The River Tiger Podcast from Dynamics Coaching - Developments in gait analysis that help identify pain related asymmetry could support your training and coaching, with Eva Marunova.

Developments in gait analysis that help identify pain related asymmetry could support your training and coaching, with Eva Marunova.

07/20/22 • 59 min

The River Tiger Podcast from Dynamics Coaching

In this fascinating conversation Eva shares the main themes and findings from her PhD research. Eva helps to unpack the complexity of equine movement systems and and how gait analysis research is bringing new insights to our understanding of what is healthy or normal gait variability, and what movement strategies may be an indication of pain adaptations.
We discuss how research findings from gait analysis of horses could one day become much easier and cheaper to access and the implications of being able to pick up changes in in movement strategies used by your horses. Finally we explore how findings from research with and without riders can be used to inform coaching and training practice design.
Eva is an equestrian coach, a university lecturer and a researcher. She is a British Horse Society Accredited Professional Coach with diverse teaching experience from grassroots to expert riders. As a coach, her main interest lies in developing a horse-rider relationship based on biomechanics principles and equitation science. Eva is currently completing a PhD programme at The Royal Veterinary College - her research focuses on the quantification and evaluation of movement asymmetries in horses and the associated movement adaptation strategies horses might utilise under different conditions. This is an exciting area of research which is quickly gaining momentum in the veterinary circles as well as in the wider equestrian community.

Eva's social media links:
Facebook
Instagram
Website

Blog posts mentioned in the podcast: Rider position Exercises to improve your rising trot

Eva's research article (open access): Smartphone-Based Pelvic Movement Asymmetry Measures for Clinical Decision Making in Equine Lameness Assessment

Eva's social media links:
Facebook
Instagram
Website

Blog posts mentioned in the podcast: Rider position Exercises to improve your rising trot

Eva's research article (open access): Smartphone-Based Pelvic Movement Asymmetry Measures for Clinical Decision Making in Equine Lameness Assessment

Previous Episode

Exploring how and why we need to become 'learning environment designers' for our horses, with Kathy Sierra.

In this episode I am joined by the brilliant Kathy Sierra. I came across Kathy's work near the beginning of my PhD due to her work with a fellow PhD candidate (studying skill acquisition in American Football) in Keith Davids Lab.
Kathy has been exploring using a constraints-led and differential learning approach underpinned by ecological dynamics theory for many years. This is a conversation I have been looking forward to for a long time, I know it's long but it is full of absolute gold so I couldn't edit it down.
I hope you find this episode as fascinating as I did. I know some of you will find it challenging in places because much of what is traditional wisdom in sports (including equestrianism) does not hold up under the lens of contemporary science of movement, skill acquisition, or pain science.
Kathy's area of interest is in the rehabilitation and skill adaptation of horses. She has an incredible amount of knowledge, skills, and experience in designing movement activities and learning environments/contexts that support horses to re-access their movement toolboxes. Using an ecological approach Kathy found that the horses she worked with would quickly blow past rehab and into high performance with surprising ease and motivation.
In this episode we explore a number of themes, including -
- How we can apply knowledge from neuroscience, pain science, and skill acquisition science research to working with our horses.
- Why a constraints-led approach to skill acquisition may be important for horse sports moving forward, particularly the role of self-determined motivation.
- Supporting horses to have autonomy and ownership of their movement.
- Why people and horses need to expand not reduce their movement toolboxes.
Links:
Kathy's website and information about her pain science courses and free resources.
The spider robot that learnt to limp.
Self-determination theory. How do we create optimal learning environments?
Learning the ugly zone.

Next Episode

undefined - Journal Club #1 How can 'performance analysis' support our riding and coaching? Researcher Dr Jane Williams discusses the practical implications with showjumper and coach Emma Slater.

Journal Club #1 How can 'performance analysis' support our riding and coaching? Researcher Dr Jane Williams discusses the practical implications with showjumper and coach Emma Slater.

Welcome to our first journal club episode where I choose a research paper from a journal that I think would be great to unpick and explore the practical 'so what' with one of the research team and a coach/rider.
The paper I have chosen for this episode is called 'Faults in international showjumping are not random' by David Marlin and Jane Williams (Comparative Exercise Physiology: 16 (3)- Pages: 235 - 241. 2020).
Jane Williams introduces her research, including the why, what, when and how of the study before Emma and I ask some questions and the three (well mostly my two brilliant guests) discuss the implications of the research and findings to everyday riding, coaching, horse and rider welfare, and competition performance.
Emma Slater
Emma has competed and trained at the highest level of Showjumping in the UK and around the world. She is a British Showjumping UKCC Level 3 Coach and Excel Talent Coach who supports national development and coaching programmes including the DiSE (diploma in sporting excellence) programme. Emma is also a level 2 and 3 Assessor and the lead coach from British Showjumping Gloucester.

Emma Slater is an experienced and respected showjumping competitor and still competes at an elite level. As a coach she specialises in the performance management of showjumping and eventing riders from grass roots to the International level. “I really enjoy working with people to develop their long-term goals and to help them achieve success”. Emma has excellent technical knowledge and is used to working in high pressured environments, maintaining a calm, confident manner. In her coaching as well as life Emma is empathetic, honest, motivated and a fair person.
Developing potential in horses and riders, it’s all about the partnership, growing confidence through knowledge and seeing them succeed – I love it!

www.teamslater.co.uk

FB: Emma Slater Showjumping Page

Instagram: slateremsj

Dr Jane Williams
Jane is an Associate Professor and Head of Research at Hartpury University. She is an experienced researcher, with a passion for enhancing equine performance and wellbeing through industry-informed, real-world research that generates change. Jane qualified as a Veterinary Nurse then gained her Masters in Equine Science before completing her doctorate exploring the application of surface electromyography as a tool to assess muscle adaptation during training in racehorses and sport horses.
Jane's main areas of professional interest include scientific evaluation of equestrian performance, training and wellbeing, rider impacts on equitation, reliability assessment across equestrian science and veterinary physiotherapy, and human-animal interaction. Jane co-edited and authored ‘Training for Equestrian Performance’ with Dr David Evans, to showcase how science and research can be applied practically to improve performance for horses and their riders, and has published over 100 research articles as well as regularly presenting at international equine conferences. She is also Honorary President for the International Society of Equitation Science, which promotes the application of objective research and advanced practice, to improve the welfare of horses in their associations with humans. Jane is also a founding member of the Sport horse Welfare Foundation.

Jane’s research outputs can be accessed here.