Eye Tracking Shows There is No Horsing Around in Show Jumping

Eye tracking has been used to analyze the performance of athletes in many different sports. In fact, it is becoming a way for trainers to identify the visual behaviors of the pros and develop training programs that help improve athlete performance. Recently, another sport was evaluated with eye tracking for the first time– equestrian show jumping. The equine science department at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) used eye tracking to take a look at where professional riders look when clearing jumps.

The research team used the wearable ASL Mobile Eye to record the gaze position of riders while on horseback. The results showed that top riders look at the top of the hurdle and maintain gaze position until the horse jumps. International show jumper, Tim Stockdale, says it is critical that the gaze is focused on the jump because they have to make sure they have the horse lined up precisely.

The ultimate objective for this research is to use the results to develop a training program that will help riders of all levels improve their performance. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this kind of expert Vs. novice research, but it’s certainly the first time for this particular application. I don’t think it will be the last either. There seems to be a debate about the best place to look when jumping; some say you should be looking past the jump as you approach it, as opposed to the top. Who knows, maybe in the near future, we will be tracking the horses’ eyes instead of the rider!

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