Dynamic Technique Analysis of the Female Equestrian Rider
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Dynamic technique analysis of the female equestrian rider Céleste A. Wilkins Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of the West of England for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences/Hartpury University June 2021 1 Abstract INTRODUCTION Advances in both measurement and analysis techniques offer the opportunity to assess the dynamics of the rider’s position in the saddle. As previous studies have used discrete measures to summarise the kinematics of the rider over the movement cycle or compared riders grouped by their experience level, many questions remain on the characteristics of the rider’s dynamic technique and the influence of dressage competition level. This thesis aimed to examine the competitive dressage rider’s pelvis, progressing from its static posture to analyses of the dynamic pelvic technique, and the rider’s coordination in a controlled environment using a riding simulator. METHODS Fifty-two nationally or internationally competitive female dressage riders volunteered and were measured by motion capture in simulated walk, trot, and canter, using a riding simulator and optical motion capture. Simulator-rider coordination was measured using the continuous relative phase (CRP) and CRP variability. The effect of rider competition level on CRP variability was assessed using statistical parametric mapping. The characteristics of simulator-pelvis harmony were analysed using principal component analysis (PCA) on the CRP. Finally, riders were grouped by their trunk and pelvis coordination strategies using a self-organising map (SOM) and k-means clustering. RESULTS There were no significant correlations between static and dynamic pelvic tilt. Simulator- pelvis coordination was significantly less variable than simulator-trunk, simulator-left foot or simulator-head in medium trot. In extended trot, simulator-trunk coordination variability decreased significantly (p<0.001) on the downward phase of the riding simulator’s vertical displacement. The PCA showed differences in how riders achieve in-phase coordination between their pelvis pitch to the vertical displacement of the riding simulator in medium and extended trot. Measures of coordination and coordination variability were not significantly different between competition levels. The SOM identified three large clusters of rider trunk-pelvis coordination in medium trot and eight smaller clusters described coordination characteristics in detail. CONCLUSION The results of this thesis underline that riders should be measured using dynamic techniques and that competition level should not be used to group riders during passive riding on the riding simulator. The rider’s independent seat is evident in medium trot, but independence may decrease as the challenge to the rider’s balance increases in extended trot. Rider movement strategies can be identified by the temporal features of the trunk-pelvis pitch, which may relate to individual factors inherent to the rider, and potentially their horse. Further studies should explore these strategies and their influence on performance. 2 Acknowledgements Thanks are owed to many who supported my thesis over the last three years. I am grateful that COVID-19 did not have a significant impact on my data collection, but it had significant impacts on many aspects of my project and life. The importance of mentorship, friendship, networks and family was underscored, and I am so grateful that many significant people ensured I wasn’t taking this journey on my own. First, I would like to thank my parents and Ivy for their support, without which I would not have been able to overcome every obstacle and follow my dreams back to the UK… and back to Canada during the height of the pandemic. Thank you to my supervisory team: Dr Stephen Draper, Dr Laurence Protheroe and especially Dr Kathryn Nankervis, who provided immense moral support especially during the COVID year. Thanks are owed to the Margaret Giffen Trust, who have invested in the facilities at Hartpury University, including the Racewood Eventing Simulator, which has been a significant asset to my studies. Professor Jonathan Wheat was instrumental in helping me to discover how to correctly calculate the continuous relative phase and coordination variability. His help and mentorship not only saved me many hours, but his example of collaboration and kindness will stay with me for my career. The support of the other PGRs at Hartpury has been a great asset and I hope that the community will grow in the years to come. Thank you, John and Amelia, for coming through with the coffee chats and gym sessions. Isabeau Deckers, I hope we will be asking each other ‘what’s the craic, how’s the science going’ for many years to come. Finally, I would like to dedicate this thesis to my late friend Samantha Calzone. She supported every data collection in her time at Hartpury with moral and practical support. Her love of horses reminded me why I started in the first place. 3 Publications Wilkins, Celeste A., Nankervis, Kathryn, Protheroe, Laurence, Draper, Stephen B. (2020) Static pelvic posture is not related to dynamic pelvic tilt or competition level in dressage riders. Sports Biomechanics. DOI: 10.1080/14763141.2020.1797150 Conference proceedings Wilkins, Celeste A., Nankervis, Kathryn, Protheroe, Laurence, Draper, Stephen B. (2019) Static pelvic posture is not related to dynamic pelvic tilt or competition level in dressage riders. Journal of Sports Sciences. 37(suppl. 1), pp 39. 4 Table of Contents Abstract ....................................................................................................................................... 2 Acknowledgements...................................................................................................................... 3 Publications ................................................................................................................................. 4 Conference proceedings ............................................................................................................... 4 Table of Contents ......................................................................................................................... 5 List of Figures ............................................................................................................................. 10 List of Tables .............................................................................................................................. 13 1.0 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 15 2.0 Literature Review ................................................................................................................. 23 2.1 The kinematics of the rider during riding ................................................................................... 23 2.1.1 The kinematics of high-level riders ...................................................................................... 26 2.1.2 Active techniques of high-level dressage riders in sitting trot ............................................ 29 2.1.3 Comparison of kinematics measured by optical motion capture and inertial measurement units .............................................................................................................................................. 30 2.1.4 Performance aspects of the rider’s technique .................................................................... 38 2.1.5 Future directions for measuring the kinematics of riders using motion capture ................ 41 2.2 The influence of skill on rider kinematics ................................................................................... 42 2.2.1 Horse-rider coordination ..................................................................................................... 47 2.2.2 Future directions to analyse the effect of rider skill on riding performance ....................... 51 2.3 The use of simulators in equestrian research ............................................................................. 52 2.4 Dynamical systems in sport ........................................................................................................ 54 2.4.1 Coordination variability ....................................................................................................... 55 2.4.1.1 The role of coordination variability in sport performance ........................................... 56 2.4.2 Methods to analyse coordination and coordination variability .......................................... 58 2.4.2.1 Discrete relative phase .................................................................................................. 58 2.4.2.2 Continuous relative phase ............................................................................................ 59 2.4.2.3 Vector coding ................................................................................................................ 64 2.4.2.4 Cross-correlation ........................................................................................................... 64 2.5 Quantifying and making inferences on kinematic time-series ................................................... 65 2.5.1 Statistical parametric mapping ............................................................................................ 66 2.5.2 Principal component analysis .............................................................................................