Forces and pressures on the horse's back during bareback riding.
Authors: H. Clayton, B. Belock, M. Lavagnino, L. Kaiser
Journal: Veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Forces and Pressures on the Horse's Back During Bareback Riding Clayton and colleagues employed electronic pressure mapping to quantify how load distribution differs between conventional saddle and bareback riding, recording contact area, mean total force, and pressure variables as a single rider performed sitting trot on seven horses. Whilst saddles increased overall contact area and distributed force across a larger surface, bareback riding paradoxically generated higher peak pressures and greater mean pressure values, with focal pressure concentrations localising directly beneath the rider's ischial tuberosities over the epaxial musculature—a pattern absent when using a saddle. The researchers noted that bareback riding registered lower total forces than expected from body mass alone, indicating the pressure mat failed to capture significant shear forces generated by the rider's thigh muscles, which may contribute additional stress not reflected in the recorded data. These findings have important implications for equine welfare: the concentrated pressure points associated with bareback riding may predispose horses to pressure-related soft tissue injury in the back muscles, whilst the unaccounted shear forces suggest the actual tissue loading during bareback work could be greater than the pressure data alone indicate. Practitioners advising clients on riding methods should consider this evidence that saddles, despite their weight, provide biomechanical advantages through load distribution that bareback riding does not replicate.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Bareback riding creates concentrated pressure hotspots over the horse's back muscles that may cause injury; saddles distribute pressure more safely across a wider area
- •If riding bareback, be aware that focal pressure concentrations beneath the seat bones pose a real risk to the epaxial musculature and may contribute to back problems
- •Saddle fit and use should be considered as a method to reduce injurious pressure concentrations during work
Key Findings
- •Bareback riding produced higher average pressure (mean and maximal) and larger high-pressure areas (>11 kPa) compared to saddle riding despite lower total force
- •Focal pressure concentrations occurred beneath the rider's ischial tuberosities over epaxial muscles during bareback riding but not with a saddle
- •Saddle use distributed forces over a larger contact area, reducing focal pressure concentrations
- •Shear forces from rider's thighs during bareback riding were not fully registered by pressure mat, suggesting actual loads may be underestimated