An investigation into the association of the physical fitness of equestrians and their riding performance: a cross-sectional study

Poor riding performance may be due to medical issues with the horse or a variety of other factors, such as inadequate equipment or deficiencies in training. The physical fitness of the equestrian is one of the most unexplained factors of current research. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between the physical fitness of the equestrian and riding performance. 115 equestrians were assessed for physical fitness and riding performance. Seven components of physical fitness ( balance, endurance, flexibility, reaction, speed, strength, symmetry) were measured by a physiotherapist using equestrian-specific tests. Based on a video-recorded riding test, individual riding performance was rated by two equestrian judges. The riding test included the horse and rider performing a walk, sitting trot, rising trot and canter in both directions. A linear model for riding performance, including the domains of physical fitness and potential confounders (body-mass-index, riding experience, hours of riding per week, and test-motivation), was fitted to the data. Inter-rater reliability of the judges was investigated by calculating the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Endurance, reaction and strength were positively associated with riding performance, whereas flexibility had a negative association. The final model could explain 16.7% of the variance in riding performance. The effects of endurance and strength were significant (P<0.05), but not that of reaction. No association with riding performance was found for the components of balance, speed and symmetry. The inter-rater reliability of judges was confirmed to be `good' to `excellent' (ICC=0.9, 95% confidence interval: 0.86-0.93). Findings suggest that physical fitness is positively associated with riding performance. Fitness- training for equestrians should be included in current training concepts. Future research should investigate whether similar associations exist for junior and elite athletes.