Posture of Rider and Rider Linked, Study Shows

By comparing certain riding positions of amateur equestrians and the neck positions of their mounts to the kind of back pain those horses experienced while in the stall, the researchers concluded that how you ride makes a big difference in equine welfare.
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

Your mother was right: Sit right and spare your back. And now scientists at the equine behavior research center at the University of Rennes have confirmed it: Poor posture can be a real pain in the back–not just for you, but for your horse.

By comparing certain riding positions of amateur equestrians and the neck positions of their mounts to the kind of back pain those horses experienced while in the stall, the researchers concluded that how you ride makes a big difference in equine welfare.

"Our data infers that improper riding postures have a strong effect on horses' postures at work that also lead to chronic vertebral problems," said Clemence Lesimple, PhD candidate, researcher at the University of Rennes in northwestern France, and primary author of the study.

Lesimple and her colleagues studied 19 horses in two riding centers as they were exercised during beginners' riding courses. The positions of the riders' hands and legs, and those of the horses' necks, were recorded, as well as the kinds of corrections given by the riding instructor. The horses' back pain at rest was evaluated by two independent equine chiropractors (whose conclusions were 94% consistent with each other)

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

Passionate about horses and science from the time she was riding her first Shetland Pony in Texas, Christa Lesté-Lasserre writes about scientific research that contributes to a better understanding of all equids. After undergrad studies in science, journalism, and literature, she received a master’s degree in creative writing. Now based in France, she aims to present the most fascinating aspect of equine science: the story it creates. Follow Lesté-Lasserre on Twitter @christalestelas.

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

Where do you primarily feed your horse?
289 votes · 289 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!