An equine scientist observing the colourful collection of horses and riders at our flatwork lesson with Jackie on Friday evening would probably have had difficulty deducing any strong theories about the optimum mechanics of the relationship between horse and rider. Unbeknownst to most of us, it seems that Jackie* has been involved in some fairly serious research into the effect of the rider on a horse’s performance and movement.
Jackie was a highly accomplished eventing rider in her earlier life. Before an accident prevented her from enjoying her sport from the saddle she won a bronze medal in the European Young Rider 3-day Event Championships at Burley, England, in 1983. A quick Google of her name threw up this highly specialised piece of research on Coordination Dynamics of the Horse-Rider System. Hopefully we’ll all be a little bit closer to the ideal combination after Jackie’s third lesson!
* Perhaps there are two eventing Jackies out there (always a risk with Google searches), but it’s unlikely. We’ll check that it’s actually her on Friday.
Letterkenny Riding Club 