A correct seat and position are the basis for a good performance in horseback riding. This study aimed to measure deviations from the correct seat, test a seat improvement program (dismounted exercises), and investigate whether horse behavior was affected by the rider's seat. Five experienced trainers defined 16 seat deviations and scored the occurrence in 20 riders in a dressage test. Half the riders then carried out an individual training program; after 9 weeks, riders were again scored. The study took no video or heart-rate recordings of horses and riders. Panel members did not agree on the deviations in the rider's seat; the study detected no differences—with the exception of improvement of backward-tilted pelvis—between the groups. Horse behavior, classified as “evasive,” increased; horse heart rate decreased in the experimental group. Heart rates of riders in both groups decreased. Seven of 9 riders in the experimental group had the impression that the exercises improved their riding performance. There is a clear need to develop a robust system that allows trainers to objectively evaluate the rider's seat.
[1]
The biomechanical interaction between vertebral column and limbs in the horse: a kinematical study
,
2007
.
[2]
F. Odberg,et al.
A preliminary study on the relation between subjectively assessing dressage performance and objective welfare parameters.
,
2005
.
[3]
W Back,et al.
Effects of girth, saddle and weight on movements of the horse.
,
2010,
Equine veterinary journal.
[4]
C. V. van Reenen,et al.
Responses of horses in behavioural tests correlate with temperament assessed by riders.
,
2010,
Equine veterinary journal.