The aim of this study was to examine the influence of an experienced rider and a novice rider on the stride kinematics of experienced riding horses. SVHS video recordings (50 Hz) were made of ten experienced riding horses jumping a 1.05 m-high vertical fence. The horses were randomly assigned to jump the fence under two experimental conditions: ridden by an experienced rider and ridden by a novice rider. Three trials for each ridden condition were analysed, and the effects of the rider type on four kinematic variables were examined using a repeated measures ANOVA. No significant differences were found between the riders for velocity and stride length during the approach, or for the take-off and landing distances from the fence. The results suggest that the rider's body position and body movement had no effect on the horse's jumping kinematics as measured in this study, and that each horse jumped the fence in its own manner, regardless of what the rider was doing. This is contrary to the current belief that a horse's jumping technique is strongly influenced by the rider. These findings have relevance for both horses and riders, in that if an experienced horse does not respond to a rider's instructions as expected, then the implications for training of the horse and the rider are considerable.

This study examined the effects of a rider on the angular momentum and angular velocity of the jumping horse, particularly during the flight phase. Sagittal plane video recordings were digitized of eight horses jumping a vertical fence (1 m high) under two conditions: Loose and Ridden. An experienced rider rode the horses during the Ridden condition. Using appropriate segmental inertial data for the horse and rider, angular momentum and angular velocity were calculated for the Loose and Ridden conditions. Estimates of the various rider effects on angular momentum and angular velocity were obtained by comparison of Loose and Ridden conditions and examination of the contributions of the horse and rider segments to the total angular momentum. The results showed that the rider's effect on angular momentum was significant but that the rider's segmental contribution to the angular momentum of the horse–rider system was minimal. Repeated-measures ANOVA revealed that the rider had a significant effect on the angular momentum and angular velocity of the horse during the flight phase (P<0.01). However, the rider did not have a significant effect on the transfer of angular momentum during the flight. We concluded that the rider's instruction has a greater influence on the horse's motion than the mechanical transfer between rider and horse.