The Equiseat Aid Story

Welcome to Equiseat Aid

As a passionate rider and trainer, I've dedicated my career to bringing out the best in both horses and riders. Through years of working with so-called difficult or problem horses, I've discovered that most behavioural issues stem from physical problems—often involving the rider.

Over the years I’ve developed training methods and techniques which help strengthen the horse’s core and encourage natural balance and retrain a horse’s natural way of going unhindered by having a rider on board. This is all well and good but at some point, I have to introduce the rider which can be very difficult.

Many horses develop habits due to physical discomfort, which are frequently exacerbated by the rider's own imbalances. This creates a "chicken or egg" scenario:

  • Has the horse got issues which then become a habit for both horse and then the rider?
  • Or, does the rider have a physical issue which they then in turn transfer to the horse?

Traditional training methods often fall short because muscle memory and long-standing habits can be incredibly resilient, making progress challenging despite determination.

Determined to find an effective remedy, I began experimenting with prototypes designed to:

  • Open the rider's thighs

  • Reduce knee grip on the saddle

  • Enhance freedom of movement

My hope in preliminary trials was that it would allow the horses to move but when I tried it with a rider who badly collapses, it not only straightened her seat but also supported her enough to stop her collapsing through her upper body.

Then I watched videos, lots of videos of clients I had trained for a long period of time. Watching them both with and without the prototype I found that quite often, if not all the time, we have a stronger side and a weaker side.

The weaker side is usually the side through which the rider will collapse and then fall to the stronger side to compensate. The pattern didn’t always follow but it did always have the same result.

The straighter the rider was through the upper body, the more stable the rider was in their seat, allowing the horse much more freedom of movement.

After 18 months of development, Equiseat Aid was born - a simple, comfortable, and fool proof product that:

  • Supports rider straightness and stability
  • Helps train positive muscle memory
  • Is suitable for all riders - from happy hackers to advanced eventers and dressage riders
  • Can be used during all riding activities: training, lessons, hacking out, and events

    Our bodies naturally have a stronger and weaker side, leading to imbalances that affect riding performance. Equiseat Aid addresses these issues by:
  • Promoting symmetry in the rider's posture
  • Allowing the horse greater freedom of movement
  • Enhancing the partnership between horse and rider