“My bed is comfortable, I regard an armchair as being comfortable, but I don’t think of saddles in terms of comfort,” says Simon Lawrance, Heythrop joint-master and field master, former five-star event rider, advanced medium dressage competitor and British Eventing central region under-18 coach. “My priority has always been the comfort of my horse over my own.”
And that is something master saddler Mark Fisher has heard before.
“‘I don’t matter,’ they say. But they do matter,” stresses Mark, who is in charge of making sure Britain’s World Class riders sit in perfect harmony with the constantly changing musculature of the country’s elite equine athletes.
Now there is scientific evidence that proves that rider comfort matters, thanks to Vanessa Fairfax of Fairfax Saddles, recipient of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for her revolutionary innovations. Together with her trusted research team of Mark Fisher and Russell MacKechnie-Guire of Centaur Biomechanics, this trio has used the latest analysis technology to show that the position and composition of knee blocks affects not only rider position, but thereby also the performance of the horse.
Vanessa says: “We wanted to quantify comfort. To do that, we measured the synchronicity between horse and rider. As a rider, you want to be ‘at one’; in other words, ‘in sync’ with your horse. You want to feel you are sitting in the saddle rather than perched on top of it.
Denne historien er fra July 01, 2021-utgaven av Horse & Hound.
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Denne historien er fra July 01, 2021-utgaven av Horse & Hound.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Rider Denies Doping After Team Loses Olympic Placing - Tine Magnus and the Belgian team said they do not know the source of the drug that caused the positive test
Olympic eventer Tine Magnus has denied ever doping after her Paris ride Dia Van Het Lichterveld Z gave a positive test at the Games. This means the Belgian team, which came fourth, has been disqualified. On 4 September, the FEI said the 10-year-old mare, owned by Kris van Vaerenbergh, tested positive for trazodone, which is listed as an antidepressant on the FEI's prohibited substances list.
Michael Eilberg
The top dressage rider talks to Polly Bryan about the special horse with the potential to carry him back onto the British team, how to be a better coach and using his talent for teaching to help the sport
Schooling success
Combining school and riding can be tricky, but horses can benefit a child's education. Lottie Morgan uncovers some options for horse-loving pupils
How to get a job in hunting
The British Hound Sports Association's apprentice scheme is providing young people with excellent all-round training in the skills required - and many others besides, as Tessa Waugh discovers
Burke's Affair to remember
A fast round delights one rider who comes away with a coveted grand prix trophy and a rankings class concludes with an unusual tie
Derby winner returns for further Hickstead glory
After watching wife Pippa compete at Burghley, William Funnell returns to the scene of his Derby triumph to win the All England grand prix
Derby winner returns for further Hickstead glory
After watching wife Pippa compete at Burghley, William Funnell returns to the scene of his Derby triumph to win the All England grand prix
'I'm grateful to have such a wonderful partner'
The brilliant duo of Martin Fuchs and Leone Jei seal back-to-back grands prix after a dramatic turn of events
Hamlett takes centre stage
Two horses round off their competitive careers with victories, a championship specialist earns her fourth title and a pair with a combined age of 105 prove invincible
'This is the ultimate five-star test'
Mark Phillips on Burghley's highs, lows, challenges and champions