Potential Impacts of Body Image Perception in Female Equestrians

The Physiological Requirements of and Nutritional Recommendations for Equestrian Riders

Equestrian sport is under-researched within the sport science literature, creating a possible knowledge vacuum for athletes and support personnel wishing to train and perform in an evidence-based manner. This review aims to synthesise available evidence from equitation, sport, and veterinary sciences to describe the pertinent rider physiology of equestrian disciplines. Estimates of energy expenditure and the contribution of underpinning energy systems to equestrian performance are used to provide nutrition and hydration recommendations for competition and training in equestrian disciplines. Relative energy deficiency and disordered eating are also considered. The practical challenges of the equestrian environment, including competitive, personal, and professional factors, injury and concussion, and female participation, are discussed to better highlight novelty within equestrian disciplines compared to more commonly studied sports. The evidence and recommendations are supported by example scenarios, and future research directions are outlined.

Horse-Rider Pairing Perception by Dressage Judges and Equestrian Coaches

The ideal equestrian body image (BI) is a smaller physique and riders feel body shape (BS) influences subjective judge scoring within dressage competitions. The aims were to identify perceptions of equestrian coaches and dressage judges of rider body shape (BS), identify perceptions of appropriate horse-rider matching and establish the impact of BS on perceived rider ability. An online survey (GoogleFormsTM) was shared, respondents (n = 265, coaches = 174 judges = 91) viewed images of twelve riders of different BS (Ectomorph, Mesomorph, and Endomorph) mounted on three horses of different breeds/types and asked to indicate the best horse-rider match. Judges were asked if body shape or inappropriate horse-rider matching influenced scores given, this was used to identify any bias from judges. A significant perception for horse rider matching identified the cob as the most appropriate for the Endomorph physique (P < .001). Ectomorph was the most chosen as the ideal BS on all horses. Both coaches and judges identified the ideal physique as a smaller image from the BI scale. Both coaches and judges individually perceive that BS impacts rider ability (P < .001). These findings of BS perceived as linked to rider skill potentially identifies an issue and may correspond to the smaller physique being idealistic. Future research into physique related bias from judges is required to further identify the impact of BS on subjective judging within equestrian sport.

The Effect of Rider:Horse Bodyweight Ratio on the Superficial Body Temperature of Horse's Thoracolumbar Region Evaluated by Advanced Thermal Image Processing

Appropriate matching of rider-horse sizes is becoming an increasingly important issue of riding horses' care, as the human population becomes heavier. Recently, infrared thermography (IRT) was considered to be effective in differing the effect of 10.6% and 21.3% of the rider:horse bodyweight ratio, but not 10.1% and 15.3%. As IRT images contain many pixels reflecting the complexity of the body's surface, the pixel relations were assessed by image texture analysis using histogram statistics (HS), gray-level run-length matrix (GLRLM), and gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) approaches. The study aimed to determine differences in texture features of thermal images under the impact of 10-12%, >12 ≤15%, >15 <18% rider:horse bodyweight ratios, respectively. Twelve horses were ridden by each of six riders assigned to light (L), moderate (M), and heavy (H) groups. Thermal images were taken pre- and post-standard exercise and underwent conventional and texture analysis. Texture analysis required image decomposition into red, green, and blue components. Among 372 returned features, 95 HS features, 48 GLRLM features, and 96 GLCH features differed dependent on exercise; whereas 29 HS features, 16 GLRLM features, and 30 GLCH features differed dependent on bodyweight ratio. Contrary to conventional thermal features, the texture heterogeneity measures, InvDefMom, SumEntrp, Entropy, DifVarnc, and DifEntrp, expressed consistent measurable differences when the red component was considered.