Ergon Equine Ltd (Ergon) is a startup in the equine world; their mission is leading the advancement of the equestrian industry.  Using applied science and engineering, Ergon develops innovative, contemporary products which offer obvious user benefit to their stakeholders. These range from improved work-bench efficiency for saddle makers to optimized biomechanical function of horses.

For their first product, they chose TECOSIM to help develop two saddle trees.  The tree of a saddle is the main frame of a saddle and sits under the leather exterior of a saddle.  Traditionally, trees are made from wood.

Ergon appointed TECOSIM to model and develop an alternative concept that takes advantage of modern materials with improved performance and enhanced manufacturing techniques. Modular design, NewTree, removes the need for a cash intense stock holding for saddle makers, instead letting saddle makers select suitable components depending on the saddle makers requirements.  A further enhancement is Ergons biomimetic structure contained within a premium version, BioTree, aimed at competitive riders and those looking for optimized equine management.  An attachment to the underside of the modular tree enables a fit more closely aligned to the anatomy of a horse, designed to effectively distribute load onto the horse’s back, thereby improving biomechanic function and minimising welfare issues.

Ergon trees will be sold to established saddle makers to develop a finished saddle for the end user.

Defining the problem

This project required the skills of Ergon’s experts, who have a deep understanding of equine anatomy, physiology, and horse performance, backed up by TECOSIM’s structural, simulation and materials expertise and experience with the product development process.

The project created some challenges since an absence of established standards and methodology meant a starting point with little data or experience to draw on.

The world of equine sports is filled with complex and varied scenarios – jumping, dressage, everyday riding, with each event bringing unique challenges. Unlike the automotive field where performance is consistent between vehicles, animals are complex, dynamic creatures with idiosyncrasies of movement and interaction with rider.

This was compounded with unknown and complex material types, with various leathers, foams, wool flock and so on going into saddle manufacture.

Our approach – establishing a methodology

Our first goal was to establish a benchmark exercise in our workshop to measure bending and torsional stiffness for competitor trees, establishing an understanding of the performance of established trees in the market.

A topological optimisation exercise guided the design of the base tree to achieve competitive stiffness. We performed durability analysis to ensure the tree had adequate strength for the required event.

The premium structure was designed so that load distribution to non-sensitive areas of the horse’s back was improved, using anatomical input from Ergon’s experts. The tree structure includes articulation at defined locations to account for variations in each horse’s anatomy and movement.

TECOSIM then developed a virtual horse model with an articulated skeleton. Using data from a Dutch university, our engineers applied trot and canter motions to the model skeleton with the outcome analysed.

Many combinations of loads were studied using LS-Dyna modelling including:

  • Static settling of the rider and saddle onto the horse’s back
  • Walk, trot and canter, with seated rider and some stirrup load and moving horse
  • Jump, landing and take-off with stirrup loads only

TECOSIM used predicted pressure maps to identify load distribution on the horse’s back.

Design and Development

The project was coordinated via a weekly web meeting attended by all involved. CAD modelling was principally undertaken by Ergon, with CAD geometry meshed by TECOSIM engineers and built into LS-Dyna simulation models.

NewTree was formed as a glass-filled polypropylene injection moulding. The load distribution system of the premium product features for a ball joint mechanism to allow dynamic articulation coupled with improved load distribution.

Beyond CAE simulations, TECOSIM contributed experience from our extensive knowledge in product development from sectors such as the automotive sector towards planning, developing benchmarking and materials selection and testing.

Testing and Optimisation

To our knowledge, this is the first time that CAE simulation has been applied to the traditional challenge of saddle design, meaning a new methodology needed to be developed.

Our engineers needed to create:

  • A “butt form” – a physical representation of the rider
  • A virtual horse, as outlined above an anatomically correct horse model
  • Real-world physics for the process of the rider and saddle settling on the horse under gravitational force
  • Procedures for articulating the horse’s skeleton in line with available measured data
  • Procedures for loading the stirrups’ loads from jumping and shaping the horse’s back

We developed prototypes using 3D printed parts built into completed saddles. A blanket on the horse with a matrix of pressure sensors gave us results that could then be compared to predicted outcomes.

Our measured pressures showed good qualitative correlation to simulated results. Discrepancies that did occur with our model led to a better understanding of the importance of saddle fit and the construction of padding. It allowed us to refine our simulation methodology for more accurate results with better real-world conformity.

Results and Impact

The design of the base saddle tree is now ready for production and the premium version is undergoing final checks through late stage prototyping. TECOSIM’s simulation techniques led to an optimised concept where many issues were identified and fixed before moving to a prototyping phase and the cutting of production tools.

TECOSIM’s engineering expertise in fields such as automotive, biomechanics and product development are transferrable to any other field, allowing us to help customers save time, money and alight on the best possible design before the expense of producing real-world models.

The NewTree Saddle will be available to buy from the 22nd September.