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Home / Equine Research Bank / Vet J / A comparison of forces acting on the horse’s back and ...
Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)2009; 184(1); 56-59; doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2009.04.007

A comparison of forces acting on the horse’s back and the stability of the rider’s seat in different positions at the trot.

Abstract: The aim of the study was to compare the stability of the rider as well as the forces acting on a horse's back with different seating positions at the trot (sitting trot, rising trot and two-point seat). The same experienced rider was mounted on 10 sound horses trotting on a treadmill. The kinetic data were recorded with an electronic pressure mat, placed under a well-fitting dressage saddle with no saddle pad. The rider used three different seating positions, each for 20 s. Right forelimb motion was used to synchronise the pressure data with the stride cycles. To determine the rider's stability, the movement of the centre of pressure (COP) along the transverse (X) and longitudinal (Y) axes was calculated. The force was taken as the sum of all segments of the pressure pad multiplied by the area of the pressure pad. The maximum force and the X- and Y-deviations were evaluated using ANOVA for repeated measures with a Bonferroni Post hoc test. The stability of the rider in the Y-direction was significantly highest in the two-point seat, followed by the rising trot and the sitting trot, respectively. In the X-direction, there was no significant difference between the three positions. The significantly highest load on the horse's back was at the sitting trot (2112 N), followed by the rising trot (2056 N) and the two-point seat (1688 N). The rider was most stable in the two-point seat while transferring the lowest load on the horse's back. The rising trot was found to be more stable and less stressful for the horse's back compared to the sitting trot.
Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Publication Date: 2009-05-09 PubMed ID: 19428275DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2009.04.007Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Comparative Study
  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The study aimed to compare the effect of different seating positions on the stability of a horseback rider and the forces exerted on a horse’s back during trotting. It found that the two-point seat provided the most stability for the rider and the least load on the horse compared to a rising trot or sitting trot.

Study Aim and Methodology

  • The study aimed to examine the effect of three different seating positions – sitting trot, rising trot, and two-point seat – on both the stability of the rider and the forces exerted on a horse’s back. This was conducted by having 10 horses, ridden by the same experienced rider, trotting on a treadmill.
  • An electronic pressure mat positioned under a dressage saddle with no saddle pad was used to record kinetic data. Each seating position was maintained for 20 seconds while the forces and pressure patterns were recorded.
  • The stride cycles were synchronized using the motion of the horse’s right forelimb. This allowed for accurate readings of the forces and pressure patterns across the entire stride cycle.
  • The stability of the rider was determined by calculating movements of the center of pressure (COP) along both the X (transverse) and Y (longitudinal) axes. The force was calculated as the sum of all the pressure pad segments multiplied by its area.

Results and Interpretation

  • The results showed that in the Y-direction (longitudinal), the two-point seat position offered the highest stability for the rider, followed by the rising trot, and then the sitting trot.
  • In the X-direction (transverse), there were no significant differences in stability between the three positions.
  • The sitting trot exerted the greatest load on the horse’s back (2112 N), followed by the rising trot (2056 N), and finally, the two-point seat (1688 N). Thus, it can be interpreted that the two-point seat position not only provided the highest stability for the rider but also imposed the least load on the horse’s back.
  • Interestingly, the rising trot was found to be more stable and less stressful for the horse’s back compared to the sitting trot. This suggests that the rising trot can be a better option than the sitting trot when thinking about the horse’s comfort and the rider’s stability.

Cite This Article

APA
Peham C, Kotschwar AB, Borkenhagen B, Kuhnke S, Molsner J, Baltacis A. (2009). A comparison of forces acting on the horse’s back and the stability of the rider’s seat in different positions at the trot. Vet J, 184(1), 56-59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2009.04.007

Publication

Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)
ISSN: 1532-2971
NlmUniqueID: 9706281
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 184
Issue: 1
Pages: 56-59

Researcher Affiliations

Peham, C
  • Movement Science Group Vienna, Clinical Department for Companion Animals and Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria. Christian.Peham@vu-wien.ac.at
Kotschwar, A B
    Borkenhagen, B
      Kuhnke, S
        Molsner, J
          Baltacis, A

            MeSH Terms

            • Analysis of Variance
            • Animals
            • Back / physiology
            • Biomechanical Phenomena
            • Exercise Test / veterinary
            • Gait / physiology
            • Horses / physiology
            • Movement / physiology
            • Physical Conditioning, Animal / physiology
            • Walking / physiology
            • Weight-Bearing / physiology

            Citations

            This article has been cited 14 times.
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