Expert Riders Research Articles

Comparison of the Effect of Dressage Rider Skill Level on Physical Fitness Parameters and Posture on an Equestrian Simulator.

In dressage riding, rider posture plays an important role in the performance of the exercises. The purpose of this study was to compare physical fitness and posture on an equestrian simulator between different competitive dressage rider skill levels. Participants (ten expert and twelve novice competitive dressage riders) performed a physiotherapeutic screening test and an equestrian simulator test. The expert rider group (G2) had less variability in both left (P=.002) and right (P=.021) rein force during medium canter on the simulator compared to the novice rider group (G1). The shoulder angle of the expert riders was larger in all gaits. These findings indicate that the ability to maintain a constant force on the reins and a dynamically stable hand position during riding on a simulator are important indicators for good rider performance. Expert riders presented a trend toward a more stable posture on the simulator as indicated by the reduced trunk variability (P=.034 vs. CV=0.011) and smaller trunk ROM (P=.012 vs. CV=0.011) and knee ROM (P=.033 vs. CV=0.011) in the collected canter and collected walk respectively. These kinematic differences underscore their capability of maintaining a continued and constant force on the reins, but these findings require further research. No significant differences were found between groups in the physiotherapeutic screening. This underlines the difficulty in identifying the physical factors contributing to better rider performance. In conclusion, the current study shows that "stable rein contact" is the main difference between novice and expert competitive dressage riders on the simulator.

Jockey Perception of Shoe and Surface Effects on Hoof-Ground Interactions and Implications for Safety in the Galloping Thoroughbred Racehorse

Riding racehorses is a high-risk profession and optimizing safety alongside performance is paramount. Horseshoes play a critical role in providing traction with the ground surface and are therefore a major determinant of safety. However, the subjective perceptions of expert riders influence attitudes towards using different shoes and must be taken into consideration before any changes may be implemented. This study used a questionnaire-based method to evaluate jockey opinion of four shoeing conditions (aluminum, steel, GluShu, and barefoot) trialed at gallop over turf and artificial surfaces. Nine Lickert-style questions explored impact, cushioning, responsiveness, grip, uniformity, smoothness of ride, safety, adaptation period, and overall rating for each shoe-surface combination. A total of 94 questionnaires, based on 15 horse-rider pairs, were assessed using descriptive statistics and linear mixed models performed in SPSS (P < .05). Data indicate that shoe type significantly affected all question responses, with the exception of impact. Surface-type significantly affected perception of grip and safety. Overall, jockeys showed a preference for aluminum and steel shoes across both artificial and turf tracks. These rated “excellent” and were considered to be “very supportive” in approximately 80% of trials, with a 100% “active” response, good grip, and a quick adaptation period. In contrast, barefoot and GluShu conditions were generally considered “moderately supportive,” with barefoot appearing favorable on the artificial surface. On turf, barefoot was deemed the least smooth and the only condition that jockeys sometimes marked “unsafe” (17% of responses). Future work aims to investigate the relationship between jockey opinion and hoof kinematic data.

Loss of Control Prediction for Motorcycles during Emergency Braking Maneuvers Using a Supervised Learning Algorithm

The most common evasive maneuver among motorcycle riders and one of the most complicated to perform in emergency situations is braking. Because of the inherent instability of motorcycles, motorcycle crashes are frequently caused by loss of control performing braking as an evasive maneuver. Understanding the motion conditions that lead riders to start losing control is essential for defining countermeasures capable of minimizing the risk of this type of crashes. This paper provides predictive models to classify unsafe loss of control braking maneuvers on a straight line before becoming irreversibly unstable. We performed braking maneuver experiments in the field with motorcycle riders facing a simulated emergency scenario. The latter involved a mock-up intersection in which we generated conflict events between the motorcycle ridden by the participants and an oncoming car driven by trained research staff. The data collected comprises 165 braking trials (including 11 trials identified as loss of control) with 13 riders representing four categories of braking skill, ranging from beginner to expert. Three predictive models of loss of control events during braking trials, going from a basic model to a more advanced one, were defined using logistic regressions as supervised learning methods and using the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve as a performance indicator. The predictor variables of the models were identified among the parameters of the vehicle kinematics. The best model predicted 100% of the loss of control and 100% of the full control cases. The basic and the more advanced supervised models were adapted for loss of control identification with time series data, and the results detecting in real-time the loss of control events showed excellent performance as well as with the supervised models. The study showed that expert riders may maintain stability under dynamic conditions that normally lead less skilled riders to a loss of control or falling events. The best decision thresholds of the most relevant kinematic parameters to predict loss of control have been defined. The thresholds of parameters that typically characterize the loss of control such as the yaw rate and front-wheel lock duration were dependent on the rider skill levels. The peak-to-root-mean-square ratio of roll acceleration was the most robust parameter for identifying loss of control among all skill levels.

Head Stability and Head-Trunk Coordination in Horseback Riders: The Contribution of Visual Information According to Expertise.

Maintaining equilibrium while riding a horse is a challenging task that involves complex sensorimotor processes. We evaluated the relative contribution of visual information (static or dynamic) to horseback riders' postural stability (measured from the variability of segment position in space) and the coordination modes they adopted to regulate balance according to their level of expertise. Riders' perceptual typologies and their possible relation to postural stability were also assessed. Our main assumption was that the contribution of visual information to postural control would be reduced among expert riders in favor of vestibular and somesthetic reliance. Twelve Professional riders and 13 Club riders rode an equestrian simulator at a gallop under four visual conditions: (1) with the projection of a simulated scene reproducing what a rider sees in the real context of a ride in an outdoor arena, (2) under stroboscopic illumination, preventing access to dynamic visual cues, (3) in normal lighting but without the projected scene (i.e., without the visual consequences of displacement) and (4) with no visual cues. The variability of the position of the head, upper trunk and lower trunk was measured along the anteroposterior (AP), mediolateral (ML), and vertical (V) axes. We computed discrete relative phase to assess the coordination between pairs of segments in the anteroposterior axis. Visual field dependence-independence was evaluated using the Rod and Frame Test (RFT). The results showed that the Professional riders exhibited greater overall postural stability than the Club riders, revealed mainly in the AP axis. In particular, head variability was lower in the Professional riders than in the Club riders in visually altered conditions, suggesting a greater ability to use vestibular and somesthetic information according to task constraints with expertise. In accordance with this result, RFT perceptual scores revealed that the Professional riders were less dependent on the visual field than were the Club riders. Finally, the Professional riders exhibited specific coordination modes that, unlike the Club riders, departed from pure in-phase and anti-phase patterns and depended on visual conditions. The present findings provide evidence of major differences in the sensorimotor processes contributing to postural control with expertise in horseback riding.

Clutch-based launch controller design for sport motorcycles

Launch control is an innovative active system for sport motorcycles, which offers an interesting automatic feature for this type of vehicles. In fact, taking a motorcycle to a smooth and safe start from still might be critical for non expert riders in some working conditions, due to the significant power of the engine and to the complexity of the torque transfer dynamics. As such, an active controller capable of safely managing the vehicle acceleration from a standing start might effectively support the rider as far as both safety and performance are concerned. To control such a manoeuvre, two possible actuators can be employed: the engine throttle and the clutch. This paper illustrates the analysis and the design of a clutch-based launch controller for sport motorcycles, demonstrating that it allows the accurate tracking of an acceleration set-point. Experimental results are presented that favourably witness the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Differences in Motor Imagery Time When Predicting Task Duration in Alpine Skiers and Equestrian Riders

Athletes' ability to use motor imagery (MI) to predict the speed at which they could perform a motor sequence has received little attention. In this study, 21 alpine skiers and 16 equestrian riders performed MI based on a prediction of actual performance time (a) after the course inspection, (b) before the start, and (c) after the actual performance. MI and physical times were similar in expert skiers during each imagery session, while novice skiers and novice and expert riders underestimated the actual course duration. These findings provide evidence that the temporal accuracy of an imagery task prediction depends on the performer's expertise level and characteristics of the motor skill.

The effects of anxiety and strategic planning on visual search behaviour

The past decade has witnessed increased interest in the visual search behaviour of athletes. Little is known, however, about the relationship between anxiety and eye movements in sport performers or about the extent to which athletes' planned and actual visual search strategies correspond. To address these issues, we conducted two studies. In Study 1, eight expert female gymnasts were presented with three digital slides of a model performing a skill that is known to be anxiety-provoking in this sport - namely, the 'back flip' on the beam. By varying the height of the beam and the presence or absence of safety mats, the slides differed in the amount of anxiety that they elicited vicariously in the viewer. In the study, the gymnasts were asked to imagine themselves in the position of the depicted model and to describe the anxiety that they felt. As they viewed the slides, their eye movements were recorded. As predicted, anxiety was associated with an increase in the number of fixations to peripheral areas. In addition, the more 'threatening' slides elicited significantly more fixations than the less feared images. In Study 2, the plans of 15 equestrian performers (5 expert, 5 intermediate and 5 novice) were elicited as they engaged in a virtual 'walk' around a computerized show-jumping course. Contrary to expectations, the congruence between intended and actual search behaviour was not significantly greater for expert riders than for the less skilled groups. Also, the fact that the top riders allocated more fixations to slides than the less skilled performers challenged the prediction that expertise would be associated with economy of visual search. Finally, as expected, the expert riders were significantly less dependent on the overall 'course plan' than the intermediate and novice equestrian performers when inspecting the fences.

ULTRA ENDURANCE CYCLING: A FIELD STUDY OF HUMAN PERFORMANCE DURING A 12 HOUR MOUNTAIN BIKE RACE

384 Six mountain bike racers, ranging from recreational to expert riders (4 males, 2 females), participated in a continuous 12-hour race. Subject hydration status was estimated from body weight, fluid consumption, and content of discarded clothing pre-race and post-race, as well as throughout the 12-hour event. Blood glucose concentrations were obtained pre- & post race and when possible during the race. Heart rate and RPE were obtained once per hour via radio communication. Ambient temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, and light were measured 1 hour pre-race and every hour during the race. Performance was determined by time per lap, average speed per lap, and total number of laps performed. Ambient temperature and humidity ranged from 46-87 F° and 66-87% respectively. Barometric pressure range from 731mmHg at 12 midnight to 738 mmHg at 12 noon. Most subjects performed at approximately 70% of age predicted maximum heart rate. Body weight tended to decrease over the 12-hour period and changes in blood glucose concentration and hematocrit were variable and inconsistent. Results of this study represent a novel effort to monitor the physiological and psychological changes throughout an ultra-endurance cycling race. (Table)Table

Playing with Culture: The Serious Side of Humor: Indi'n Humor: Bicultural Play in Native America . Kenneth Lincoln. ; Keeping Slug Woman Alive: A Holistic Approach to American Indian Texts . Greg Sarris.

The chapter devoted to women in charreria will be of great interest to scholars in the field of women's studies. Sands shows that the position of females is ambiguous, for they embody the aristocratic tradition of femininity and gentility while at the same time being required to demonstrate bravery, physical prowess, and independent action. Unlike their male counterparts, their performance has no basis in ranching skills; women's participation is considered primarily aesthetic and social. Thus the females are caught in a fantasy about capable, strong women cloaked in gentility and beauty (p. 176) that is reminiscent of the ranchers' attitudes toward their women in Marriott's book. Women in charreria are expert riders who are admired for competitive achievement, yet they must maintain a facade of elegance and ease. Sands argues that these paradoxical gender concepts reflect societal expectations and ambivalence about women's roles in Mexican and Mexican-American cultures. She observes that women do not strive to change their status within the tradition but only to make their established roles in charreria more significant. Neither did the ranch women interviewed by Marriott wish to change their lot. Their acceptance of gender differences is illustrated by an informant whose thoughts and feelings while watching a rodeo contrasted sharply with those of her husband. Their opposite reactions reveal the differences in perspective between ranch women and men that existed in that day and made viable the complementarity of roles that was the norm. Thus Sands's and Marriott's studies converge on the issue of sex roles, and each contributes an important dimension to knowledge about women's status in ranching societies. These two books represent solid achievements and will be appreciated by anthropologists working in related areas. Sands's study of charreria adds to the growing body of material on the ways in which performance and sport reflect the concerns of the societies in which they occur. As Marriott notes, So much of the fun to be had on ranches comes, like the rodeo, from the skills of daily (p. 212). Because of the similarities and differences between rodeo and charreada, Charreda Mexicana will be useful in broadening the understanding of cultural aspects of the American cowboy complex through comparison. Hell On Horses and Women provides insights into ranch life that are both unique and profound. The book is written with remarkable skill in a brisk humor-laced style that uses the language of the informants themselves to express, through their personal histories, the tenor of society at the time and place in which they lived. Few works in anthropology contribute such valuable data with such charm, wit, brevity, and clarity as Marriott's. Few are so provocative in inspiring fresh thought about what constitutes ideal relationships between the sexes and in stimulating reexamination of the role of women in society that has changed so rapidly in the decades since the interviews were recorded.

A Task Analytic Approach to Development of a Motorcycle Operator License Skill Test

A test of motorcycle operator skill was developed for use by state licensing agencies. The test was developed from a systematic and comprehensive analysis of critical on-street motorcycle operator tasks and the skills that underlie the performance of these tasks. The test was evaluated through its administration to 18 riders representing various levels of experience. The performance of each operator was scored by three test examiners and rated for proficiency by a panel of six expert riders. Both the scores and the ratings evidenced a high degree of interjudge reliability. A correlation of .88 was obtained between scores and ratings. On the basis of the results, it was concluded that the analytically derived skill test constitutes the best available measure of critical on-street motorcycle operator skills and is sufficiently valid to warrant being employed as a license test.