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Home / Equine Research Bank / Heliyon / A possible mechanism of horseback riding on dynamic trunk al...
Heliyon2018; 4(9); e00777; doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e00777

A possible mechanism of horseback riding on dynamic trunk alignment.

Abstract: The study aimed to clarify the regularity of the motions of horse's back, rider's pelvis and spine associated with improvement of rider's dynamic trunk alignment. The study used a crossover design, with exercise using the horseback riding simulator (simulator hereafter) as the control condition. The experiments were conducted at Tokyo University of Agriculture Bio-therapy Center. The sample consisted of 20 healthy volunteers age 20-23 years. Participants performed 15-min sessions of horseback riding with a Hokkaido Pony and exercise using the simulator in experiments separated by ≥2 weeks. Surface electromyography (EMG) after horseback riding revealed decreased activity in the erector spinae. Exploratory data analysis of acceleration and angular velocity inferred associations between acceleration (Rider's neck/longitudinal axis [Y hereafter]) and angular velocity (Horse saddle/Y) as well as angular velocity (Rider's pelvis/Y) and angular velocity (Horse saddle/Y). Acceleration (Rider's neck/Y) tended to be associated with angular velocity (Rider's pelvis/Y). Surface EMG following exercise revealed decreased activity in the rectus abdominis and erector spinae after the simulator exercise. Horseback riding improved the rider's dynamic trunk alignment with a clear underlying mechanism, which was not observed with the simulator.
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Publication Date: 2018-09-11 PubMed ID: 30225377PubMed Central: PMC6138947DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e00777Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • 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.

This research article explores the impact of horseback riding on a rider’s body posture, specifically in the alignment of their trunk, which is the torso area. The study found that horseback riding positively impacts the rider’s dynamic trunk alignment, a beneficial effect not observed when using a horseback riding simulator.

Research Objective and Design

  • The aim of the study was to understand the synchronized movements between the horse’s back and the rider’s pelvis and spine, and how these associations led to improvements in the rider’s dynamic trunk alignment.
  • A crossover design was employed for the study, in which exercise on a horseback riding simulator was used as a control condition i.e., a base for comparison.
  • The study was conducted at the Tokyo University of Agriculture Bio-therapy Center.
  • The participants in the study consisted of 20 healthy volunteers between the ages of 20 and 23 years.

Methodology

  • The participants were asked to either ride a Hokkaido Pony or use a simulator for a 15-minutes session. This experiment was repeated after ≥2 weeks interval.

Observations and Result Analysis

  • The activity in the erector spinae, a set of muscles supporting the spine, decreased after horseback riding, as observed through surface electromyography (EMG), a diagnostic procedure that assesses the health of muscles and their controlling nerve cells (or motor neurons).
  • The data analysis on acceleration and angular velocity inferred that the rider’s neck acceleration tended to associate with the angular velocity of the rider’s pelvis as well as the horse saddle. This suggests that the horse’s movements had a direct impact on the rider’s body alignment.
  • The surface EMG post simulator exercise revealed decreased activity in the rectus abdominis (abs) and erector spinae. But the simulator was not found to improve the rider’s dynamic trunk alignment in the way that actual horse riding did.

Conclusions

  • The study concluded that traditional horseback riding noticeably improved the body posture of the rider, specifically their dynamic trunk alignment. The mechanism through which this improvement occurred was not observed when the participants used the simulator, suggesting that the live interaction with the horse plays a key role.

Cite This Article

APA
Funakoshi R, Masuda K, Uchiyama H, Ohta M. (2018). A possible mechanism of horseback riding on dynamic trunk alignment. Heliyon, 4(9), e00777. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e00777

Publication

Heliyon
ISSN: 2405-8440
NlmUniqueID: 101672560
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 4
Issue: 9
Pages: e00777
PII: e00777

Researcher Affiliations

Funakoshi, Ryota
  • Department of Human and Animal-plant Relationships, Graduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1737, Funako, Atsugi, Kanagawa, Japan.
Masuda, Koji
  • Department of Human and Animal-plant Relationships, Graduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1737, Funako, Atsugi, Kanagawa, Japan.
Uchiyama, Hidehiko
  • Department of Human and Animal-plant Relationships, Graduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1737, Funako, Atsugi, Kanagawa, Japan.
Ohta, Mitsuaki
  • Department of Human and Animal-plant Relationships, Graduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1737, Funako, Atsugi, Kanagawa, Japan.

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Citations

This article has been cited 4 times.
  1. Wagner C, Grob C, Hediger K. Specific and Non-specific Factors of Animal-Assisted Interventions Considered in Research: A Systematic Review. Front Psychol 2022;13:931347.
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  3. Abdel-Aziem AA, Abdelraouf OR, Ghally SA, Dahlawi HA, Radwan RE. A 10-Week Program of Combined Hippotherapy and Scroth's Exercises Improves Balance and Postural Asymmetries in Adolescence Idiopathic Scoliosis: A Randomized Controlled Study. Children (Basel) 2021 Dec 30;9(1).
    doi: 10.3390/children9010023pubmed: 35053648google scholar: lookup
  4. Collado-Mateo D, Lavín-Pérez AM, Fuentes García JP, García-Gordillo MÁ, Villafaina S. Effects of Equine-Assisted Therapies or Horse-Riding Simulators on Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Medicina (Kaunas) 2020 Aug 31;56(9).
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