PoC proposal: Development of a horse racing saddle utilising a dynamic load distribution system to reduce pressure under the saddle, improving performance and reducing injury.

赛车是一项在全球范围内非常受欢迎的运动。赛马是英国第二大最受关注的运动，仅次于足球。赛马的健康和福利是公众非常感兴趣的话题。目前，赛马在训练和比赛中受伤的几率很高。背部是受伤的常见部位，最近的兽医研究表明，超过80%的竞技赛马因背部疼痛以外的原因而被安乐死，背部严重受伤。赛马马鞍可能是造成这种损伤的原因之一。最近的研究表明，赛马马鞍的压力经常超过已知的对马背部造成疼痛和损伤的压力。Ergon Equine已经完成了对创新鞍座结构的可行性测试，与传统鞍座相比，鞍座下的平均压力降低了27%。使用最先进的无线压力测量设备，研究人员能够评估快步和慢跑时的压力，还可以评估创新马鞍与传统马鞍相比的性能，同时马匹和骑手在一个圆圈中移动。这项SMART概念验证奖将使公司能够将SMART：苏格兰可行性项目，并将其应用于为赛马市场设计的概念原型证明的开发。低压赛马马鞍的可用性为马匹提供了福利优势，并为业主和教练提供了性能和商业利益。这项技术也被用于一般用途，跳跃和盛装舞步马鞍。

Racing is a hugely popular sport globally. It is the second most watched sport in Britain,beaten only by football.The health and welfare of racehorses is a topic of much public interest. Currently, racehorsesare subject to high rates of injury during training and racing. The back is a common area ofinjury, with recent veterinary research showing that over 80% of competitive racehorseseuthanased for reasons other than back pain had serious injuries within the back. Racingsaddles are one likely contributor to this damage.Racing saddles have been shown in recent studies to regularly exceed the pressures that areknown to cause pain and damage to the equine back. Ergon Equine have completed feasibilitytesting on an innovative saddle structure, which reduces the average pressure under saddle by27% when compared with a traditional saddle. Using a state of the art wireless pressuremeasuring device, the researchers were able to assess pressure at trot and canter, and couldalso assess the performance of the innovative saddle compared to a traditional saddle whilethe horse and rider were moving in a circle.This SMART Proof of Concept award will allow the company to take the technology andinformationdeveloped during the SMART:Scotland feasibility project and apply it to the development ofa proof of concept prototype designed for the horseracing market. The availability of a lowpressurehorse racing saddle offers welfare advantages to the horse, and performance andcommercial benefits to the owners and trainers. The technology is also being adapted for usein general purpose, jumping and dressage saddles.