Better Rider Project

28/10/2026

“More core” alternative idea 💡
Your pelvis is like a bowl, your ribcage is like a bell - breathe out and see if you can get them to line up together. Simple concept, tricky to do easily, essential for self-carriage in the saddle.

Notice what muscles you use, and how hard or easy it is to do - if you can’t find it or you’re fighting to stay there, chat with your physio to find out what’s blocking you.

21/10/2026

December 3rd Equitation Science International - ESI clinic.
I'm always awed that I get to teach with Manuela McLean, join us in our simulator plus riding session on the Mornington Peninsula in December (plus those "light refreshments" are always delicious, especially if Kristy Kelly is baking a cake!)

Back by popular demand!

Our last Seat School Day sold out quickly, and this time, we’re making it even better by including a one-hour ridden lesson to follow your mechanical horse session.

Are you as balanced, straight and effective in the saddle as your horse needs you to be?

It’s amazing how much we can discover about our own position when we take our horse out of the equation.

Join us for our next Seat School Day with Lissanthea, Manuela and Sven the mechanical horse, where you’ll have the chance to check your balance, symmetry, alignment and control in a supportive, relaxed environment.

Sven gives you the perfect opportunity to feel what’s really happening in your body, without having to manage your horse at the same time. You can focus purely on your seat, posture and aids, receive instant feedback, and make small adjustments that can make a big difference.

Then, bring your own horse along for a one-hour ridden session with Manuela and Lissanthea.

This is where the magic happens: you’ll put your new awareness and skills into practice with your horse, under expert guidance, and see how a more balanced, independent seat can improve your communication, harmony and confidence together.

Whether you’re working on your position, struggling with a particular issue in the saddle, or simply want to become a clearer, kinder partner for your horse, this day is designed to help you ride with more awareness, ease and effectiveness.

Spaces are limited and our last event sold out quickly — book early to avoid missing out!

21/10/2026

Bendigo Simulator Clinic 31st OCT/ 1st Nov: For my riders north-west of Melbourne, save yourself a trip to the Yarra Valley, and come for a simulator session at Sutton Grange Stables instead! I'll be heading up with TWO simulators, franklin balls, bands and most importantly, a curiosity and commitment to helping you get the most out of your body in the. Let me know if you'd like to join too!

Next weekend we have Lissanthea Taylor from Better Rider Project coming with 2 mechanical
Horses. We have a few spots free if anyone is interested in seeing what your position is doing in the saddle. $130 per lesson. Located Sutton Grange. Saturday or Sunday available (or both if you want 2 lessons)
Private message me if interested thank you

09/10/2026

MAKING FEEDBACK LOOPS FOR “EYES ON THE GROUND” Success in equestrian sport is visually appraised. We “judge” what we see, either in our own photos, or by the results of tests. Online, we judge (or get judged) by people that we don’t know, even in “objective” jumping competitions, there is the important consideration of what we see in the health and wellbeing of the horse.
With Closson Dressage this week, we worked on creating a framework based on established judging criteria, using the simulator system to help riders address critical parts of what we saw in the test, then put it back on the horse, to make sure the skills transferred to where they mattered. The judging got to go somewhere really meaningful, where riders could connect in their body and mind to what they can practice to improve over time.
Really excited to keep developing this concept to make skill acquisition and development crystal clear for riders at all levels - I think Kristen Closson and I have something to launch in 2027 🎉

27/09/2026

If you want riders to value off-horse training, it can’t be boring, for adults and kids alike!

Had a fun day at Seville Pony Club yesterday using the Seat IQ Rider Skills Intelligence simulator, helping riders work on their balance and co-ordination, plus some extra reaction time training with the BlazePod lights too.

Learning to move with precision and timing while feeling your horse’s body movements is a complex task. When you break it down, the skills of riding well are much harder than we really acknowledge, so pat yourself on the back for your efforts!

We’re heading up to NSW this week, next Pony Club Australia stop will be at Cobbity in zone 10, for their annual camp.

27/09/2026

FINDING A FLOW STATE: I often travel for workshops and rally days, I just forget to take photos to "prove it". Here's proof that not all lessons have to happen on horseback at Seville Pony Club yesterday.

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about "flow state" - that feeling where you're so engaged in the moment that time warps, you're just carried along in the flow of the experience, away from "thinking" and wonderfully wrapped up in "doing". It's a place where the challenges match the skills, and the performer is confident to let the body think, and the mind be free to use different areas of awareness and attention.

I forget to take photos and videos, because I am in flow when I work. To help you find new movement patterns and experience your body in a different way, I need to also be feeling and using all my senses. I have practiced this for a long time, my hands and my eyes almost have a mind of their own! Taking a photo or a video to post here on social media breaks that state where I am doing my best work, so it just never reaches my awareness (but I do lots of videos at the end of sessions for riders to review and learn from!)

I hate to say that I recognise I am rarely in flow when I ride, although my coach has been hinting at it. "You just disappear into your head, you abandon the horse" makes all the sense in the world when it is the opposite of flow - it's a critical, intellectual and conscious movement state that blocks feel and body awareness. It's the trap of questioning and wondering "am I doing it right?" rather than just doing it!

I started thinking about all the riders that I work with, and about how bodies learn to move well, the rider-powered simulator I use and I've been digging deep into some really interesting research in other sports (which I'll share in the future), but I'd love to hear your stories about the challenges you have about thinking versus feeling, please help me extend my research with your thoughts!

20/09/2026

I SHOULD really love this piece in Eurodressage, calling out riders for the "problem" that they are for their horses.

"Welfare issue" says it out loud, and in my heart of hearts, I agree. Every day I see asymmetric movement patterns and postures that riders aren't even aware of. These patterns affect the horse and rider partnership. I have my own, you probably do too.

But I read a different story underneath that headline.

The article's story is personal responsibility. Riders who don't sit straight, or who have back pain, are falling short of what their horse needs to be healthy and happy in their partnership.

I see it differently as the downstream effect of riding culture in the modern world. The structure, function, and movement skill of the human athlete are almost absent from how we learn to ride, but we also don't have the long apprenticeship models of lunge training and skill development over years of dedicated study. The human body and movement doesn't factor into coach education in Australia at all.

As a sport, we don't acknowledge what riding actually demands of the human body and brain. Using both sides of your whole body equally is an elite movement skill, especially on a moving animal. We all underestimate how much practice it takes to make that skill automatic, if we ever develop it.

The real welfare issue is a sporting culture that never teaches riders their body matters, and a culture where pain is something you push through, and off-horse training is optional.

I hate to say that solutions need to be simple and easy, but they do, because cultural change is hard. I build SeatIQ, a simple simulator and software system to help riders see and feel their own asymmetry, off the horse, without the movement of a real animal adding noise to the picture.

This gives the rider ways they can train their movement skills that are relevant to what they need in the saddle, and because it's off-horse, you can practise without borrowing your horse's body to help. I wrote software that allows us to see where those asymmetries lie, so you can see it, and watch the patterns improve as your body learns how to move better.

Maybe the fix for this "welfare issue" isn't more guilt for riders over what they're failing at. Maybe it's just building the spaces and tools we've never had to close this gap, https://seatiq.net/ is my contribution!

The Rider’s Body: An Overlooked Welfare Issue

10/09/2026

While I went on holidays last month, Marcel Loeb Equestrian has been using the simulator and software system to measure and train his riders with such great results (and big smiles!) It makes me very happy to know that I can put all my knowledge about bodies and movement into systems that other people can use, and I can learn from Marcel's teaching expertise too

01/09/2026

It's my mission to make it clear and simple for riders to feel and understand their body and movement in the saddle, and have the opportunity to practice until they can trust what they're feeling. It's somewhat surreal watching myself on video, just "doing what you do" everyday, living that mission. It turns out, I do say some smart stuff!

Huge thanks to Ben Netterfield and Dare to Coaching for showcasing what I do with riders using the simulator and sensors. It is a long video, but worth the watch to see the principles that I think are fundamental to helping riders find trust in their body, and find the feelings that promote harmony and connection with their horses.

On a personal note, Ben has been an invaluable support and cheer squad for me as I've worked with riders over many years 👏. He's always been someone I can call with a tricky question about teaching and coaching (and my own struggles in the saddle too!)

Quick note: We filmed this in June 2026, and you'll see an early prototype of the analytics system that we've continued to update. Building technology systems is an ever-changing job, but if you're keen to see the new version, please get in touch!