Jumping into a New Era for Assessing Ridden Horse Muscle Activity | Episode 50
By Tim Worden & Nicole Lakin of the IGNITE
Surface electromyography (EMG) is becoming a viable tool to study how a horse’s muscles are activated to move the body during ridden exercise. In this episode, we welcome back Dr. Lindsay St. George to discuss some of her findings examining muscle activation in horses on the flat and during jumping.
We begin with Lindsay describing how she collects EMG from ridden horses. As systems evolve electrodes are becoming smaller, and completely “wireless” systems now exist, which addresses one of the main past barriers to studying horses during ridden exercise (safety concerns surrounding having multiple cables running along the horse’s body). To get a sense of the information collected, you can check out a video showing how different muscles turn ‘on’ and ‘off’ as the horse trots.
We then cover some of Lindsay’s recent findings examining muscle activation patterns both on the flat and while jumping. We cover potential future applications of this tool as well as the need for more research to better understand how certain horses accomplish complex sporting actions.
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About the Expert
Dr. Lindsay St. George is a Research Fellow at the University of Central Lancashire, where she completed her PhD in 2017. Her research examines equine and human biomechanics, with a special interest in using surface electromyography to investigate how equine muscles facilitate movement. She is a 2021 Morris Animal Foundation Fellowship recipient and is working to evaluate the impact of equine lameness on movement and muscle activity with colleagues at Utrecht University and Delsys/Altec Inc. Lindsay is involved in several other national and international equine research collaborations, as well as supervising postgraduate student research.
If you enjoyed this podcast episode, be sure to check out our in-depth video content in the Sport Horse Series Video Library!
Episode Links
Hosts: Nicole Lakin and Dr. Tim Worden of the IGNITE
Podcast Website: Sport Horse Podcast
Presenting Sponsor: IGNITE
Guest: Dr. Lindsay St. George
