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6/ SEPTEMBER 2019 THE RIDER International Society for Equitation Science (ISES) 2019


By Ellie Ross The International So-


ciety for Equitation Science (ISES) is a not-for-profit or- ganization that chiefly aims to facilitate research into the training of horses to en- hance horse welfare and im- prove


the horse–rider


relationship. ISES hosted their 15th Equitation Sci- ence Conference at the Uni- versity of Guelph and was expertly chaired by Katrina Merkies, Dept Animal Bio-


tential rider:horse weight ratio and added three weight ratio classes. What was most remarkable was that the horses in the lower rider:horse weight


ratio


group, had higher heart rates. Gait symmetry was unaffected and the occur- rence of conflict behaviors such as head tossing, tail swishing, gaping mouths, varied but was unaffected by the acute increase in weight. The saliva samples


weight differences between the two scales. You can also check your pelvic mobility and balance by using a gym- nastic ball suitable for your height . The imbalance on the ball was typical of weight asymmetry.


tions proved to be quite in- teresting


KINEMATICS Kinematics presenta- with


the


correlation between fore- limb locomotion and the cervical spine. Research completed at the University of Nantes (France) on lower neck and forelimb locomo- tion linked nerve root dys- function of the 7th cervical nerve root with, neck pain, forelimb lameness and ab- normal locomotion. Cervi-


Jochen Schleese demonstrating mapping the rider and the horse for saddle fitting. Photo Credit: Ellie Ross


row angle with wide width). This video presenta-


tion can be viewed online at h t


t p s : vimeo.com/355171948


POLAR HEART RATE MONITOR


A very surprising


ISES Conference Chair Katrina Merkies with Hamilton Mounted Police Unit. Photo Credit: Ellie Ross


sciences, University of Guelph. The theme of this conference was ‘Bringing Science to the Stable’. So what is equitation


science? Equitation science promotes an objective, evi- dence-based understanding of the welfare of horses dur- ing training and competition by applying valid, quantita- tive scientific methods that can identify what training techniques are ineffective or may result in equine suffering. Equitation Sci- ence uses a multidiscipli- nary approach to explain horse training, for exam- ple from a learning theory perspective that removes anthropomorphism and emotiveness.


There were over


30 presentations made, all of which proved very in- teresting and some had quite interesting conclu- sions. Here are a few of the informative presenta- tions made;


RIDER WEIGHT One of the more


controversial welfare top- ics that has been debated among the equestrian community was ‘The In- fluence of Increased Rider Weight on horse behav- ioural and physiological parameters’. This research comes from Aarhus Uni- versity, Dept. of Animal Science, in Denmark. The physiological


responses


measured were Heart Rate, salivary cortisol and gait symmetry while being rid- den in a standard dressage test. The riders’ weights were increased by having them wear weighted vests and measured at an increase of 15% and up to 25%. They explored the initial po-


are being analyzed for corti- sol and the results were not available at the time of this presentation. There were addi-


tional presentations on rider weight symmetry and bal- ance with the focus on how it impacted the horse. The conclusion provided was that the lighter weight rider that was unbalanced had


Nerve root dysfunction - forelimb issues Image credit: ISES Conference 2019


cal spine osteoarthritis is also associated with loss of balance, stumbling and/or falling. The


changes in the affected neck vertebrae compress


A saddle too low in front will pinch the shoulders.


arthritic the


forelimb root nerves. Front end lameness or short strided forelimb gaits de- serve attention beyond the limb itself and could be at- tributed to nerve root dys- function. The arthritic changes in the articular process caused compres- sion of the cervical nerve root


that forms


SADDLE FIT Saddle fit


the


brachial plexus that inner- vates the forelimb.


is a


Riders were examined to record their balance, coordination and movement patterns.


Photo: Katja Ahrenfeld


more of a stressful impact on the horse than the heavier rider that was balanced. These studies are part of a larger project. It was ad- vised that if you want to check your own weight symmetry that you should take two bathroom scales and stand on them. One foot on each, focus ahead at a fixed point and note the


chronic problem and major concern in equine welfare. Research from the Equine Center at San Luis Obispo California, concluded that 1/3rd of all saddles were either a bad or poor fit. Saddle fitting A live saddle fitting lec- ture was provided by Jochen Schleese from Saddle Fit for Life, (Holl- land Landing, Ontario). Jochen provided an in- depth presentation on the anatomy and biomechani- cal needs of the horse and rider using 9 basic points.


Horse discomfort is a wel- fare issue relating to be- havior changes, inhibited performance and mechani-


cal breakdown. His live presentation included all saddle types.


The 9 points are; Saddle Balance: a saddle too high in the pommel and too low in the cantle causes pressure on the horse’s back, making it difficult to engage, as too much weight is on his last 2 floating ribs.


Wither Clearance: No clearance on the side and top of the withers will re- strict movement and range of motion through the shoul- ders, resulting in a reluc- tance to go forward.


Gullet/Channel Width: A gullet that is too narrow or too wide can cause perma- nent damage to your horse’s back. The width of each horse’s spine will determine how wide his saddle’s gullet must be.


Full Panel Contact: The saddle should sit evenly on the saddle support area of the horse’s back, ending at the last rib.


Saddle Straightness: The center of the saddle should be in alignment with your horse’s spine. A saddle that falls or twists to one side can lead to problems with your horse’s sacroiliac (SI) joint.


Saddle Length: Even a horse with a back that ap- pears to be of normal length may actually have a very short saddle support area (SSA). The length of the SSA will determine the length of the saddle panels.


Tree Angle: The angle of the tree should match the angle of the horse’s shoulder to allow the shoulder to slide freely up and back dur- ing movement.


Tree Width: The tree width must be wide enough for the horse’s shoulders to rotate freely under the tree. Some- times you have the paradox of a ‘narrow die’ tree (nar-


Comparison of Polar HRM vs ECG after corrections Credit: ISES Conference 2019 Gemma Pearson


monly used in Equitation Science studies to study HRV. Great concerns arose when Dr. Pearson discov- ered that they could not val- idate the Polar HRM against an ECG.


Measuring Head Angle, Pace and HR While Rid- ing - The use of technology to provide instant rider feed- back to improve riding and essentially improve the horse’s welfare, was demon-


The presentation that


elicited the most laughter, oohs and awes came from Shawna Karrasch, a marine mammal trainer who gar- nered the respect and atten- tion of


the equestrian


community after working with one Olympian Beezie Madden’s horses named ‘Judgement’ to overcome his fear of water. The horse went on to


fact arose during the study of ‘The Methodological Challenges Associated with Measuring the Equine Stress Level’ by Gemma Pearson, Royal School of Veterinary Studies (U.K.). While con- ducting her research The physiological measures studied included salivary cortisol (SC), surface eye temperature (SET) and, using a Polar Heart Rate Monitor (HRM), Heart Rate Variability (HRV). Use of the Polar HRM is com-


/ /


strated live utilizing the Equla Vert designed and presented by Dominic Lom- bardo of Equla LLC. (Chicago, USA). A light at- tached to the crown of the bridle would light up green when the horse’s head was at the desired angle. Horse head position behind the vertical is a serious equine welfare concern. Dominic points out that rider requires mirrors or eyes on the ground to advise of position. The sensor also works via bluetooth connecting to an iPhone App which can dis- play the angle of the head, the horse’s pace and heart rate. A metronome feature is being added to the soft- ware to assist with achiev- ing desired pace.


POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT


win the $1,000,000 CN In- ternational at Spruce Mead- ows among many other championships. Shawna often meets a great deal of resistance in the equestrian circles about the use of food rewards for modifying horse behavior. The most common


myth is that using food re- wards will cause a horse to


Marine Mammal Trainer Shawna Karrasch happily showing off the results of positive reinforcement on


Hamilton Mounted Police horse to teach him to keep his head out of her space and have good manners around food. Photo Credit: Ellie Ross


bite. While that is certainly true when applied incor- rectly, Shawna provided a live demonstration of a Hamilton mounted police horse. The horse was clearly invading her space, grab- bing at her arm, nudging the bin attached to Shawna’s belt. Through the applica- tion of Positive Reinforce- ment using food rewards, Shawna’s excellent timing and ability to recognize the incremental steps required to communicate to the horse had very quick and enter- taining results. It only took about three minutes for the police horse to understand that by keeping his face away from the source of food rewards resulted in his receiving the food rewards. The


horse’s behavior


evolved to his turning his head and neck as far away from the food as possible and he clearly understood and met the criteria. Another interesting


Equla Vert App showing live demonstration measuring horse's head angle


observation was the horse’s keen interest to continue this ‘game’ and he followed her around the arena at liberty with enthusiasm. He was very focused on Shawna and no longer appeared nervous about the environ- ment that he was quite fa- miliar with but appeared uneasy. This live demonstra- tion left everyone wanting more so I followed her out- side seeking more informa- tion. Shawna advised that research was done on offer-


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