr Nathalie Crevier-Denoix and Dr Henry Chateau Co-Chairs of the Organizing Committee UMR INRA-ENVA 957 Biomécanique et Pathologie Locomotrice du Cheval Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort Maisons-Alfort, France