by Samantha Osborne
When I was approached by Debbie and Lisa to trial and review their equestrian app, Rider Guider, I jumped at the chance!
I first became aware of this educational platform at The Equestrian Business Awards. The small business won the ‘Tech of the Year Award’ for two consecutive years. I became fascinated by the posts shared on social media which displayed the unique and creative services the app provided customers with.
I often ride alone and rarely have anyone to read a dressage test out for me, which makes the learning and memorising process quite stressful! I wish I had discovered Rider Guider Dressage Caller sooner, and I will certainly be recommending this hugely helpful feature to my dressage friends and associates. I began by exploring the step by step YouTube videos, which clearly explained how to use the app to gain the most from it: I then asked a friend to video me riding through an Introductory level test on my youngster. I saved the test with the movements and accessed it a few days later when practising for a competition. I connected my phone to my bluetooth earbuds and simply said, “caller, begin” to kickstart the AI reading of my test. After finishing each movement, I said, “caller, next” to listen to the next movement. Connecting instructions with a video of my horse allowed the movements to be read and performed in real time. If you forget an instruction, you can request the AI to “repeat” and when you have finished your test, you can guide the caller to “stop”. You can save up to 5 tests at a time, which is brilliant if you have multiple horses or tests to learn. This system is an equestrian life hack and must have for those who do their hobby independently.
Furthermore, the Horse Rider Audio Lessons are a supportive and progressive means of accessing affordable and personalised training at the touch of a button. Without having to endure adverts or pause to watch a screen, the app simply talks you through a range of exercises which you can customise to meet your needs. I often go into the arena to school without a clear plan. Although I am effective and reflecting on a session, I often don’t plan ahead. By creating playlists, I have found that my schooling sessions have become a lot more focused, thorough and beneficial to both me and the horse I am riding. Not only does the speaker talk through movements, they also provide context and encourage you to focus on and evaluate things like the horse’s footfalls as you are riding. As a school teacher, I spend hours planning lessons to ensure all needs are met and the maximum learning can take place in each timetabled lesson. This app has shaped my equestrian practice to follow a similar pattern. The Rider Guider Youtube channel explains how to use this feature on the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDFcRlXqfnE Should your yard have limited signal, you can download and save your training materials in advance so that you don’t need to rely on signal in areas where it is compromised. Check out ‘Disco Dressage’ for some fun! Some of my other favourite sessions trialled so far include: Hacking Out, The Hourglass, Rider Strength Exercises, and 15 Minutes Warm Up For Jumping.
Free trials of the app are available. Following the trial, you can subscribe for a month, three months or a year, which I believe is a fantastic and flexible option and considers not only financial implications but also competition season influences. The Dressage Caller feature is priced at an affordable £9.99 a month. The Audio Guide feature can be bought for £4.99 a month, £14.99 a quarter or £49.99 a year. I currently pay £60 for a 30 minute dressage lesson whenever I can shake the piggy bank to fund it. For just over £10 less, I could purchase a whole year’s worth of training and guidance via the app as what I receive in a single 30 minute session with my dressage trainer. I was also impressed by the warm up and cool down tutorials available because these sections in a lesson are often lacking constructive and purposeful instruction. You really can make the most out of every minute of training when using Rider Guider!
