Horse–rider interaction in dressage riding

Investigation of the use of inertial sensing equipment for the measurement of hip flexion and pelvic rotation in horse riders

“…These findings support and expand on studies by Münz et al (2014), who identified significant inter-subject variations in pelvic AP rotation at walk, sitting trot and canter, based on data from a single IMU placed on the rider pelvis and Eckardt et al (2014), who further confirmed and extended the findings for a range of anatomical measures (including pelvic AP rotation) at sitting trot.…”

Postural changes and their effects in elite riders when actively influencing the horse versus sitting passively at trot

“…The rider's movements are driven by movements of the horse (Münz et al, 2014;Wolframm et al, 2013). The rider's pelvis, which provides the point of contact with the saddle, transmits forces directly between horse and rider.…”

“…When training the horse, mounted posture must be sufficiently stable to support the application of aids that influence the horse's performance. Some information is available describing how the rider follows the horse's motion (Alexander et al, 2014;Byström et al, 2009;Münz et al, 2014;Von Peinen et al, 2009) and how pelvic pitch changes with collection (Byström et al, 2015). However, inter-segmental coordination patterns that allow elite riders to interface seamlessly with the horse's motion are largely uninvestigated.…”

“…Furthermore, good riders reduce the variability of the horse's movements and maintain a closer phase relationship with the horse (Peham et al, 2001). Based on a phase shift between movements of the rider's pelvis and the horse's sternum Münz et al (2014) showed the rider lagged behind the horse's movements, whereas Viry et al (2013) demonstrated a relatively close synchronisation of dorsoventral movements of the rider's pelvis and the horse's sternum in endurance racing.…”

Differences in rider movement pattern between different degrees of collection at the trot in high-level dressage horses ridden on a treadmill

“…The rider's position and movements in different gaits have been documented in several previous studies, by use of either camera recordings with optical markers (Byström, Rhodin, von Peinen, Weishaupt, & Roepstorff, 2009, 2010Lovett, Hodson-Tole, & Nankervis, 2004;Schils, Greer, Stoner, & Kobluk, 1993;Symes & Ellis, 2009) or inertial sensor units fixed to the rider's body (Münz, Eckardt, Heipertz-Hengst, Peham, & Witte, 2013;Münz, Eckardt, & Witte, 2014). Additionally, camera recordings and accelerometers have been used to study the coordination pattern between horse and rider during basic dressage (Lagarde, Kelso, Peham, & Licka, 2005;Peham, Licka, Kapaun, & Scheidl, 2001;Witte, Schobesberger, & Peham, 2009;Wolframm, Bosga, & Meulenbroek, 2013) and in endurance riding (Viry et al, 2013).…”