Maria Terese Engell

Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences | SLU · Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry

Lameness, a wellknown issue in sport horses, impedes performance and impairs welfare. Early detection of lameness is essential for horses to receive needed treatment, but detection of hindlimb lameness is challenging. Riding instructors and trainers observe horses in motion in their daily work and could contribute to more efficient lameness detecti...

The ability of trainers to perceive mild hindlimb lameness is important for timely veterinary intervention in sport horses. Therefore, this study aimed to survey hindlimb lameness perception among licensed trainers, and to compare learning outcome of three feedback methods during computer-aided training (CAT). Sixty-four trainers were recruited and...

The study investigated between-rider differences in pelvic roll and pitch motion during horseback riding as the horse walked around circles without rein contact (walk on long reins), with rein contact, and with moderate collection. Ten horses were ridden by five riders on left and right 10 m circles, in a partly crossed design, yielding 14 trials....

Background: Left-right movement symmetry is a highly desirable characteristic in sport horses. Objectives: This study compared movement symmetry in well-trained dressage horses unridden and unrestrained, and ridden in a dressage frame, and investigated possible associations between gaits. Study design: Experimental study. Methods: Seven soun...

The symmetry of the rider is highly relevant, and in the equestrian community it is generally thought that a symmetrical rider has a better possibility to influence the horse in an optimal way. The aim of the study was to analyse and compare frontal plane kinematics of the core body segments in ten riders while riding and while rocking a balance ch...

For efficient rider-horse communication, the rider needs to maintain a balanced position on the horse, allowing independent and controlled movements of the rider’s body segments. The rider’s balance will most likely be negatively affected by postural asymmetries. The aims of this study were to evaluate inter-segmental symmetry of movements of the r...

Saddle slip, defined as a progressive lateral displacement of the saddle during ridden exercise, has recently been given attention in the scientific press as a potential sign of lameness. The aim of this study was to objectively quantify the normal lateral movement (oscillations) of the saddle relative to the horse in non-lame horses, and associate...

Data used for analysis. (XLSX)

Example of raw data. Lateral movement of the saddle and L3 in one horse for left rising, right rising and sitting trot. Higher y-axis values imply movement to the right and lower values movement to the left. (TIF)

The objectives were to compare sagittal plane posture of the pelvis, trunk and head of elite dressage riders when they ride actively to train the horse versus sitting passively and following the horses' movements at trot, and to evaluate the effects of these changes in rider posture on load distribution on the horse's back. Synchronised motion capt...

Foot pronation is a common postural condition that is related to postural asymmetry, and that may affect performance in a variety of sports. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether unmounted riders (n=18) with predominantly right or left foot pronation had an increased contralateral pelvic drop during stance of the more pronated foot when wal...