Study: Rider weight and its effect on the horse

Study: Rider weight and its effect on the horse

At the beginning of September this year, researchers Animal Health Trust (AHT) under the direction of Dr. Sue Dyson were engaged in a pilot scientific project in which they studied the effect of the weight of the rider on the horse.

The initial results made it clear that the rider’s weight has a “significant temporary effect” on the movement and behavior of the horse.

The study, which lasted from 4 to 8 September, involved six horses and four riders (of the same level). The weight of the riders was classified on the following scale: light, moderate, heavy and very heavy.

“Each rider on each horse completed a standardized list of exercises (mainly trot and canter) for 30 minutes,” says the AHT spokesperson, adding that the horses worked in their normal harness and were assessed subjectively and objectively: behavior, the horse’s responses, the need for compulsion, as well as heart rate and respiration rate, salivary cortisol levels.

«Goal this phase of the study was to determine if there are measurable differences in the behavior and movement of the horse, depending on the weight of the rider».

“Data analysis is ongoing, but researchers can confirm that there is a significant temporal effect caused by the rider’s weight (in proportion to the horse’s weight) on the horse’s gait and behavior.

“It seems that any negative impact of ill-fitting and ill-fitting ammunition is exacerbated by a heavier rider. This study does not mean that heavy riders should not ride, but that they should ride a horse of appropriate size and fitness, in a saddle that fits both horse and rider.”

The researchers expressed their “huge gratitude” to the owners of the horses, as well as World Horse Welfare (financial sponsor).

The study was the result of a recent controversy among the equestrian community over rider weight. World Horse Welfare and the British Equestrian Federation have set up a fundraising initiative to research the problem.

«This study makes us understand that work in this direction should not be stopped, but we need additional funding.».

Source (translated by Valeria Smirnova)

• MrakobesSV 29th of December 2019

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