Relationships between the Rider's Pelvic Mobility and Balance on a Gymnastic Ball with Equestrian Skills and Effects on Horse Welfare.
Authors: Uldahl Mette, Christensen Janne W, Clayton Hilary M
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary Effective riding demands that the rider's core provides dynamic stability rather than rigid fixation, allowing subtle, coordinated responses to the horse's movement and preventing inadvertent conflicting aids. Uldahl and colleagues assessed 20 experienced riders on three gymnastic ball exercises (pelvic roll, pelvic circles, and static balance), then evaluated their on-horse performance through video analysis of riding quality, harmony, and observable conflict behaviours, whilst simultaneously recording the horse's heart rate, conflict behaviours, and post-exercise salivary cortisol. Riders demonstrating superior pelvic roll and circular mobility on the ball—rather than static balancing ability—exhibited significantly higher riding quality and harmony scores, and their horses displayed fewer conflict behaviours and lower stress indicators. Counterintuitively, riders scoring highly on static balance exercises showed no performance advantage and were associated with reduced working heart rates in their horses, suggesting less dynamic engagement. The research indicates that active pelvic mobility and control, rather than the stability-focused balance work common in many rider fitness programmes, may be the key factor in reducing equine stress responses and improving ridden performance, suggesting farriers, physiotherapists, and coaches should prioritise dynamic core mobility assessment and training over static balance work when supporting rider development.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Assess and train rider pelvic mobility and control as a practical method to improve riding harmony and reduce horse stress—this may be more effective than focusing on static balance skills alone
- •Riders with better pelvic control produce fewer conflict behaviours in horses, supporting the use of gymnastic ball exercises targeting dynamic pelvic movement in rider training programmes
- •Pelvic mobility assessment on a gymnastic ball may serve as a screening tool to predict riding quality and horse welfare outcomes before mounting
Key Findings
- •Rider pelvic roll ability on gymnastic ball was highly correlated with pelvic circling ability and with riding quality and harmony
- •Horses ridden by riders with better pelvic mobility showed significantly fewer conflict behaviours during riding
- •High balancing scores on gymnastic ball showed negative correlation with horse working heart rates, suggesting less energetic performance
- •Active pelvic mobility appears more relevant to equestrian performance than static balancing skill on the ball