How to get the most
out of your EngagedRider Bands

How to get the most out of your EngagedRider Bands
How Often

How This Helps

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Are they for you?

These are for you if you are a rider at intermediate level and above, wanting to improve:

  • Your seat’s effectiveness
  • Your posture
  • Your straightness and symmetry
  • Your leg position

They are also an invaluable addition to the toolkits of coaches who are helping riders with these issues.

Benefits

EngagedRider Bands are specifically designed to assist riders striving for a more effective seat, better position, and improved symmetry in the saddle. The bands are comfortable to wear and fully adjustable, with guide-stripes to ensure symmetrical placement.

Fabric and Care

The bands are made of a hard-wearing elastic fabric, which provides comfort and durability.

They can be washed in the washing machine at 30°C and hung out to dry. Keep out of direct sun.

With good care, the bands should last for many years.

Sizing

The bands are one size fits all.

They are adjustable for riders of all heights and shapes.

Suggested Exercises
20 Metre Circles

Ride accurate 20 metre circles at walk, trot and canter. Notice the difference between left and right rein. Use the bands to stay tall, stretch through the inside of your body, and maintain rotation without collapsing.

Transitions Between Paces

Ride clear upward and downward transitions while maintaining straightness. Focus on keeping your shoulders level and your core engaged so your horse stays balanced and even behind.

Leg Yield and Lateral Work

In trot, ride leg yield while staying aligned from shoulder to heel. As you progress, use the bands in shoulder-in, travers or half-pass to maintain stability and symmetry through rotation.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How often should I wear them, and for how long?

We recommend wearing the bands at least once a week for maximum improvement. If you are working through a specific issue, you may want to wear them every ride until you have successfully overcome the issue.

Wearing the bands for 10 -15 minutes is plenty for most riders at first. To start with, we recommend wearing them after your warm-up. As you become familiar with them, incorporate them as part of your warm up for optimal muscle activation. You can build up to wearing them for a whole ride, although we recommend taking them off for the last 5 to 10 minutes to give your body a chance to feel the adjustments without the bands on.

You can also wear them just for one aspect of your ride (for example, when working on a particular lateral movement, or flying changes) to improve that specific exercise.

How do I get the adjustment right?

To begin with, we recommend adjusting them off the horse with the knees bent. Use the guidelines to ensure the bands are even. There should be enough resistance that they will not slip off, and you can feel some muscle activation. They should not be so tight that they are uncomfortable.

As you get more familiar with the bands, you can gradually tighten them to achieve even more muscle activation. You will know that it’s time to tighten them when everything feels “easy” at your current adjustment level.

What riding level are they suited to?

The bands are only suited for intermediate riders and above. We strongly discourage beginner riders from using them. They are a tool to improve and refine an already independent seat and balanced position.

Advanced and expert riders will also benefit from the bands, as they help to make minute adjustments in straightness, posture and symmetry. These small adjustments can make significant improvements to performance at the highest levels.

What if my horse spooks while I’m wearing the bands?

The bands will not stop you from riding through spooks or other behaviours as usual. Some riders have reported being able to more securely sit through spooks or bucks with the bands on. However, if your horse is particularly spooky on a specific day, we suggest that you stop using them that day. Let your comfort level gauge your use of the bands.

The bands can easily be disengaged by raising the heels with the knees bent. They do not have a very strong bounce back, and most horses are not worried about them coming off. Once disengaged, stop your horse as soon as it is safe to do so, and remove them from your upper body.

I’m concerned about the safety aspect?

Most horses take very well to the bands (we recommend gently laying the bands on the horse’s neck, saddle area, flank and croup prior at first, with increasing intensity, to gauge the horse’s reaction and accustomise them to the bands).

Like with all aspects of riding, care needs to be taken at all times. Beginner riders should not use the bands, nor should they be used on very green horses.

The bands are equipped with a safety release which will only operate if you are caught on an external object (a fencepost, for example) while wearing the bands. The bands will then release, but will need to be sent to us for checking before re-using them.

I have a specific physical issue, are they for me?

You would need to check in with your medical team before using the bands. This is not something we can advise on, as we don’t have the benefit of your full medical history (nor are we medical professionals).

We highly recommend finding a specialist rider physio in your area, who can advise you as to whether the bands will benefit your riding.

The bands are used by many para-riders, or riders with physical issues, to help them strengthen specific muscle groups and achieve more stability in the saddle, but every rider should be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

As a riding coach, are there resources available to help me use the bands in my teaching?

We recommend joining the Equisk Coaches Programme. We are continually adding more resources to help coaches get the most out of their Equisk tools. You can also check out some informative videos on our YouTube channel.

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