Researchers from Hartpury University have received national recognition for pioneering research into female equestrian health after winning the Outstanding Oral Presentation Award at the Women in Sport and Exercise Academic Network (WiSEAN) Conference 2026, hosted by Loughborough University.
The award-winning research, entitled ‘The impact of breast support on breast biomechanics, pain, and rider position in female equestrians’, was presented by Hartpury’s Female Equestrian Health, Wellbeing and Performance Community of Practice (CoP) in collaboration with University Centre Sparsholt and the Research Group in Breast Health at the University of Portsmouth.
The annual WiSEAN conference brings together academics, coaches, athletes, healthcare professionals and National Governing Bodies from across the UK and internationally to share the latest research focused on women in sport and physical activity. Hartpury’s Female Equestrian CoP represented equestrian at this year’s event and attracted significant interest from delegates, ultimately receiving the conference’s Outstanding Oral Presentation Award, sponsored by Care Fertility.
The research investigates how breast support influences breast biomechanics, exercise-induced breast pain and rider position during equestrian activity. The study is thought to be the first to quantify multiplanar breast biomechanics during equestrian activities and to directly compare breast movement in the same participants while riding an equine simulator and running on a treadmill. It took place at Hartpury’s Rider Performance Centre which includes multiple Racewood Equine Simulators and a dedicated, rider focussed gym facility.
The findings provide important new evidence that breast movement during riding differs from that experienced during running, suggesting that sports bras designed primarily using running data may not provide optimal support for equestrian athletes. Additionally, breast support condition had a meaningful impact on rider position on the equine simulator, particularly in sitting trot.
Alongside biomechanical analysis, the research also explored exercise-induced breast pain, bra comfort, fit and participants’ preferences for bra type during riding compared with running, providing valuable insights that could help improve comfort, performance and participation in equestrian sport.
Lorna Cameron, lead author and presenter, and Senior Lecturer at Hartpury University said: “We were delighted to receive the Outstanding Oral Presentation Award at WiSEAN 2026. Female equestrian health has historically been an under-researched area despite women making up the majority of riders. This work represents an important step towards improving our understanding of breast support requirements and repercussions during equestrian activity and ensuring female riders have access to evidence-based guidance that supports both comfort and performance.”
The presentation builds on the momentum created by Hartpury’s recent Female Equestrian Interactive Workshop, further reinforcing the University’s commitment to advancing research that supports the health, wellbeing and performance of female equestrians.
The study is currently under peer review for publication in the International Journal of Equine Science. Once published, the open-access paper will make the findings freely available to researchers, practitioners, coaches and riders worldwide.
The research team comprised of Lorna Cameron, Dr Emma Davies, Dr Victoria Lewis, Dr Jenni Douglas, Christy Maddock and Katy Searle (graduate of the MSci Equine Science programme) from Hartpury University; Natalie Stones from University Centre Sparsholt; and Dr Jenny Burbage from the Research Group in Breast Health at the University of Portsmouth and established and ongoing collaboration to better understand breast and bra issues for female equestrians.
