California Riding Magazine • April, 2010

California’s Riding Simulators
New upgrades help riders and instructors.

by Cheryl Erpelding

At Equine Affaire Pomona earlier this year Barbro Ask-Upmark of Salinas introduced the newest riding simulator model, “Luke,” to demonstrate the upgrades on this amazing mechanical riding horse. The newest model comes with added sensors for the seat and more leg sensors than previous models. Plus, riders view their ride on a huge monitor so they can watch and have an interactive riding lesson on a virtual dressage court. 

Del Mar-based Shellie Bean owns LuLu, the earlier model simulator she bought in 2008. She has recently added a 55” LED screen to the simulator experience. LuLu’s screen doesn’t have the new interactive options of the Luke model, but she does have other options. You can either ride LuLu viewing DVDs of beautiful riding tours from around the world or you can have your lesson taped and watch as instructors such as Angie Taylor, Michael Kovach, Sue Newell and Janet Reed help riders work on their positions and riding skills. 

The red dot in the upper left hand corner shows the rider whether she is
sitting in the center of her horse. The rider sees the virtual
dressage court and, in the top right hand corner, can see where
she is in the court as she practices her movements.

I have posted YouTube videos (www.YouTube.com/CalifRidingMagazine) of both simulators with the latest ways these amazing tools can help riders improve. The tape of Sandy Rosendahl’s lesson shows how she can watch herself on the big screen as her dressage trainer Jody Ambrose coaches her on position, core strength and more. Rosendahl actually started her dressage lessons on LuLu before she bought her first dressage schoolmaster Lexion. She now takes a monthly lesson on LuLu so Ambrose can help her develop the correct sitting positions and work on improving her ride on her real horse. With the new video option, riders can get instant feedback on how well they are doing. They follow their instructor’s directions and then can see in the monitor what their trainer sees. With this way of learning, riders can really speed up their progress in improving their feel and actually see their problems and their improvements as their trainer sees them.

The riding simulators have many benefits. These safe mounts are an excellent way for fearful riders to regain their confidence. Riders that have horses that are on a lay-up can sign up for lessons with the trainers that use LuLu. Also, after the first lesson with one of the instructors, riders can rent LuLu to practice and keep up their riding muscles. During an April special, LuLu rents for $30 an hour, which can be split into four segments. Bean rides LuLu every day for 20 minutes while watching DVDs from the huge library, which includes trail rides, Animal Planet, Equitrekking tours, yoga on horseback and more. LuLu is a lot more fun than hitting the treadmill and gives her rider a great workout to keep all of the muscles tuned up for good riding posture and endurance. Or if the rainy season is keeping you off of your horse, the riding simulators are a great way to keep yourself in the saddle.

Riders can also get a view from the side of the dressage court
to see how they are doing as they ride.

Riding instructors can also improve their teaching skills by utilizing the riding simulators. Kajsa Wiberg, trainer at Canyonside Stables in San Diego, recently had a lesson on LuLu with Ambrose. Ambrose states, “LuLu helps instructors become better teachers by allowing them to break down their own feel of riding into specific skills so they can better explain what they want from their students.” Wiberg plans to use LuLu to help some of her riders improve their skills. 

Angie Taylor says, “While not allowed to ride horses for medical reasons, I was able to stay in shape and work on my seat with LuLu. Not only did LuLu give me a great workout, I was able to focus on the little things such as solidifying the connection and harmony between my seat bones and movement of the horse’s back. After riding LuLu there was a noticeable difference in my horse’s performance and freedom of gaits. I highly recommend using LuLu as a regular part of a student’s training experience.”

The newest model that Ask-Upmark introduced at Equine Affaire is located in Salinas. With the new sensors for the seat and legs, plus the virtual dressage court, riders can see if they are sitting in the center of the horse. They can learn how to apply the correct leg aids for all the movements, including FEI.

Meghan Shannon, a Para-Equestrian competitor, enjoyed her recent lesson on LuLu at Rancho El Camino in Del Mar. Shannon’s disability is post-polio syndrome and she is working toward qualifying for the WEG in Kentucky this year. Shannon’s comment after her lesson on LuLu was, “I love her and want to take her home.”
The Orange County-based rider plans to come back regularly to work on her skills and improve her show rides.

The simulators have been a huge hit. David Hunt, FEI Dressage committee member, president of the International Dressage Training Club, and president of the British International Dressage Trainers Foundation states, “As for the Riding Simulator, I was pleasantly surprised how realistic the ride was when I tried it. It helps the rider to learn correct seat and position, timing of the aids, even how and when to make half halts. The ‘horse’ helps by giving the rider the correct feel in self-carriage, the responsiveness and the rhythm that is only achieved by the well trained dressage horse. It is an invaluable training tool.”

Elise Cutini of Monte Sereno had this to say: “It allowed me to focus solely on my influence on the horse without concerning myself with his issues. In the first lesson, it was undeniably clear how I have been getting in my horse’s way in regard to our lateral work. I was collapsing my hip, and blocking him with my hand. The following sessions allowed me to retrain my muscles and my conditioned mental response through repetition until it became natural. Instant feedback at its best! Barbro provides just the right amount of instruction and ‘Luke’ provides the correction and validation. A great addition to my training toolbox.” 

Another one of Luke’s fans, Niki Rabier, wrote, “I just want to say a big thank you for the lesson today. I was able to practice it on my horse this afternoon. I can control his turn much better. I now understand more the role of the outside rein! It also tells me to use my legs only when necessary. The most difficult to learn is the third element on the training scale: contact. You can really learn it on Luke. I sure will return for more lessons. There are so many things I don’t know and don’t realize.” 

Barbro Ask-Upmark is the distributor for the Racewood Simulators. They come in a lot of different models, including a special one for therapeutic riding. To see more of these awesome simulators please visit www.racewood.com or www.ridingmagazine.com for our videos. Also visit www.alwaysagoodride.com for Luke’s info, and www.theridingsimulator.com for LuLu’s info.