Elsevier

Journal of Veterinary Behavior

Volume 8, Issue 4, July–August 2013, Pages 261-264
Journal of Veterinary Behavior

Research
The effect of physiotherapy intervention to the pelvic region of experienced riders on seated postural stability and the symmetry of pressure distribution to the saddle: A preliminary study

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2013.01.005Get rights and content

Abstract

It is commonplace for trainers and judges to comment that riders are “crooked” or “collapsed in the hip.” This asymmetrical posture will likely have a significant effect on stability/balance and may subsequently have a detrimental effect on performance. Although the effects of asymmetry on athlete performance has received much attention on human-only sports, there has been little scientific research investigating the influence of these factors in equestrianism, despite anecdotal acknowledgment that “a good seat” and core stability has strong influence on the horse and that crookedness may contribute to high incidences of back pain in both the rider and horse. Asymmetry among athletes has been shown to lessen after physiotherapy intervention (PI).

This study examined whether the effect of PI to a group of experienced riders improved seated postural stability (determined as the root mean square [RMS] of the center of pressure signal in the medial–lateral directions) collected for more than 30 seconds and medial–lateral symmetry in force distribution when sat astride a saddle for 10 seconds. Riders were divided into 2 groups either receiving PI to the pelvic region or no intervention. After intervention, the PI group showed a significant reduction in RMS, and initial asymmetry in distribution of pressure was reduced.

Preliminary findings suggest that improvements in rider asymmetry and stability can be attenuated through manipulation of the pelvic region. Further work to ascertain the benefits that targeted physiotherapy and training regimes can have on effective horse–rider communication, performance, and behavioral, anatomical, and physiological indicators of welfare in both horse and rider are justified.

Introduction

To date, research studies have suggested that most humans (Corballis, 1989; Symes and Ellis, 2009) and horses (McGreevy and Rogers, 2005; Murphy and Arkins, 2008) exhibit mild bilateral asymmetry/laterality. This may be inherent or as a consequence of previous injury, pathology, or differential musculoskeletal development. The asymmetry of sports participants (e.g., in football, basketball, and swimming) has received widespread attention with researchers investigating whether reduced bilateral asymmetry predicts enhanced athletic performance in relation to their more asymmetrical counterparts (Matsuda et al., 2008; Carpes et al., 2010; Sanders et al., 2011). In equestrianism, however, despite asymmetry in the rider and/or horse likely having a detrimental effect on overall performance, the efficiency of horse learning and welfare (McGreevy, 2007), this has only received scant attention in the literature (Symes and Ellis, 2009).

Equestrians are trained to apply bilateral pressure–based signals (aids) through their hands and legs to communicate with and/or influence the movement of their horse (e.g., Auty, 2005; Cooper, 2005). For some pace changes and movements, the signals (where defined) are placed symmetrically, and others require unilateral positioning. Interestingly, evidence of rider self-awareness of laterality in pressure applied to the left and right sides of the horse's mouth via the reins and bit has been reported as poor even in an experienced rider (Clayton et al., 2003). Although riders are frequently described as “crooked” or “collapsed in the hip”; these terms are vague (Symes and Ellis, 2009) as they do not specify the degree of asymmetry in the medial–lateral plane or posture. However, they suggest that forces exerted by riders onto the horses' back via the saddle in the mediolateral plane are unlikely to be symmetrical for many riders. This may have an effect on training by influencing the rider's ability to deliver clear and consistent signals to the horse and could potentially give rise to conflict behavior. Long-term repeated application of asymmetrical forces over a series of training events could be detrimental to the welfare of the horse and rider, likely contributing to injury and pathology to the back and limbs of both horse (Dyson, 2000; Nadeau, 2006) and rider (Quinn and Bird, 1996). Furthermore, the application of asymmetrical forces may also contribute to reduced rider stability. McGreevy (2007) stressed the need for the utilization of pressure-sensitive devices to inform debates in equitation science, which in turn may lead to improvements in training and welfare.

In recent years, physiotherapy intervention (PI) has been used to maintain and improve functional performance in elite sportspersons, including equestrians (McGowan et al., 2007). Such treatment is used to manage sensory and motor disturbances for activity-specific functional improvement in the short- or long term. The present study investigated whether rider asymmetry and stability could be attenuated in the short term through manual PI. Asymmetry among riders was measured through the pressure exerted onto the saddle and stability through the center of pressure (CP) displacement when sitting on a force plate.

Section snippets

Methods

Six female riders with competitive experience in all disciplines and training at advanced level in either dressage or show jumping were recruited to the study. Each rider wore their own riding clothing and British Standards Institution approved hard hat throughout. Before commencing the data collection phase, each rider was briefed on what was required from them in the study and signed a consent form. All work described was carried out in accordance with The Code of Ethics of the World Medical

Results

Before intervention, there was no significant difference between the PI and NI groups in any of the dependant measures (peak pressure [kPa], mean pressure [kPa], maximum force [N] RMS CP, and contact area [cm2]) made on the force plate or pressure mat.

Riders who received physiotherapy showed a significant reduction in postural instability (RMS CP) while sitting on the force plate (Figure 1; medial–lateral CoP excursion (RMS, mm), mean ± standard error (SE); preintervention = 0.061 ± 0.007;

Conclusions

The present study aimed to investigate whether rider asymmetry and instability could be attenuated by PI. These preliminary findings suggest that among a group of experienced riders, asymmetry and instability was attenuated (at least temporarily) after PI, which targeted the pelvis.

The distribution of pressure onto the saddle by riders (before intervention) supports previous studies highlighting the natural asymmetry in humans generally (Corballis, 1989) and riders (Symes and Ellis, 2009) and

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Vanessa Fairfax, Mark Fisher, Andy Thomas, and Russell Guire for their assistance in facilitating this study.

References (19)

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