Scientific data could help good cross-country going

The aim of the research work is to benefit horse welfare, and the future of the sport as a whole

- LUCY ELDER

SCIENTIFIC data is being used to help underpin expertise in producing the best crosscountry going, to benefit horses and the sport’s future.

Unlike racing, publicly available standardised readings are not routinely given for cross-country courses.

Equine vet Mark Lucey and scientists including Sarah Hobbs and Alison Northrop have been working with events to measure going conditions.

“I worked as a vet for 40 years and thought I could put something back into the sport,” Mr Lucey told H&H.

They started taking measurements in 2018 and have data from some 150 courses. They used ground moisture readings and a Vienna surface tester, developed by vets and based on a bowling ball.

“The aim was to try to measure the ground as the horse perceives it,” Mr Lucey told H&H. “It’s quick and easy. The tester knows where it is as it’s got GPS, you drop it from a variety of heights and it measures firmness, bounceback and different layers of soil and plots it all out.”

The team is categorising and translating the data into terms people understand, such as good to soft. A peer-reviewed paper on their research is to be published this summer.