Thousands “Stampede” World Equestrian Games to Experience EQ Training Tack

EQ Equisense Systems stunned the competitive riding community at this year’s Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ by unveiling its debut products, the enhanced EQ Sensor based Reins and Saddle.
The “enhanced” saddle and reins use biomechanical feedback together with computer processing and a graphic user interface to detect imbalances and unevenness in the rider’s seat, legs and rein. Armed with this information, instructors can now actually “see below the surface” and correct mistakes that are too subtle for the naked eye, while riders instantly “feel” how to correct chronic mistakes. As a result, training time is slashed from the traditional months and years to days and weeks.

Quite obviously, Equisense made instant believers out of the thousands in attendance at the Games, held at Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, September 25 – October 10, 2010. Novice riders, professional trainers and world-class competitors alike couldn’t wait to try these new products, and stood in line as long as five hours for a personalized position analysis from a certified EQ trainer.
In fact, demand was high for the full spectrum of Equisense products, the first of which will be available in early spring. Attendance records show the EQ-Equisense Booth was the most popular destination at the World Equestrian Games (WEG) by far.

“We knew EQ’s debut would be huge,” said Olympic coach and Equisense co-founder Jane Savoie. “But we were overwhelmed by the response. Our booth was mobbed the entire 16 days. Security actually had to be called in because the crowd that gathered was creating a fire hazard…”
Though clearly impressed by the turn-out, Savoie was more confident as to why, remarking, “Riders are all hungry to learn how to ‘feel.’ They want to learn how to sit straight and balanced not only so they can be more effective riders, but to keep their horses happier and healthier longer too. By combining science with solid training techniques, we’re able to skyrocket a rider’s learning curve.”

Public reaction certainly bore this out. Riders were astounded at how easily they could improve their positions, and how the corrections stuck with them when they returned to try out the enhanced tack another day. “Within five minutes I learned so much,” said one woman who tried the system. “It was a jaw-dropping experience.”

Data shows that people thronged not just to EQ’s booth space but its cyberspace offering as well, as seen by nearly 15,000 unique visitors and over 24,000 page views from September 1st to October 1st.
Given such the overpoweringly positive response to debut products, many would ask what Equisense plans for an encore. Company representatives were eager to reveal plans to introduce EQLive, EQ Training Centers for students, EQ Pro for certified trainers, and the EQ Roadshow that will bring the full EQ experience to riders around the world.

Whichever products come to the fore, it seems both EQ-Equisense and its customers are in for the ride of their lives.

EQ Equisense Systems is the fusion of two highly successful entities: Jane Savoie International, Inc.–run by world-renowned dressage competitor, mentor, author, Olympic coach, and creator of the first interactive Web-based coaching program; plus the EQ technology team-developers of breakthrough immersive simulation, training and communications solutions.

For more information visit EQtrained.com.

Contact:
Peter E Raymond
Product Development
Email: praymond@EQtrained.com
T: 631.731.4915
Eq-Equisense Enhanced Saddle and Reins

Help Your Horse By Sitting Evenly On Your Seatbones

You can help your horse stay in good balance by sitting evenly on your seatbones.

Here’s a cool image to help you make sure you’re part of the solution instead of part of the problem.

Imagine you’re sitting on top of a basketball.
If you lean forward, the basketball shoots out the back.
If you lean back, the basketball shoots out in front of you.
If you lean to the right, the basketball pops out to the left.
If you lean to the left, the basketball pops out to the right.

If you’re sitting straight and evenly on your seatbones, you can keep the basketball directly on top of your horse’s back. For more position tips go to www.programyourposition.com

Keep Your Hands Forward in the “Work Area” When Riding Your Horse

When riding your horse, it’s important to keep your hands forward in what I call the “work area”.

The work area is just in front of the saddle above the horse’s withers. Put your hands in that position and draw an imaginary box around them. That box is your work area.

No matter what rein aids you’re giving, keep your hands in the work area. If you bring your hands closer to your body, you steal power from the hind legs. If you put your outside hand forward, for example, you lose control of the outside shoulder.

Many riders tend to draw their hands toward their bodies and behind their horse’s withers.

So here’s a simple tip to remind you to keep your hands FORWARD in the work area. Imagine there’s a basketball in front of your stomach. Keep your hands in front of the basketball. You can’t draw your hands closer to your body because the basketball is in the way!

Click here for more tips on position images to improve your equitation on your horse.

3 Simple Tips to Help You Straighten and Center Your Riding Position on Your Horse

Can you tell if your riding position is straight and centered on your horse? Or are you collapsing at your waist and sitting crookedly?

Ask a ground person to stand behind your horse.

1. Is your seat in the center of the dressage saddle so that each seatbone is the same distance from the middle of the saddle?
2. Is the distance between your last rib and your belt equal on both sides?
3. Are your shoulders level (i.e. the same height)?

If your seat isn’t in the middle of the saddle, you’re collapsed at your waist, and your shoulders aren’t level, you’re not balanced correctly.

Here are 3 simple tips to help your riding position to be straight and centered on your horse:

Let’s say you’ve collapsed your left side, your left shoulder is lower, and your seat is off to the right.

1. Bring your right seat bone over and place it on top of an imaginary line that runs down the center of the saddle from the pommel to the cantle.

2. Stretch your left arm straight up so it passes by your ear and your fingers are pointed straight toward the sky.

3. Now to keep your riding position straight, centered, and stretching tall on your horse, pretend you have two sticks of equal length between your last rib and your waistband. If you collapse again, you’ll get jabbed in the ribs by the stick on the left side. And the stick on the right side will end up on the ground.

Go to Program Your Position for more help with your riding position.

Have a Laugh with Funny Images To Help You with Equitation and Horse Training.

Here’s a fun training tip to improve your horse training and equitation. I call it RIDES WITH FRUIT.

I’m sure you remember Kevin Costner’s movie, Dances with Wolves. Well, I call this horse training tip, Rides with Fruit. I thought it was appropriate since it’s summer in some parts of the world, and many of us start to eat more fruits and vegetables.

So let’s bring some fruity images to your horse training and equitation! When you’re on a circle, your horse’s body should curve like a banana. Feel the weight of a grapefruit in your outside hand and the weight of an orange in your inside hand. Sit deep and relax your gluts by saying, “My butt is a marshmallow.” (Oh? You mean marshmallows aren’t a fruit?)

Click on Program Your Position for more help with Equitation.

Sit Up Straight When You Canter Your Dressage Horse

If you tend to grip with your legs, and lean forward when you canter your dressage horse, here’s a simple exercise  to help you sit up straight.

Sit in a chair and do the following exercise for muscle memory:

1. Sit up straight with shoulders over hips.

2. Lean back about 4-5 inches

3. Come back up to the vertical.

4. Do this in the rhythm/tempo of the canter.

5. Notice how as your upper body comes back, your hip angle opens.

6. Close your eyes as you do it, and memorize this feeling of the hips opening and the upper body rocking backwards.

Now try these “backward rocks” for real on your horse, but mimic the feeling you had through your body when you were sitting on your chair.

Click her for more help with your equitation.

TO RIDE IN GOOD BALANCE WITH WITH YOUR HORSE, KEEP YOUR SHOULDERS OVER YOUR HIPS

Many riders lean behind the vertical (especially in trot extensions!) because they think they’re driving their horses more forward.

The problem with leaning back, however, is that you’ll end up pushing your horse’s back down.

So if you tend to lean back, here’s a quick tip to give you some muscle memory for keeping your upper body straight.

While you’re standing on the ground, lean back and ask a friend to put the palm of her hand between your shoulder blades. Ask her to gently push your upper body forward until your shoulders are above your hips. Repeat this several times. Close your eyes as you’re being pushed forward so you can really memorize the feeling of bringing your upper body over your hips.

Then when you’re riding your horse, pretend your friend is gently pushing your upper body forward so you can sit up straight.

Click here for more info on dressage rider equitation.

Program Your Position Review

Our friend, Kris Garrett, just did an awesome video review of  Program your Position for dressage riders.

You can check it out at:

Ruth Hogan-Poulsen gives Jane Savoie a lesson on “Rocky”

Yesterday Ruth Hogan-Poulsen gave me a position lesson on “Rocky”, the Equicizer.

What fun!

Check it out at: