Riding skirt (1895) - a digital reconstruction - video

Equine Veterinary Journal, 2009

A comprehensive kinematic description of rider and saddle movements is not yet present in the scientific literature. To describe saddle and rider movements in a group of high-level dressage horses and riders. Seven high-level dressage horses and riders were subjected to kinematic measurements while performing collected trot on a treadmill. For analysis a rigid body model for the saddle and core rider segments, projection angles of the rider's extremities and the neck and trunk of the horse, and distances between markers selected to indicate rider position were used. For a majority of the variables measured it was possible to describe a common pattern for the group. Rotations around the transverse axis (pitch) were generally biphasic for each diagonal. During the first half of stance the saddle rotated anti-clockwise and the rider's pelvis clockwise viewed from the right and the rider's lumbar back extended. During the later part of stance and the suspension phase reverse pitch rotations were observed. Rotations of the saddle and core rider segments around the longitudinal (roll) and vertical axes (yaw) changed direction only around time of contact of each diagonal. The saddles and riders of high-level dressage horses follow a common movement pattern at collected trot. The movements of the saddle and rider are clearly related to the movements of the horse and saddle movements also seem to be influenced by the rider. Knowledge about rider and saddle movements can further our understanding of, and hence possibilities to prevent, orthopaedic injuries related to the exposure of the horse to a rider and saddle.

Equine Veterinary Education, 2015

Fig 5: The rider is too big for the saddle so is sitting on the back of the seat of the saddle. a) In walk the rider is in adequate balance. b) In trot the rider's lower leg is too far forward so that her shoulder, tuber coxae and heel are not in a straight line. The rider is therefore out of balance and her rising rhythm was asynchronous to the horse's trot rhythm. A large rider out of balance is potentially much more detrimental to a horse than a large rider who is in balance

MSc Dissertation , 2019

The highly complex task of riding depends upon synchronicity of two very different morphologies. Haptic information transfer, achieved through physical points of contact between the two, influences stability. This study compared rider stability in four different saddle flap types; dual, mono and no flap, and a novel saddle with no flap. Fifteen volunteer riders wearing 24 anatomical markers were recorded riding an advanced equine simulator in walk, trot and canter in each of four saddles. Data analysis was restricted to hip and shoulder movement in the anteroposterior (X) and mediolateral (Z) axes. There was no significant difference in the effect of the saddle except for rear right saddle pressure (F = 7.9, DF = 3, p = > 0.001). There was a significant difference in the effect for the rider in left X axis (F = 3.05, DF = 9, p =0.012) and right X axis (Chi-Square = 22.31, DF = 9, p = 0.008) and left and right shoulders in Z axis (F = 5.32, DF = 9, p = >0.001). Future research could either restrict the horse-rider haptic information transfer investigation to more skilled riders or have larger subject groups of similar skill sets for comparison.

Physical Therapy in Sport, 2014

Objectives: To observe postural characteristics of female dressage riders, through application of threedimensional motion analysis and to assess the effects of athletic taping on postural asymmetry during sitting trot. Design: Randomised cross-over. Setting: Data collection took place at Myerscough Agricultural College in an indoor riding area. Participants: Ten healthy female experienced dressage riders participated. Main outcome measurements: Movement kinematics of the trunk and pelvis, pre and post taping intervention. Results: Riders presented pre-intervention with asymmetric movement characteristics through dynamic observation of trunk and pelvic postures during sitting trot. There was a significant increase (p 0.05) in the range ( ) of trunk lateral-flexion following tape intervention applied over the thoracic spine. Conclusion: This study supports the quantification of dynamic postural characteristics of dressage athletes by three-dimensional motion analysis. Asymmetrical postures occur within dressage riders when performing sitting trot. The application of tape to 'align' asymmetry altered riders' postures. Taping over the thoracic region resulted in a compensatory increase in motion through the lumbar region. Clinicians should approach the application of postural taping with an awareness of the restrictive mechanisms of tape. Findings may help clinicians determine whether technique/type of tape applied is suitable for achieving marginal gains in the alignment of posture in competitive dressage athletes.

Journal of Experimental Biology, 2013

The simplest model possible for bouncing systems consists of a point mass bouncing passively on a mass-less spring without viscous losses. This type of spring-mass model has been used to describe the stance period of symmetric running gaits. In this study, we investigated the interaction between horse and rider at trot using three models of force-driven spring (-damper)-mass systems. The first system consisted of a spring and a mass representing the horse that interact with another spring and mass representing the rider. In the second spring-damper-mass model, dampers, a free-fall and a forcing function for the rider were incorporated. In the third spring-damper-mass model, an active spring system for the leg of the rider was introduced with a variable spring stiffness and resting length in addition to a saddle spring with fixed material properties. The output of the models was compared with experimental data of sitting and rising trot and with the modern riding technique used by jockeys in racing. The models show which combinations of rider mass, spring stiffness and damping coefficient will result in a particular riding technique or other behaviours. Minimization of the peak force of the rider and the work of the horse resulted in an ʻextremeʼ modern jockey technique. The incorporation of an active spring system for the leg of the rider was needed to simulate rising trot. Thus, the models provide insight into the biomechanical requirements a rider has to comply with to respond effectively to the movements of a horse.

Procedia Engineering, 2016

A virtual human body model (HBM), developed for vehicle crash simulations, was used to conduct a pilot study of dangerous accidents that occur in equestrian sports. It was performed to illustrate the potential that the explicit finite element (FE) HBMs have to improve rider safety and to assess the protective capacity of the safety vest. Four different questions were addressed: 1. When a rider is trampled by a horse, how does the risk of injury vary with chest impact location? 2. Does a safety-vest provide protection if the rider is kicked by a horse and does the protection vary with the violence of the hoof impact? 3. Can a safety-vest provide any benefit when the rider is hit by the horse after a rotational fall? 4. How does the risk for thoracic injuries vary when the rider falls off the back of a horse at different angles? The HBM was the Total Human Model for Safety AM50 version 3.0 (Toyota Motor Corporation, Japan), improved for thorax injury predictability in a previous automotive project. The FE code was LS-DYNA (Livermore Software Technology Corporation, USA). Models of a generic safety vest, a horse impactor and a hoof were developed as part of this project. The risk of thorax injury was evaluated with stresses and strains measured for each rib, and the chest deformation criteria Dmax and DcTHOR. The following results were obtained for each question: 1. The risk of injury was higher for hoof impacts close to the sternum compared to more lateral locations that had up to 25% less risk. Hence, this knowledge could be used to optimize novel safety-vest designs with HBM simulations. 2. Yes, the safety-vest provided protection against horse kicks, and it varied with the violence of the kick. Therefore, if the range of impact energy that occurs in real-world accidents is known, HBM simulations can be used to optimize the vest material properties. 3. No, the safety-vest did not provide any benefit when the horse lands on top of the rider. This conclusion suggests that safety measures should focus on preventing this type of accident, rather than designing personal protection for the rider. 4. When the rider falls with the head first, the number of predicted rib fractures increases compared to flat falls. However, the model predicts rib fractures for all of the falls simulated from a height of 1.5 meters for a rider without a safety vest. To conclude, FE HBMs have the potential to improve equestrian safety and further studies on equestrian safety-vests designs are warranted.

2018

Engineered equestrian surfaces are complex systems subject to unique loading. Interest in engineered surfaces has been growing since a properly designed surface boasts better performance, increased safety, and reduced maintenance as compared to other more traditional sand or turf riding surfaces. The goals of engineered riding surfaces are to improve the riding characteristics and horse performance and to reduce maintenance requirements. Research was undertaken to investigate how changes in surface material composition affect geotechnical properties of riding surfaces, and how changes in geotechnical properties affect the riding characteristics. Direct shear testing, Light Weight Deflectometer, and a new custom built Lab Drop Apparatus were used to characterize riding surface materials. Methods for quantitatively evaluating riding surface performance based on these tests are proposed. Two case studies were conducted to compare quantitative analysis methods to qualitative feedback fr...

Comparative Exercise Physiology, 2018

For efficient rider-horse communication, the rider needs to maintain a balanced position on the horse, allowing independent and controlled movements of the rider’s body segments. The rider’s balance will most likely be negatively affected by postural asymmetries. The aims of this study were to evaluate inter-segmental symmetry of movements of the rider’s pelvis, trunk, and head segments in the frontal plane while rocking a balance chair from side to side and to compare this to the rider’s frontal plane symmetry when walking. Frontal plane rotations (roll) of the pelvis, trunk and head segments and relative translations between the segments were analysed in twenty moderately-skilled riders seated on a balance chair and rocking it from side to side. Three-dimensional kinematic data were collected using motion capture video. Principal component analysis and linear regression were used to evaluate the data. None of the riders displayed a symmetrical right-left pattern of frontal plane r...