Horse Riding Simulator FAQ
The EQUICISE Dressage Simulator is suitable for all riders – whether you are an accomplished competition rider or a complete beginner. It is an excellent way for new riders to develop their skills whilst building confidence in a more controlled environment. Perhaps you are a nervous rider or are coming back to riding after a fall, the EQUICISE Simulator can help you build your confidence and regain riding fitness. The simulator does not buck, spook or rear and therefore, provides a safe and steady feel. If you are looking to improve your fitness, there are numerous exercises on the EQUICISE Simulator which you can do in order to improve your fitness – without having to think about the horse underneath you! For more experienced riders, the EQUICISE Simulator can be used to improve position, balance and timing in more complex lateral movements allowing you to focus 100% on you, without thinking about training the horse too.
Absolutely! The EQUICISE Simulator moves in 3 gaits – walk, trot and canter – just like a real horse – The simulator has the ability to bend and flex through the neck and responds to aids given through your leg, seat and hands.
Of course! Everything that is learned on the EQUICISE Simulator will be transferrable as muscle memory is developed during the sessions. When on a real horse, riders are then able to perform aids more instinctively rather than actively thinking about what to do, when. For the accomplished rider, it gives the opportunity to develop without having to train the horse at the same time.
The instant feedback provided on the EQUICISE Simulator allows riders to improve quickly. Alongside this, our qualified instructors are able to provide relevant exercises to accelerate learning. Depending on your goal, a significant improvement can usually be seen in 3-5 lessons. For riders looking to learn new movements such as leg-yield and shoulder-in the EQUICISE Simulator provides a ‘shortcut’ to the correct way of going, We also find that riders, both beginners and experienced riders, like to have regular practice sessions to maintain fitness and continue improvements.
Improving our riding technique with the help of the Equicise is not just going to take one session if you are dedicated to ironing out those bad habits! It can be very easy to slip back into our old ways of riding, even more so when we are riding a familiar horse. The EQUICISE takes a little while to get used to as it is very sensitive and will not respond to the rider’s aids unless they are correct. Using the EQUICISE to improve your technique will really help you to ride your own horse better, improving your partnership.
The EQUICISE dressage simulator will only make the transition from trot to canter when the rider gives the correct aids. If the correct aids are not given, then the EQUICISE will simply continue in trot or perform a different movement. This need for clear and correct direction will help you to understand the aids for canter and become more and more confident each time the canter transition goes well. This in turn will give you greater confidence and clarity when asking for canter on a real horse.
Yes, absolutely. The EQUICISE dressage simulator is an advanced piece of equipment with state of the art sensors that enable you to practise any lateral movements that you would ride in your usual lessons. The EQUICISE can perform lateral movements from the lower levels of dressage all the way up to Grand Prix. You can even request your usual instructor who will give you a breakdown of how to ride each movement correctly without having to think about the reactions of a real horse.
The EQUICISE can benefit all levels of rider as it offers a bespoke programme of training which is tailored to each individual’s needs. All riders can develop unwanted habits that they may often be unaware of. The EQUICISE highlights the rider’s positional faults using sophisticated sensors and will only respond to clear aids therefore ensuring that the more experienced rider irons out any inaccuracies. It also gives you the chance to practice advanced movements such as passage or piaffe using intense repetition which would not be possible on a real horse.
The EQUICISE is a great way to prepare you for riding a horse for the first time. It replicates a horse’s movement and feel very accurately so will help you to learn about balance and how to give direction without having contend with the sometimes unpredictable reactions of a real horse. When you then ride a horse it will be a much more familiar experience giving you added confidence. You will also have your instructor (with whom you’ll have built up a relationship) by your side, leading the horse you’re riding which will help to put you at ease.
General FAQ
Yes you can either bring along your own video camera or we can put your memory card in ours.
If you are booked on the EQUICISE you should wear comfortable, stretchy trousers (breeches or jodhpurs ideally) and riding footwear. Please note that boots should not have zips on the inside. If you usually wear gloves when riding you may like to bring them. Riding hats are optional although some riders find it helpful to get used to the weight of the hat on their head.
We can take groups of up to four people in a 60 minute slot on the EQUICISE. Larger groups can book two consecutive sessions to give you a longer period of time in the Ride Room.
If you have a lesson on the Simulator you can bring your baby along and park your buggy beside you. The EQUICISE RIDE Room is warm and secure and you will be able to watch your child while you ride the Simulator!
Yes, well behaved dogs who will stay in the comfy dog pen in the corner of the Room are most welcome if you are using the EQUICISE.
Yes, if you are having a lesson on the EQUICISE then friend(s) are very welcome and we provide chairs for them to sit on.
Children over the age of six years can ride the EQUICISE and there is no upper age limit!
We have a weight limit of 95 kg on the EQUICISE.
Yes, you can ride the EQUICISE whilst pregnant, however you must consult your doctor before taking part in any kind of exercise.
It depends on the disability. We do not have disabled toilets and there is a small step into the EQUICISE RIDE room. The disabled rider would need to be capable of getting onto the horse from a mounting block.
There is space to change in the WC if you are coming straight from work. You can bring your clothes and bags into the EQUICISE Ride Room with you.
Yes, an EQUICISE lesson makes a very useful and unusual gift and one sure to be appreciated! Vouchers can be purchased online.
Wimbledon Village Stables has horses to suit all levels of ability. Please see Wimbledon Village Stables website for further information.
WIMBLEDON VILLAGE STABLES MEMBERS are entitled to one 15 Members’ Practice Sessions every month. Please see the Wimbledon Village Stables website for details of becoming a WVS Member. www.wvstables.com
Wimbledon Village has a fantastic blend of chic shops, cafes and bars set amongst handsome period buildings and open spaces making it unique in London. You will find it hard to leave!
See the Wimbledon Village website for more information www.wimbledon-village.com
There is no parking at the stables. There is FREE parking on weekday mornings on Westside, West Place, North View and Camp Road – from there is is about 5 minute walk to the Stables. At weekends you can also park FREE on the Causeway. The nearest, cheapest pay and display bays are on the Causeway. Pay & Display also on Lancaster Gardens, Marryat Road, The Green and The Grange. There is pay and display on Wimbledon High Street but it is one hour maximum.
Wimbledon Village Stables is very easily accessible from London by public transport. We are close to Wimbledon Station which is served by the District Line London Underground and British Rail Trains. We are on three bus routes the 93, 200 and 493.
It takes approximately 10 minutes to walk from the station (less to walk back because it is downhill!). As you leave the station turn right and walk up Wimbledon Hill. When you arrive at the top of the hill you are in the Village and a short way along on the left hand side is the Dog & Fox pub which we are tucked away behind. If you are running late there are always black cabs at the station or alternatively you can take any of the buses, for one stop only, from the opposite side of the road.
All bookings are made on-line via the Mindbody site and prepaid. Reservations for sessions can be cancelled online for no charge up to 24 hours prior to the beginning of the session. Missed sessions without the appropriate notice will be charged as if attended.
EQUICISE Sessions start punctually at set times during the day so you should arrive at least 5 minutes before your class is due to start. Please do not be late as your lesson will finish at the allocated time.
Since opening in 1980, Wimbledon Village Stables has gone from strength to strength and over the years we have won many prestigious awards. Our recipe is simple: we have an outstanding team of instructors, fantastic horses and great riding. I very much appreciate the loyalty of our members and clients who ride with us regularly and I have also always been very proud of our excellent global reputation – we have riders from all over the world who visit us whenever they come to London. I am always looking for ways to enhance the experience for our riders and horses and with this in mind in 2016 we added The EQUICISE to Wimbledon Village Stables. We all know how important it is to keep our horses in peak condition and this is just as important for riders too. If you keep fit and healthy, you can ride whatever age you are. Look at show jumper Nick Skelton, winner of a Gold Medal at the age of 58 at the Olympics in Rio in 2016! EQUICISE is a unique programme of fitness and technical development for horse riders of any standard featuring individually tailored lessons on our fully interactive horse simulator. We can’t promise you will win a gold medal but you will be astonished how The EQUICISE will improve your technique and make your riding even more enjoyable. You’ll probably make new friends too! Please do come along and try The Equicise and see for yourself how it will revolutionise your riding, and possibly also your life!
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