TRAJECTORY OPTIMIZATION OF HORSE–RIDER LANDING IN SHOW JUMPING WITH RECOVERABILITY CONSTRAINTS

This thesis presents an experimental biomechanical analysis of horse–rider interaction during show jumping. Starting from sagittal-plane video recordings, motion is reconstructed through anatomical marker tracking and data processing in MATLAB. The movement is divided into the main phases of the jump and analysed using simplified segmental models, with particular attention to the trajectories and velocities of the centres of mass of the horse, the rider, and the overall horse–rider system, as well as to their relative motion. The aim is to develop a quantitative methodology for characterising the dynamics of the horse–rider system during jumping, with particular focus on the suspension and landing phases.