Applied load on the horse’s back under racing conditions.

This study investigates how small-sized racing saddles, with little cushioning, apply pressure on horses’ backs under racing conditions. The researchers rode five Thoroughbred horses at different speeds with an average racing saddle, measuring the resulting pressure.

Objective of the Study

• The main goal of this research was to establish the amount of pressure exerted by a racing saddle, ridden by a jockey at typical racing speeds, on a horse’s back. This is important due to concerns that insufficient saddle cushioning may limit a horse’s performance or even cause health issues for the horse.

Methodology of the Study

• The study involved five actively racing Thoroughbred horses, each ridden by their regular professional jockey who weighed 60 kg.
• The saddle used in the study was a medium-sized racing saddle (length 37 cm, weight 450 g), common in horseracing.
• The horses were ridden at a canter speed (mean velocity: 7.7 ± 0.4m/s) and gallop speed (14.0 ± 0.7 m/s) on a standard race track. During this, pressure under the saddle was recorded.

Findings of the Study

• The study found that maximum pressure was 134 kPa at canter speed and 116 kPa at gallop speed.
• Mean peak pressure was also captured and it was 73.6 kPa at canter speed and 54.8 kPa at gallop speed.
• It was also observed that the maximum total force did not differ between the two speeds and was about twice the jockey’s body weight.
• The lateral range of motion of the center of pressure varied significantly between the two speeds, with excursions of 23 mm at canter and 37 mm at gallop; longitudinal excursion was 13 mm for canter and 14 mm for gallop.
• The areas that experienced the highest pressure (>35 kPa) were always located along the spinous processes, covering an average length of 12.5 cm.

Conclusions of the Study

• These findings conclude that racing saddles do exert significant peak pressures, particularly over the bony prominences known to be sensitive to pressure. This raises concerns about the potential negative effects on performance and health from these high pressures.