Horse-Riding Competitions Pre and Post COVID-19: Effect of Anxiety, sRPE and HR on Performance in Eventing

Sabrina Demarie, Christel Galvani and Veronique Louise Billat
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Sabrina Demarie: Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome “Foro Italico”, Piazza de Bosis 6, 00135 Roma, Italy
Christel Galvani: Applied Exercise Physiology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo A. Gemelli, 1, 20123 Milano, Italy
Veronique Louise Billat: Unit of Integrative Biology of Adaptations to Exercise, EA 7362, Université d’Evry-Val d’Essonne, Genopole, 91037 Evry, France

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 22, 1-10

Abstract: The aim of the present study was to quantify the impact of training restrictions, due to COVID-19 sanitary emergency, on physical and emotional strain of horse-riding Eventing competitions before and after eight weeks of lockdown. Performance was assessed by the penalty points attained, anxiety by the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2, strain by the Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) method. Moreover, Heart Rate was continuously monitored for fifty-four female national level Eventing horse-riders. Lockdown decreased performance outcome of horse-riders in Eventing competitions up to six weeks, with the Dressage test being the most affected discipline. Performance in Dressage was strongly related to both anxiety and session-RPE. After lockdown, Show-Jumping and Cross-Country courses were shorter allowing RPE to remain stable, session-RPE to significantly decline and cardiovascular strain not to exceed pre-lockdown values. In conclusion, emotional stress in Dressage and workload in Cross-Country should be carefully managed by equestrian Eventing stakeholders when planning training and competitions after a period of lockdown. Moreover, sRPE appears to offer a practical method of monitoring riders load during training and competition and could also be of use for home-based training during any future sport activities restrictions.

Keywords: COVID-19; state anxiety; rate perceived exertion; horse-riding; competition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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