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SRT International Workshop 2012 |
The Saddle Research Trust, a charitable organisation, was
established to lead and support research into the influence
of saddles on the performance of horses and riders. An inaugural
workshop, hosted by the Animal Health Trust (AHT) in Newmarket,
recently brought together the world’s scientific experts
to discuss the interaction between horses, saddles and riders,
in order to outline our current level of knowledge and major
problem areas and questions, to promote discussion and to
propose future areas for research. The meeting, also attended
by veterinary surgeons, physiotherapists, rider representatives
and members of the saddlery profession, comprised a series
of keynote lectures followed by in depth discussions.
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Anne
Bondi, organiser of the meeting, set the scene by describing
how the saddle had evolved, terminology related to the saddle
and the importance of the relationship between not only the
saddle and the horse, but also the rider. |
Dr. Sue Dyson, Head of Clinical Orthopaedics
at the AHT, discussed the complexities of differentiating
primary back pain and back stiffness that was the result
of either lameness or the way in which the horse had previously
been trained and ridden. She emphasised the importance of
saddle fit not only for the horse, but also for the rider,
so that the rider was in a suitable position to ride in
balance. Rider asymmetry, an inability to ride in balance,
lack of fitness and lack of understanding of the principles
of correct training could all lead to equine back stiffness
and pain in either the horse, rider or both. However subclinical
lameness could also masquerade as a primary back problem.
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It
was noted that the tendency of a saddle to slip to one side
was often recognised as a potential cause of back pain. A
saddle could slip because of asymmetry of the horse’s back,
an ill-fitting saddle, the inability of a rider to sit straight,
or secondary to hindlimb lameness. An on-going study had shown
that in approximately 50% of horses with hindlimb lameness,
the saddle consistently slipped to one side with more than
1 rider, despite symmetry of the back musculature and a well-fitting
saddle. When the lameness was abolished by nerve blocks, the
saddle no longer slipped, indicating that saddle slip may
actually be an indicator of lameness. |
Dr.
Lars Roepstorff, a research veterinarian from the University
of Uppsala, Sweden, considered methods to objectively evaluate
forces transmitted through the saddle. This could be done
using pressure-recording mats, comprising multiple sensors,
placed beneath the saddle. This could generate huge amounts
of information, including the distribution of forces from
side to side and back to front, variation of forces over time
and peak forces. However these mats are by no means perfect.
They are designed to measure forces applied perpendicular
to the sensors, but a horse’s back is curved and therefore
pressure in many locations is not at right-angles to the sensors.
It is difficult to differentiate rider and horse effects.
The readings from the pressure mats can change over time and
are dependent on a standardized position of the mat. He has
therefore designed a system to analyse the effect of a rider
in isolation from a real horse in a laboratory and is studying
the way in which different elite riders sit and their ability
to alter the forces applied to the horse’s back by movement
of the pelvis. This can be done by placing inertial sensors
in key positions on the rider’s back. |

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Dr.
Narelle Stubbs, a human and equine physiotherapist from Michigan
State University, America, discussed assessment of rider symmetry.
Most people have a dominant leg and this can be assessed by
their ability to stand on each leg independently and to squat
and the way in which the arms are swung at the walk. In most
people the right leg is slightly shorter and the more stable;
the longer leg is the left. If arm swing when walking is asymmetrical
this generally reflects leg length discrepancy. This can be
translated through to their position on the horse. She described
objective assessment of the muscles responsible for core stability
by ultrasonographic assessment of the activity of transverse
abdominis and internal and external abdominal oblique muscles.
Applying lengths of sticky tape to certain muscle groups of
the rider could help to both identify asymmetries of function
and improve muscle function. The effect of the rider’s position
could also be assessed objectively by placing a pressure mat
on top of a saddle. |

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Dr.
Christian Peham, a biomechanist by training and Head of Movement
Science at the Veterinary School of the University of Vienna,
Austria described a number of studies which had investigated
saddle fit, types of saddle and a variety of pads and numnahs.
He demonstrated that a saddle which was too wide for a horse
increased the pressures exerted on the back. When comparing
a conventional saddle with a sidesaddle at walk, trot and
canter, there was greater movement of the sidesaddle. He assessed
the differences between rising trot, sitting trot and standing
in the stirrups (a 2 point seat) in a conventional saddle.
The mean forces applied to the horse’s back were fairly constant,
but the extreme values were reduced in both rising trot and
a 2-point seat compared with sitting trot. The effects of
various saddle pads were assessed, comparing gel, leather,
foam and reindeer fur. With a well-fitting saddle only the
reindeer fur pad reduced the force applied to the back. The
use of any pad with a saddle which was too wide could actually
make the situation worse. |

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Dr
Hilary Clayton, a research veterinarian from the McPhail Performance
Centre, Michigan State University, USA, reviewed the different
methods for assessing the interactions between the saddle
and the horse. She concluded that thermography was of limited
benefit. The electronic pressure pads had value, but she questioned
what measurements were of real importance. The maximum pressure
exerted at any one site was not necessarily the key measurement.
Changes in pressure might be more important. |

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The
current pressure mats comprise an array of sensors on the
left and right sides, joined at the middle. They did not evaluate
pressures applied to the tope of the spine. This was potentially
an important area to assess, and addition of a linear strip
of sensors stuck to the gullet of the saddle may provide further
useful information. The development of a 3D scanning technique
to objectively map the shape of a horse’s back and changes
over time was a valuable innovation which merited further
investigation. |
Following lively discussion and an overview
of potential further areas for research, all the delegates
voted for the topics which they considered should be prioritised.
These topics were then discussed in 4 small groups led by
Dr Rachel Murray, Head of Equine Orthopaedic Research at the
Animal Health Trust, Dr Charlotte Nevison, Director of Equine
Research at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, Wayne Channon,
Secretary General of the International Dressage Riders Club
and Karen Coumbe, from the Bell Equine Clinic, Kent. |
The
brainstorming sessions were intellectually challenging and
brought forward many different opinions. Clearly obtaining
adequate funding to perform any meaningful research project
is a huge issue. It was rather humbling to acknowledge how
little we actually know. There were some projects that were
considered potentially too difficult to address, such as what
was the maximum weight that a horse of a specific size should
be asked to carry. This seemingly simple question is actually
very complex when you consider the variability in strength
of horses related to size, the ability of an individual rider
to ride in rhythm with the horse’s movement, the fitness of
the rider, the duration for which the horse was ridden and
many other factors. Further work needs to be done on riders
in isolation to establish the range of motion required to
accommodate the swing of the horse’s back. We need to know
much more about the inter relationships between conformation
of the horse’s back and movement. These are complex problems
which require collaboration between people with different
areas of expertise. This meeting brought together potential
collaborators and hopefully we will see progress in knowledge
about the interactions between the horse, rider and the saddle
in the ensuing years. |

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The
SRT is extremely grateful to its title sponsors, Solution
Saddles and Sue Carson Saddles. Without the generosity and
support of these organisations, this important meeting could
not have been held. |

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