Omneity® Pellets
All-In-One Vitamin & Mineral Pellet
Topic:Equitation Science
Equitation Science is the study of the interactions between horses and humans, focusing on the application of scientific principles to improve horse training, management, and welfare. This interdisciplinary field incorporates knowledge from areas such as ethology, biomechanics, and learning theory to better understand equine behavior and the effects of human practices on horses. Research in equitation science aims to develop evidence-based methods for training and handling that promote welfare and performance. Topics of study include the assessment of training techniques, the impact of equipment on horse physiology, and the evaluation of stress and learning in equine subjects. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the methodologies, findings, and implications of equitation science in the context of horse-human interactions.
Effects of the rider on the kinematics of the equine spine under the saddle during the trot using inertial measurement units: Methodological study and preliminary results. Many factors associated with the saddle and the rider could produce pain in horses thus reducing performance. However, studies of horse-saddle-rider interactions are limited and determining their effects remains challenging. The aim of this study was to test a novel method for assessing equine thoracic and lumbar spinal movement under the saddle and collect data during trotting. Back movement was measured using inertial measurement units (n = 5) fixed at the levels of thoracic vertebrae T6, T12 and T16, and lumbar vertebrae L2 and L5. To compare unridden and ridden conditions, three horses...
An Objective Measure of Noseband Tightness and Its Measurement Using a Novel Digital Tightness Gauge. Noseband tightness is difficult to assess in horses participating in equestrian sports such as dressage, show jumping and three-day-eventing. There is growing concern that nosebands are commonly tightened to such an extent as to restrict normal equine behaviour and possibly cause injury. In the absence of a clear agreed definition of noseband tightness, a simple model of the equine nose-noseband interface environment was developed in order to guide further studies in this area. The normal force component of the noseband tensile force was identified as the key contributor to sub-noseband tissue...
The mane effect in the horse (Equus ferus caballus): Right mane dominance enhanced in mares but not associated with left and right manoeuvres in a reining competition. A human physical asymmetry is the near 90% clockwise occipitoparietal scalp hair-whorl direction in Europeans, an incidence that approximates the left lateralization of speech and right-handedness. Hair-whorl direction is also asymmetric in horses, Equus ferus caballus and placement is proposed to be related to temperament and lateralized skill in equitation manoeuvres. We describe a hair-whorl asymmetry in the horse, mane direction. Of 526, 3-year-old American Quarter horses, 69% of horses had mane directed to the right and 31% had mane directed to the left. The bias was larger in females, wi...
Show Horse Welfare: Horse Show Competitors’ Understanding, Awareness, and Perceptions of Equine Welfare. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of stock-type horse show competitors' understanding of welfare and level of concern for stock-type show horses' welfare. Data were collected through an online questionnaire that included questions relating to (a) interest and general understanding of horse welfare, (b) welfare concerns of the horse show industry and specifically the stock-type horse show industry, (c) decision-making influences, and (d) level of empathic characteristics. The majority of respondents indicated they agree or strongly agree that physical metrics should b...
Influence of Horse and Rider on Stress during Horse-riding Lesson Program. The present study aims to confirm the influence of a horse-riding lesson program (HRLP) on the stress level of horses and riders by respectively analyzing their salivary cortisol concentration. Twenty-four healthy horses and 23 riders participated in this study. The horses were randomly classified into two groups for the horse riding lesson program: Class 1 (for the beginner lesson) and Class 2 (for the intermediate lesson). The Class 1 group consisted of 12 horses and 12 riders, while the Class 2 group consisted of 12 horses and 11 riders. Salivettes cotton wool swabs were used for saliva col...
The Contribution of Equitation Science to Minimising Horse-Related Risks to Humans. Equitation science is an evidence-based approach to horse training and riding that focuses on a thorough understanding of both equine ethology and learning theory. This combination leads to more effective horse training, but also plays a role in keeping horse riders and trainers safe around horses. Equitation science underpins ethical equitation, and recognises the limits of the horse's cognitive and physical abilities. Equitation is an ancient practice that has benefited from a rich tradition that sees it flourishing in contemporary sporting pursuits. Despite its history, horse-riding is an a...
Effect of the rider position during rising trot on the horse׳s biomechanics (back and trunk kinematics and pressure under the saddle). Knowledge about the horse-saddle-rider interaction remains limited. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of the rider׳s position at rising trot on the pressure distribution, spine movements, stirrups forces and locomotion of the horse. The horse׳s back movements were measured using IMUs fixed at the levels of thoracic (T6, T12, T16) and lumbar (L2, L5) vertebrae, the pressure distribution using a pressure mat and stirrups forces using force sensors. The horse׳s and rider׳s approximated centres of mass (COM) were calculated using 2D reflective markers. To compare both trot phases...
Stride-related rein tension patterns in walk and trot in the ridden horse. The use of tack (equipment such as saddles and reins) and especially of bits because of rein tension resulting in pressure in the mouth is questioned because of welfare concerns. We hypothesised that rein tension patterns in walk and trot reflect general gait kinematics, but are also determined by individual horse and rider effects. Six professional riders rode three familiar horses in walk and trot. Horses were equipped with rein tension meters logged by inertial measurement unit technique. Left and right rein tension data were synchronized with the gait. Results: Stride split data (0-100 %) ...
A Critical Review of Horse-Related Risk: A Research Agenda for Safer Mounts, Riders and Equestrian Cultures. While the importance of improving horse-related safety seems self-evident, no comprehensive study into understanding or reducing horse-related risk has been undertaken. In this paper, we discuss four dimensions of horse-related risk: the risk itself, the horse, the rider and the culture in which equestrian activities takes place. We identify how the ways in which risk is constructed in each dimension affects the applicability of four basic risk management options of avoidance, transference, mitigation and acceptance. We find the acceptance and avoidance of horse-related risk is generally high,...
The role of associative and non-associative learning in the training of horses and implications for the welfare (a review). Horses were domesticated 6000 years ago and since then different types of approaches have been developed to enhance the horse's wellbeing and the human-horse relationship. Even though horse training is an increasingly important research area and many articles have been published on the subject, equitation is still the sport with the highest rate of human injuries, and a significant percentage of horses are sold or slaughtered due to behavioral problems. One explanation for this data is that the human-horse relationship is complex and the communication between humans and horses has not yet been...
Evidence of horsemanship and dogmanship and their application in veterinary contexts. This review collates peer-reviewed evidence for desirable attributes for those who work with dogs and horses. It is written with a particular focus on the veterinary profession. Although veterinarians and veterinary nurses (VNs) occupy variable roles when interacting with their patients, several behavioural attributes emerge as helpful across the range of such roles. In light of recent research on the value of considering animals' arousal and affective state as predictors of behaviour and welfare, best practice in human-horse and human-dog-interactions is outlined. The attributes of affiliatio...
Differences in rider movement pattern between different degrees of collection at the trot in high-level dressage horses ridden on a treadmill. Collection is a central term in equine dressage, defined as a shortening of the horse's stride length with retained energy and hind limb activity. How collection is induced by the rider has yet not been investigated objectively. The aim of this study was therefore to compare the movement pattern of high-level dressage riders between free trot (loose reins), passage and a range of three speeds in collected trot. Both at higher speed in collected trot and in passage, the rider's pelvis became more caudally rotated and the rider's lumbar back became more flexed. However, in passage there was also...
Combined influence of expertise and fatigue on riding strategy and horse–rider coupling during the time course of endurance races. The relationship between the biomechanical horse–rider interaction and endurance race performance requires further investigation. Objective: To characterise, both quantitatively and qualitatively, elite and advanced horse–rider dyads on the basis of the biomechanical horse–rider interaction during endurance races. Methods: Five elite and 5 advanced horse–rider dyads were recorded during CEI*/CEI** endurance races using 2 synchronised triaxial accelerometers each placed close to horse and rider centres of mass. Methods: For each horse–rider dyad, analyses focused on the vertical displ...
Postural characteristics of female dressage riders using 3D motion analysis and the effects of an athletic taping technique: A randomised control trial. To observe postural characteristics of female dressage riders, through application of three-dimensional motion analysis and to assess the effects of athletic taping on postural asymmetry during sitting trot. Methods: Randomised cross-over. Methods: Data collection took place at Myerscough Agricultural College in an indoor riding area. Methods: Ten healthy female experienced dressage riders participated. Methods: Movement kinematics of the trunk and pelvis, pre and post taping intervention. Results: Riders presented pre-intervention with asymmetric movement characteristics through dynamic obser...
Comparison of the head and neck position of elite dressage horses during top-level competitions in 1992 versus 2008. Among veterinary surgeons, interest has recently increased in the role of the horse's neck as a causative factor in complex locomotor disturbances. Specifically, controversy surrounds the trend for the head to be carried behind the vertical (BHV) in contravention of Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) rules. The aim of this study was to determine whether the head angulation of elite dressage horses has changed over the last 25 years, and whether head angulation correlates with the competition score awarded. Head angle was measured from videos recorded during the Grand Prix test at the 1...
Prevalence of different head-neck positions in horses shown at dressage competitions and their relation to conflict behaviour and performance marks. Much controversy exists among riders, and in particular among those practicing dressage, regarding what can be considered an "appropriate" Head-Neck-Position (HNP). The objective was to assess the prevalence of different HNPs in the field, the behavioural reactions of horses during warm-up and competition rides in relation to HNP and the relation between HNP and marks achieved in the competition. Horses (n = 171) were selected during dressage competitions according to their HNP (3 categories based on the degree of flexion), and their behaviour was recorded during 3 minutes each of riding i...
Alternatives to conventional evaluation of rideability in horse performance tests: suitability of rein tension and behavioural parameters. Rideability, i.e. the ease and comfort with which a horse can be ridden, is considered to be one of the most important traits in riding horses. However, at present rideability is evaluated rather subjectively in breeding horse performance tests. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the role horse behaviour as well as degree and quality of rein tension might play in judges' evaluation of horses' rideability. Mares (n=33) and stallions (n=13) from two different mare- and one stallion-testing station were observed twice during their performance test dressage training. During these rides, ...
Effects of different head-neck positions on the larynges of ridden horses. Hyperflexion, that is the strong deflection of the horse's head, poll and neck, is a prevalent training technique in equitation. Hyperflexion has come under criticism in recent years for being suspected of affecting the horses' well-being contrary to animal welfare. The goal of the present study is a comparison between the impacts of different poll-neck positions on findings in the upper respiratory tract of ridden horses. For this purpose, video recordings of the larynges of 14 horses were taken using an overground endoscope. The videos were recorded at rest and during three different riding ...
Horse-rider interaction in dressage riding. In dressage riding the pelvis of the rider interacts with the horse physically. However, there is little information about the influence of riding skill on the interaction of the human pelvis with the horse. Therefore this paper aims to study the interaction between horse and rider in professional riders (PRO) and beginners (BEG). Twenty riders rode in walk, trot, and canter in an indoor riding hall with inertial sensors attached to their pelvis and to the horses' trunk. Statistical analysis of waveform parameters, qualitative interpretation of angle-angle plots, and cross-correlation of horse...
The effect of two preparation procedures on an equine arena surface in relation to motion of the hoof and metacarpophalangeal joint. A link between surface characteristics and injury has been identified in equine disciplines. Maintenance procedures are reported to affect surface characteristics and could influence horse movement. The study investigated limb and hoof movement on a synthetic surface following two different preparations (harrowing and rolling). Nine horses were recorded using infrared cameras and retro-reflective markers at walk, trot and canter on two surface preparations in a cross-over design. Hoof rotation and displacement, metacarpophalangeal joint (MCPJ) extension and third metacarpal (McIII) inclination...
