Equestrian sport has been slowly evolving for centuries. We’ve integrated new tools such as higher quality rings, show grounds, and jumps to maximize the riding experience. Everything has moved forward, including making the sport more accessible to more people. Yet, one thing has remained virtually unchanged from the way it was done hundreds of years ago: the training process. We think it’s time that changed.
Jessa and Kinsey Lux, former students of ours, called me earlier this year to ask for help with a concept they were working on around equestrian coaching. The idea came from their own riding experiences; specifically, their independent schooling rides were consistently marked by uncertainty, lack of progress, or issues they didn’t know how to solve. These are riders who had moved across the country to be in our program, and they were both very successful for their age. Even being in that fortunate position, the shortcomings of rides between lessons remained an issue.
So, how can independent schooling be improved? Jessa and Kinsey proposed Ride iQ: on-demand audio lessons that provide guidance while a person rides. Riders would choose a lesson, get on their horse, and press play. From there, the rider would be guided by pre-recorded audio from a coach in their ear describing what to do next, how to do it, and why.
Canadian eventer Kyle Carter.
Admittedly, it took a lot of consideration on my part to embrace the concept of audio lessons and get past my traditional training patterns. How could I implement coaching in this way? As many good things do, the “how” came to me in the middle of the night. It clicked. It’s directed riding by the best coaches that can be hired, coaches who are talking through their own rides while they successfully train their horses. And when done in this way, the guidance can be accessed by anyone, anywhere in the world, via a mobile phone.
It’s a new world and information isn’t digested the same way it used to be. The reality is that devices usually distract from productive riding, but they also have the power to have the opposite effect. Successful riding occurs when you’re fully present, in a bubble; up to this point, phones have only been a means of bursting that bubble. With Ride iQ, that same source of interruption is used to assist rather than degrade the experience.
Ride iQ has an app for iPhone and Android with a library of hundreds of on-demand audio lessons taught by some of the best dressage, eventing, and hunter/jumper coaches in the world. It provides an opportunity to ride with coaches who are household names – people who would be difficult or impossible to connect with in person. The lessons are organized by level, starting from very basic walk/trot lessons and advancing to lessons for upper-level riders. Each lesson is categorized as a warmup (15-40 minutes, but can be used as a complete ride) or a skill work.
Most riders, professionals included, leave room for improvement during their independent schooling rides, not to mention the thousands of people who don’t have access to in-person instruction in the first place.
Many lesson topics on the app are covered by multiple coaches, which is intentional – there are several different but successful approaches to the same outcome, and it only takes the one that resonates with you to make the difference. The guidance keeps you in the bubble that intimate partnerships are made in. Your bubble, your horse, no distractions.
“I just used the Transitions ride with Kyle [Carter] and the Leg Yielding for Suppleness as a skills add-on with Ema [Klugman] tonight. WOW! It was awesome – every single transition had purpose, I stayed focused, my horse was focused, and I didn’t rush or skip past anything.” ~ Elyse H., Ride iQ member
There is a great deal of feel developed by being present and thoughtful throughout a ride. Riding with guidance from an audio lesson maximizes both, even more so than in-person lessons. The voice of the coach guiding you doesn’t interrupt the conversation taking place between you and your horse, it fosters the opportunity to learn the voice of your horse more effectively. Improving your listening improves your feel, and that speeds up the learning curve that you and your regular coach are working on.
Speaking of your regular coach, Ride iQ is not meant to replace in-person lessons. It is important to have eyes on the ground to evaluate what is going on in real time. But most riders, professionals included, leave room for improvement during their independent schooling rides, not to mention the thousands of people who don’t have access to in-person instruction in the first place.
Ride iQ exists to elevate equestrian partnerships, and the membership includes several tools in addition to the audio lessons to work toward that goal:
- Visual support and video lessons: Many Ride iQ audio lessons are supported by a 45-second to 6-minute-long video. The app also has full video lessons for members to watch when they aren’t riding.
- In-app private podcasts: Ride iQ private podcasts are both entertaining and educational and include interviews with your favourite top riders and experts.
- Weekly live virtual Office Hours: Members have direct access to a Ride iQ coach every week and can ask any questions they have.
- Access to the private FB community: The camaraderie and sense of community within this group is special. Ride iQ coaches and founders are there, too.
- Special Invitations: Ride iQ members are invited to sponsored course walks, competition parties, and virtual events.
How has the app been received by the market since launching in mid-August? To me, the most telling sign of success is that over 90% of users become members after the 7-day free trial. We knew the concept worked from our extensive trials in the pre-launch phase, but feedback in the real world has been very fulfilling – we get to hear of our clients’ successes, and we measure ourselves by that feedback. Several organizations are partnering with us as we work toward being the global market provider for educating and training horses and riders.
“I am fortunate to have a fabulous trainer, but until I started Ride iQ I had no idea what a poor job I was doing at home. Just the structure of how long to keep at any particular exercise is transformative. Did Kyle Carter’s [6] Transitions warmup and then Michael Pollard’s [150] Intro to Half Pass last night and both were terrific.” ~ Christina K., Ride iQ member
Our coaches are enjoying the outreach of the lessons as well. Where they may have previously impacted 30 riders at a given time, they can now conceivably impact thousands, which is very exciting.
In a sport bound by tradition, welcome to what will be the new tradition of training riders and horses. Let Ride iQ be the voice inside your head; your horse will thank you.
“I absolutely loved the ‘Rider Position’ lesson with Holly Hepp Hudspeth tonight! Doodad’s straightness and acceptance of the contact improved dramatically over the duration of the ride. Thanks for another great listen!” ~ Kim M., Ride iQ member
To experience the difference for yourself, there are full-length preview lessons and other private tracks publicly available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts with no sign-up required. When you’re ready to sign up, you’ll automatically get a 7-day free trial with unlimited access to the app and all the lessons. Visit the Ride iQ website here to get started.
Exclusive Offer! Ride iQ is offering HorseSport.com readers a special deal for the month of December: use code OHCANADA to get 20% off your first payment (up to a $50 value)! The promo code will work for any of the three membership types: monthly ($29.99), quarterly ($79.99), or annual ($249). Enjoy!
