Can A Mechanical Horse Simulator Called The Equicizer Improve Horseback Rider Fitness?

Few people would argue that there should be some kind of mechanical horse simulator that horseback riders can use to exercise, improve fitness, rehab from an injury, and train on for “riding real horses.” All other athletes have a means to train and practice their skills. If you were a cyclist, you’d have a stationary bike in your home. Baseball players have batting cages, boxers have punching bags, golfers have driving ranges, and basketball players have a basketball hoops in their driveways.

So if you’re a horseback rider, why not have a stationary, mechanical horse that simulates riding so you can improve overall fitness and practice skills? After all, horseback riders are athletes too!

Treadmills, exercise bikes, and other exercise machines, offer great exercise in general. But they don’t work your core and the important muscles you need specifically to ride a horse.

So what’s the answer for horseback riders who want to improve their fitness? I found it in an Equicizer!

The secret to this mechanical horse’s ability to improve your strength, balance and coordination is that you, the rider, make it go! The simple exercise of pushing with your hips offers an amazing core, abdomen, back, and leg exercise for anyone to simulate working those muscles you so importantly need to ride a horse.

So what makes the Equicizer move? When you’re seated on the Equicizer you push and tilt your hips forward in a rhythmic manner. This action puts the Equicizer into motion. Gently riding in this manner creates the sensation of a horse walking. If you were to watch a rider’s seat on a real horse while the horse was walking, you’d see the same forward rhythmic movement in the rider’s hips. The only difference is that a real horse is doing the work for you.

And the cool thing is that you don’t have to ride the Equicizer fast to gain good healthy exercise. Being able to ride it slowly and gently enables people of all ages and level of abilities to ride and exercise. This is what makes the Equicizer extra special. People with injuries or disabilities that may not be able to use traditional exercise equipment can ride the Equicizer!

For more information on how you can improve your horseback rider fitness and skills by riding this fun mechanical horse simulator, go to www.equicizer.com

Dressage Trainer Jane Savoie’s New EQ Equisense Training Center Features Innovative Technology

Dressage Trainer Jane Savoie’s New EQ Equisense Training Center Features Innovative Technology
by Karin Glassman
Innovation. Dressage Training. Two seemingly incongruous concepts. Principles of classical dressage remain founded upon principles that trace back to Xenophon in 400 B.C. However, in 2010, Jane Savoie
succeeded in revolutionizing dressage by merging cutting-edge 21st century technology with traditional
dressage training and teaching methodology.

At the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, Jane Savoie’s company EQ-Equisense, Inc. debuted EQ SmartTack to wide acclaim. Followed by an additional six months of extensive field-testing, this innovative product continues to receive unanimous praise. Rider after rider – whether 15 or 50 years old, whether a professional or pleasure rider, whether a dressage aficionado, foxhunter, western reiner, or paraequestrian- is astonished at the subtle yet effective position, balance, and muscle memory changes that can be attained in a mere 15-minute demonstration evaluation. Imagine the potential for achievement with access to EQ technology on a regular basis!

EQ SmartTack is saddlery that is retrofitted with strategically placed sensors in the seat, flaps, stirrups, and reins. The EQ SmartTack saddle transmits precise information about your balance, symmetry, leg pressure and positioning, enabling your instructor to “see” below the surface. Sensors embedded in the
EQ SmartTack stirrups provide additional essential information to let you know if the stirrups are correctly weighted for the exercise being performed. EQ SmartTack reins provide instant feedback about the quality of your connection with the horse’s mouth via sensors embedded within the reins. Armed with this
information, you can correct uneven rein pressure and develop a more consistent, elastic contact.

Sensory data is transmitted wirelessly to an iPad or iMac computer for instantaneous viewing and
interpretation by your instructor. By providing a virtual magnifying glass to examine heretoforeimperceptible
elements of a student’s balance, position, and cues, corrections are immediate and
accurate. This remarkable system skyrockets a student’s learning curve while also making learning fun.
The EQ SmartTack system is designed for use on a real horse during an actual training session. It can also be used on the “Equicizer”, for warming up, for instructional purposes, for riding during inclement weather, or just for fun and fitness in any indoor setting. The Equicizer is a safe, mechanical horse that is operated by the same muscles employed while riding. This simulated riding experience, combined with precise sensory data relayed by the EQ proprietary software, and augmented by specific “buzz words”
provided by the EQ instructor to trigger new muscle memories, results in remarkable immediate and
sustained performance improvement.

After 35 years as a dressage instructor, Jane Savoie’s recognition of the unique challenges faced by riders and instructors was the genesis of EQ-Equisense, Inc. It is often those subtle yet visibly imperceptible imbalances in a rider’s position or use of the aids that exert significant detrimental effects upon
performance. Riders can also be frustrated by their lack of natural “feel”, resulting in confusion about how
to use their bodies to effectively communicate with their horse. Similarly, instructors struggle with how to
teach “feel”, or kinesthetic awareness.

Jane joined forces with Peter E. Raymond, President of Human Condition, LLC, and a leading innovator
in immersive simulation technology that recreates physical experiences through a digital medium.
The EQ SmartTack products were developed with the assistance of Dr. Hilary Clayton at the renowned McPhail Equine Performance Center at Michigan State University, where she has developed sophisticated technology to study equine and equestrian biomechanics.

In June 2011, EQ Equisense, Inc. will be premiering the very first EQ Certified Training Center by Jane Savoie at Mistover Farm in Pawling, NY, a state-of-the-art horse boarding and training facility on 160 beautiful rolling acres, conveniently located within a one-hour drive from New York City. EQ Certified
Training Centers by Jane Savoie feature EQ SmartTack and the most up-to-date EQ software installations, specially trained EQ instructors, and meet rigorous standards for horse management and training. For more information about EQ SmartTack and EQ Certified Training Centers by Jane Savoie, or to join the EQ community, go to www.eqtrained.com.