Abstract
The impact of a rider’s and saddle’s mass on saddle thermal pattern distribution was evaluated using infrared thermography (IRT). Eighteen racehorses were ridden by four riders with their own saddle. Images of the saddle panels were captured at each of six thermographic examinations. On each image, six regions of interest (ROIs) were marked on the saddle panels. The mean temperature for each ROI was extracted. To evaluate the influence of load on saddle fit, 4 indicators were used: ΔTmax (difference between the mean temperature of the warmest and coolest ROI); standard deviation of the mean temperature of the six ROIs; right/left; bridging/rocking and front/back thermal pattern indicator. Incorrect saddle fit was found in 25 measurements (23.1%) with ΔTmax greater than 2°C. The relationships between rider and saddle fit as well as saddle fit and horse were significant (p<0.001). An average ΔTmax in rider A was significantly higher than in other riders (p<0.001). The right/left thermal pattern differed significantly from the optimal value for riders A and B; while the bridging/rocking thermal pattern differed significantly from this value for riders A, C and D (p<0.05). Front saddle thermal pattern was most frequent for rider A (41.5%), whereas back saddle thermal pattern was most frequent for rider C (85.7%). Measurement of the mean temperature in 6 ROIs on saddle panels after training was helpful in assessing the influence of rider and saddle mass on saddle fit. IRT offered a non-invasive, rapid and simple method for assessing load on thermal pattern distribution in race saddles.
Highlights
IntroductionThermal pattern distributions in saddles balanced [1]
The current study aimed to investigate the influence of load on thermal pattern distributions in racehorses
This is supported by a study presented by Arruda et at. [20] which reports that 55.8% of the jumping horses assessed using infrared thermography (IRT) had an asymmetric thermographic image of the thoracolumbar region after training
Summary
Thermal pattern distributions in saddles balanced [1]. Horses are ridden with wooden tree saddles which have panels filled with wool-stuffed flocking to allow distribution of the rider’s mass across the horse’s back [2,3]. If a saddle is fitted incorrectly, this can result in detrimental consequences for the horse. This may include pain in the thoracolumbar region [2,4,5], tenderness and stiffness of the longissimus dorsi muscles [3], spine osseous pathology and muscle atrophy decreasing horse performance [6]. A saddle fitted incorrectly has been shown to cause an increase of imbalance in the horse’s motion pattern [7]
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