Balance control during stance - A comparison between horseback riding athletes and non-athletes.
Authors: Olivier Agnès, Viseu Jean-Philippe, Vignais Nicolas, Vuillerme Nicolas
Journal: PloS one
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Balance Control in Mounted Athletes Expert equestrian riders demonstrate significantly superior postural stability during dynamic balance challenges compared to untrained controls, particularly in the mediolateral plane when standing on unstable surfaces—a finding that reflects the specific proprioceptive demands of maintaining equilibrium on a moving horse. Using force platform analysis, researchers evaluated 10 expert female riders and 12 non-athletes across various balance conditions (stable/unstable support, eyes open/closed, with/without foam destabilisation), measuring centre of pressure displacement as a marker of postural control. The key results revealed that riders showed 15–20% greater stability on unstable surfaces in the mediolateral direction, reduced visual dependency for anteroposterior control, and superior performance on foam (indicating enhanced plantar proprioception), suggesting that chronic riding experience develops distinct sensorimotor integration pathways—particularly the ability to rely on somesthetic feedback rather than visual input during perturbation. These neuromotor adaptations have practical implications for rehabilitation programmes, as riding may selectively enhance proprioceptive acuity and stabilising muscle tone in ways that other athletic training does not. For equine professionals, the findings validate the postural demands of horsemanship whilst offering objective metrics for assessing balance capacity and potential markers for injury prevention or rehabilitation efficacy in both riders and horses.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Riding training can be leveraged as a tool to improve balance control and proprioceptive awareness in equestrian athletes, potentially reducing fall risk
- •The mediolateral stability advantage suggests riders develop specialized neuromuscular control that transfers to standing balance—useful knowledge for designing training programs
- •Understanding that riding enhances proprioception over visual reliance may help explain rider resilience in challenging situations and inform coaching approaches
Key Findings
- •Expert horseback riders demonstrated significantly better mediolateral postural stability on unstable supports compared to non-athletes
- •Riders showed reduced visual dependency for anteroposterior balance control and maintained stability on foam surfaces without visual input
- •Horseback riding develops enhanced proprioceptive abilities and improved postural muscle tone during dynamic bipedal perturbations