Horse Racing has evolved over the years. Until the 19th century, the jockeys would sit up straight, head up, with their seat in the saddle. They thought that this let the horse go the fastest. Then they did some studies. They found out that standing up, bending forward, and moving along with the motion of the horse, enables the horse to move about 5%-7% faster. Either way, the horse still has to carry weight. Although standing up is less work for the horse, it's more for the rider. The researchers wrote, "The jockey's legs oscillate in length while transmitting a vertical force, resulting in substantial mechanical work."
Thill Pfau placed two sensors, (one on the front of the saddle to represent the horse, and another on the rider) to figure out the movements. They found that the horse's back oscillates 6 inches and the jockey moves up and down 2.3 inches. They also found that the horse is about 87% of the weight (about 1,100 pounds) and the jockey is the other 13%. The strategy of standing up while racing definitely enables the horse to move more effectively and faster.
No comments:
Post a Comment