Racing is a hugely popular sport globally. It is the second most watched sport in Britain, beaten only by football. The health and welfare of racehorses is a topic of much public interest. Currently, racehorses are subject to high rates of injury during training and racing. The back is a common area of injury, with recent veterinary research showing that over 80% of competitive racehorses euthanased for reasons other than back pain had serious injuries within the back. Racing saddles are one likely contributor to this damage. Racing saddles have been shown in recent studies to regularly exceed the pressures that are known to cause pain and damage to the equine back. Ergon Equine have completed feasibility testing on an innovative saddle structure, which reduces the average pressure under saddle by 27% when compared with a traditional saddle. Using a state of the art wireless pressure measuring device, the researchers were able to assess pressure at trot and canter, and could also assess the performance of the innovative saddle compared to a traditional saddle while the horse and rider were moving in a circle. This SMART Proof of Concept award will allow the company to take the technology and information developed during the SMART:Scotland feasibility project and apply it to the development of a proof of concept prototype designed for the horseracing market. The availability of a low pressure horse racing saddle offers welfare advantages to the horse, and performance and commercial benefits to the owners and trainers. The technology is also being adapted for use in general purpose, jumping and dressage saddles.