Contact
Marie Rhodin
Researcher, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry (AFB)
Telephone: 018-672194
E-mail: marie.rhodin@slu.se
Lateral movement of the saddle relative to the equine spine in rising and sitting trot on a treadmill
Last changed: 23 April 2021
Phenomena such as a gradually sliding saddle onto one side during riding has been observed in lameness investigations and may possibly be linked to the hind limb lameness in the horse. However, it is not known how the saddle moves normally in healthy horses and how the saddle movement is affected by the rider. Such knowledge is much needed to determine whether the saddle's movement can be helpful during lameness evaluations to identify horses with hind limb lameness.
In an international collaborative project, initiated by researchers from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, seven sound dressage horses were studied when ridden on a force-measuring treadmill. The horse's movements were documented with high-speed film and the pressure between the saddle and rider was measured with a pressure measurement saddle blanket. The lateral movement of the saddle was compared during sitting and rising trot.
No saddle sliding could be seen in the sound horses, but the saddle did have a clear lateral movement. In some instances, the lateral movement was larger on one side. There was a clear connection between the rider's pelvic movement and the movement of the saddle, and rising trot gave a greater movement than sitting trot.
Link to publication
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0200534
Reference
A. Byström, L. Roepstorff, M. Rhodin, F. S. Bragança, M. T. Engell, E. Hernlund, E. Persson-Sjödin, R. van Weeren, M. Weishaupt and A. Egenvall. (2018)Lateral movement of the saddle relative to the equine spine in rising and sitting trot on a treadmill. PLoS ONE 13(7): e0200534.