REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY We have observed saddle slip consistently to one side because of a crooked rider, an ill-fitting saddle, asymmetry in a horse's thoracolumbar shape and lameness. Currently, there are no objective data to permit assessment of the relative importance of each factor. OBJECTIVES To document the frequency of occurrence of saddle slip in horses with hindlimb lameness co...

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY A comprehensive kinematic description of rider and saddle movements is not yet present in the scientific literature. OBJECTIVE To describe saddle and rider movements in a group of high-level dressage horses and riders. METHOD Seven high-level dressage horses and riders were subjected to kinematic measurements while performing collected trot on a treadmill. For a...

The objective of this article is to check the reliability attribution medieval Chinese painting “Fanqi tu” (“Nomads”) Hu Huan (Hu Huai), an artist living at end 9 th – beginning 10 century. In order achieve objective, two tasks must be undertaken: 1) compare with other paintings by Huan, and 2) widen range comparisons including renwu genre artists close Huan’s paintings. Some compared pictures ...

Common causes of poor performance in horses include factors related to the horse, the rider and/or the saddle, and their interrelationships remain challenging to determine. Horse-related factors (such as thoracolumbar region pain and/or lameness), rider-related factors (such as crookedness, inability to ride in rhythm with the horse, inability to work the horse in a correct frame to improve cor...

REASONS FOR PERFORMING THE STUDY Similar to human decubitus ulcers, local high pressure points from ill-fitting saddles induce perfusion disturbances of different degrees resulting in tissue hypoxia and alteration in sweat production. OBJECTIVE To relate the different clinical manifestations of saddle sores to the magnitude of saddle pressures at the location of the withers. METHODS Sixteen...

This study investigated the effects of rider weight in the BW ratio (BWR) range common for Icelandic horses (20% to 35%), on stride parameters in tölt in Icelandic horses. The kinematics of eight experienced Icelandic school horses were measured during an incremental exercise test using a high-speed camera (300 frames/s). Each horse performed five phases (642 m each) in tölt at a BWR between ri...

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY The exact relationship between the saddle pressure pattern during one stride cycle and the movements of horse and rider at the walk are poorly understood and have never been investigated in detail. HYPOTHESIS The movements of rider and horse account for the force distribution pattern under the saddle. METHOD Vertical ground reaction forces (GRF), kinematics of h...

Saddle-fit is recognised as an important factor in the pathogenesis of back problems in horses and is empirically being evaluated by pressure measurements in clinical practice, although not much is known about the validity, reliability and usability of these devices in the equine field. This study was conducted to assess critically a pressure measurement system marketed for evaluating saddle fi...

A methicillin-resistant (MR) Staphylococcus epidermidis strain was isolated from a saddle horse affected by osteolysis. MR coagulase-negative staphylococci (MRCNS) were isolated from 11 of 14 (78.8%) horses housed in the same riding club. By typing of the SCCmec region, almost the strains displayed a non typeable (NT) pattern and possessed the ccr type 2. Altogether, the high prevalence of MRCN...