Forces and pressures beneath the saddle during mounting from the ground and from a raised mounting platform.
Abstract: The objective was to use an electronic pressure mat to measure and compare forces and pressures of the saddle on a horse's back when riders mounted from the ground and with the aid of a mounting platform. Ten riders mounted a horse three times each from the ground and from a 35 cm high mounting platform in random order. Total force (summation of forces over all 256 sensors) was measured and compared at specific points on the force-time curve. Total force was usually highest as the rider's right leg was swinging upwards and was correlated with rider mass. When normalized to rider mass, total force and peak pressure were significantly higher when mounting from the ground than from a raised platform (P<0.05). The area of highest pressure was on the right side of the withers in 97% of mounting efforts, confirming the importance of the withers in stabilizing the saddle during mounting.
Publication Date: 2007-06-14 PubMed ID: 17572121DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2007.03.025Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Clinical Trial
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The study investigates the impact on horse’s back when riders mount from the ground versus a raised platform. It found that mounting from the ground leads to higher force and peak pressure on the horse’s back, especially on the right side of the withers.
Research Methodology
- The study was conducted using an electronic pressure mat to measure and compare the forces and pressures exerted on a horse’s back when a rider mounts the horse. The aim was to understand how different methods of mounting can affect the physical strain on the horse.
- Ten riders participated in the study, where their task was to mount a horse three times each, once from the ground and then from a mounting platform that was 35 cm high. The order in which they mounted was randomly assigned.
- The pressure mat applied for the study had 256 sensors. Each sensor recorded the force exerted at their respective points, providing the total force when summed up.
Results and Key Findings
- Usually, the highest total force was observed when the rider’s right leg was swinging upwards, a crucial moment during mounting. The force correlated with the mass of the rider—greater the mass of the rider, higher the force exerted.
- After patterns were normalized for differing rider masses, the study found that both total force and peak pressure were significantly higher when riders mounted from the ground compared to when they mounted from a raised platform. The difference was statistically significant with a ‘P’ value of less than 0.05 (a commonly accepted threshold for statistical significance).
- The highest pressure is usually observed on the right side of the withers (ridge between the shoulder blades of the horse) in 97% of the mounting efforts. Therefore, the study also highlighted the importance of the withers in stabilizing the saddle during the mounting process.
Conclusion
- The study concluded that the method of mounting considerably influences the forces and pressures a horse’s back undergoes. Mounting from a raised platform was found to be significantly less strenuous for the horse compared to mounting from the ground.
- This has important practical implications in everyday horse riding and competitive equestrian sports. Riders and trainers can opt for raised platforms for mounting to reduce the physical strain on their horses, besides choosing robust saddling design and practices that can properly distribute the forces during mounting.
Cite This Article
APA
Geutjens CA, Clayton HM, Kaiser LJ.
(2007).
Forces and pressures beneath the saddle during mounting from the ground and from a raised mounting platform.
Vet J, 175(3), 332-337.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2007.03.025 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Mary Anne McPhail Equine Performance Center, Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Back / physiology
- Back Injuries / physiopathology
- Back Injuries / prevention & control
- Back Injuries / veterinary
- Biomechanical Phenomena
- Exercise Test / veterinary
- Horses / injuries
- Horses / physiology
- Humans
- Male
- Physical Conditioning, Animal
- Weight-Bearing / physiology
Citations
This article has been cited 3 times.- Clayton H, MacKechnie-Guire R, Byström A, Le Jeune S, Egenvall A. Guidelines for the Measurement of Rein Tension in Equestrian Sport.. Animals (Basel) 2021 Sep 30;11(10).
- MacKechnie-Guire R, Pfau T. Differential rotational movement and symmetry values of the thoracolumbosacral region in high-level dressage horses when trotting.. PLoS One 2021;16(5):e0251144.
- Davies E, McConn-Palfreyman W, Williams JM, Lovell GP. The Impact of COVID-19 on Staff Working Practices in UK Horseracing.. Animals (Basel) 2020 Oct 30;10(11).
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