Ruth Hogan Poulsen shows the classical dressage position on an equicizer.

[sabblesreign]

If she was to ride a actual horse she need's to learn to keep her heals down.

[RuthHPoulsen]

you are so welcome! I am glad that watching could help you understand the different types of seats! Ruth

[ChangesAndChoices]

Thank you for this video! I'm taking a class on equitation, but I have very little experience riding (we didn't have riding horses growing up, just draft and retired). My professor kept mentioning "active seat" and "passive seat" and I didn't quite get what he meant. This is a great tool! Thank you!

[mkaravidas]

Kudos to you Ruth for finding other ways to educate your students on concepts that oftentime elude us on a horse. Fear, poor muscle memory are confounds that get in the way. Many of these issues can be worked out with ground-based education. Makes sense to me

[TrailRiderSandy]

Thank you Ruth for sharing the Equicizer with us. It is so great to see a rider of your caliber willing to think "outside the box" to help your students.

[TrailRiderSandy]

Thank you Ruth for showing us such a great product. It is so wonderful to see a rider of your caliber that is so open minded and not afraid to think outside the box to help your students!

[louisegripton]

HMMM. Any good riding Instructor should be able to teach you how to ride your horse without restricting it through your body anyway. Not sure the movement shown here is a very good reflection of how a horse moves.

This looks very odd to me. Before I am shot down in flames, remember if you post things in public then expect for there to be comments from those who do not agree. I know off the top of my head 10 trainers names who teach riders to ride correctly from their body.

[RuthHPoulsen]

I am sure there are MANY more than 10! I use "Rocky" to be able help my riders understand how the body can move when they get on a horse. The movement of "rocky" is accurate for the walk and canter. Personally I would have a hard time running along side a cantering horse trying to help position a rider. For those students that need practice moving their seat independently from their hands i have found him invaluable!

[RuthHPoulsen]

I can also check my riders lateral and longitudinal balance. Many riders THINK they are sitting straight on a horse, when in fact they are not. Sitting on rocky allows them to realign themselves and start to gain some muscle memory to where straight actually is! Before i actually sat on an equicizer, i was skeptical of the value. I am also using the equicizer for a number of folks who are rehabbing from an injury who are not cleared to sit on a real horse.

[RuthHPoulsen]

By starting on Rocky they can start using mobility and core strength that as we all know you can only get by riding! I have been riding Rocky myself just to keep my in the saddle while my shoulder is healing as i am not allowed to be on a real horse. Rocky is very predictable, he never bucks, spooks or runs away! He is also a very easy keeper!

[KathrynAnne454]

You did a great job capturing how wonderful the Equcizer is at developing the seat. I never realized that I was bracing with my thighs and shutting down the movement throughout my body until I rode the Equcizer. It was amazing how much better my horse moved when I stopped shutting down my seat and allowed her to move through me. Thank you for the insight in this video. Keep up the good work!

-Kate

[equinaut007]

You are a wonderful teacher using a great tool. Being able to instruct your student and physically be able to touch your rider and her mount at the same time is really a great advancement in the world of horsemanship, and only possible with the use of the Equicizer. I believe it will be part of all horsemanship instruction in the future...You are just way ahead of the pack. Thanks for a great demonstration.

[FutureJockey35]

Great video!! I've always loved watching Dressage...the horses and their riders always seem to have such a great connection and it's so neat to see them move together. I learned a lot from this video demonstration on Rocky!

Thanks again,

-Kayla

[Equicizer]

You and Rocky teach me so much!! THANK YOU RUTH!!