Specialised Equipment???

[kerry spiers]

HI, im new to the forum but am a product design final year student at Sussex uni and am trying to find what is missing in the disabled riding market....any suggestions welcome. I ride myself so know that side of things but not enough about any specialised equipment

I am observing some RDA lessons tomorrow but want a broad spectrum of ideas and opinions.

Thanks

Kerry

[Joyscarer]

Anyone?

[Libbyo]

Safe and secure mouning block, that can be moved around easily. Even put in a car and taken to a show. So light, big enough, solid, with some form of handle

[fishiz3434]

i dont know if u want things for riders that cant support themselve properly but we have this cution thing that you put on the horses neck and the front of the saddle and the rider can lean over it without relying on side walkers and moving spastically on the horses back...it's made from high dencity foam and then covered in soft matirial

Looks like this:
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOO******0OOOOO
OOOOOO OOOOOO
^
HORSES NECK

the last lot of OOOOOO's wont behave but they are acctually ment to be moved left until they are under the others but u can imagine wat it's suppose to look like(arrow is allso rong lol

Also toe stoppers but their pretty common n e way,
Ladder reins, reins with leather peices attached across the reins so that an amputee can ride with only one arm and can collect the reins easily, PM me if u want pics of n e of these things. hope this helps :) jes

[kerry spiers]

Pics would be great, this project in worth a thrid of my degree so want iot to be excellent, i will be making the item and am working with the RDA at the moment so you may see it at a school near you......

I was thinking about a namnah/saddle cover type thing, using an amazing new material which is soft, supportive etc which would give more shape to the saddle to shape the riders lags into the correct position. It would slip over saddles and will be very cheap! It would have more structure to put the knee/back of leg/bottom in correct position.
what does anyone think?

[horse_converted]

I am a rda rider and also have private lessons. when i have private lessons we have beepers at each letter so we know as we are getting close to them. The problem we have is that on diaganals it is inposible to hear. when i mean we Horse_crazy as well.

So a better idea for a beeper or sound device that says the letter wold be great. :D we have tryed a few things but not a lot of luck.

There isn't a lot around for riders that can't see so i thought there is an idea for you

:D

[fishiz3434]

ok i'll get the pics for you on friday cos i'm not in until then but i promise :) might even have one of the kids who if an amputee to model the reins for us, she'd love it lol

[kerry spiers]

Thanks so much for these everyone, there are really great ideas and have even sparked a couple of other thoughts! Off to plumpton college this afternoon to observe so will let you know how i get on with this,

Would like to know more about each of your 'stories', how often you ride, your personal disability etc?!? ages etc if anyone minds

Thanks again! Its really helping me out!

[8-legged-pony]

Thanks so much for these everyone, there are really great ideas and have even sparked a couple of other thoughts! Off to plumpton college this afternoon to observe so will let you know how i get on with this,

Would like to know more about each of your 'stories', how often you ride, your personal disability etc?!? ages etc if anyone minds

Thanks again! Its really helping me out!

Oooh my friend helps out with the RDA at Plumpton College on a Wednesday, although don't think she's there at the moment as she's on a teaching placement for uni. I really like the idea of the saddle cloth, what would be good would be if it was made of a slightly sticky anti-slip material as well - like the stuff you can put on car dashboards to stop things sliding around. Do you know the material I mean? It's a bit like what some yoga mats are made of. We have a couple of riders who we put this material on the saddle for them to help them feel more secure and hold them in a better position, but it's just a square of material so would be great if there was something designed specifically for the saddle!

[Pink's lady]

Something that would help very floppy rides sit up would be excellent. We have a couple of riders with severe cerabal palsy that can't support their own body weight.

They ride bareback as their hips are too tight to sit in a saddle but the horses necks are too low to provide much support in front.

We sometimes use a 'sausage' which is just a very thick rolled-up towel thingy held in place over the withers to give them something to push against at the front but it's not really enough. Something bigger and more solid, which doesn't require a saddle, would be great.

Something like a vaulting roller would be ideal except that forces the rider to sit too far back
http://www.tamrabam.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/RidingForTheDisabled/ChevasVault1.jpg

oo, and something to make the twist of the saddle much much narrower for riders with very tight hips would be ideal! Theres a lot of riders who find riding with a saddle far too difficult as they can't open their hips enough.

[Daffy Dilly]

oo, and something to make the twist of the saddle much much narrower for riders with very tight hips would be ideal! Theres a lot of riders who find riding with a saddle far too difficult as they can't open their hips enough.

Would the Heather Moffat Hip saver not do that?

http://www.enlightenedequitation.com/shop/erol.html

"Hip Saver" on the left.

[Pink's lady]

Nope, not enough. Its the right idea but wouldn't help a very tight rider. To be honest I'm not sure anything could make a saddle narrow enough to be a possiblity (not even comfortable - some riders just can't sit in a saddle).

[kerry spiers]

I went yesterday to PLumpton and it was so useful. Really saw frst hand how much the kids like it and they look like they are just normal riders once on the horse rather than disabled riders.
Really enjoyed the day and made me realise how many people it takes ot do this hobby, would definatly like to be able to help in some way!
One child had a sheepskin numnah type thing but him and another child had little body control so kept slipping.
I now think i will be making a saddle/numnah with enough support but enough flexibility for the rider and horse. I will then have pads which you can put in pockets to adjust to the riders needs and made from a very soft supportive material i have found. Also i will try and resolve this slipping process that happens alot.
I think this is the best thing i could be makin, a universal product which can be personalised.
I am still open to any additional comments or suggestions, can never have enough research
Thanks as always!
p.s. sorry i write too much!

[fishiz3434]

hey i got those pics 4 ya! plus sum extra's i found while i was looking for the long lost ladder reins

Pic 1: The ladder reins on a pony
2: how to use them
3: front view of reins
4:Roller with stirrups (used for a rider who cant sit in a saddle because they are in a wheel chair all waking hours so their mussels are too tight to mould to a saddle but the roller gives support while on the horse and protects the horse(used with a sheep skin)
5: top of roller
6: Monty the stretching barrel with a custom made pony western (part one- he's used to get the riders legs warmed up and stretched b4 throwing them on a fat pony) (part two-the western saddle has hole in *** to put the removable front and back supports (as u can see the saddle isn't all that big as this stops ppl from using the supports for big riders and ruining the horses back but the saddle fits pony's and horses so can be used for spastic and flasid muscles)
7: front view of saddle and Monty
8:front support- this can b used for any size rider on the horses neck and the front of the saddle to allow the rider to push themselves up(being upright on the horse helps tummy muscles and digestion good for wheelchair bound and CP riders
8: Julie shows us how it is used and the correct position it puts the rider in and how it sits on the horse (kind of)
9:again the support
10: by itself
11: side veiw
12:one handed reins (for amputee or rider without use of one hand but good use of other)
13: polypipe in the middle(we need to make it longer though as they were the trial ones

most of the things in the pictures are things we've made ourselves for the riders so they might not b too useful 4 everyone but they have all been great 4 us

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k183/fishiz3434/100_0302.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k183/fishiz3434/100_0303.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k183/fishiz3434/100_0304.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k183/fishiz3434/100_0305.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k183/fishiz3434/100_0306.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k183/fishiz3434/100_0307.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k183/fishiz3434/100_0309.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k183/fishiz3434/100_0310.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k183/fishiz3434/100_0311.jpg

[fishiz3434]

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k183/fishiz3434/100_0312.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k183/fishiz3434/100_0313.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k183/fishiz3434/100_0314.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k183/fishiz3434/100_0315.jpg

[fishiz3434]

i have a similar request as pink's lady,

for a saddle that can let a rider with fused hips ride with their legs forward and not down without being too far back on the horse


atm we're using the roller with stirups for adults and the pony western with the kids legs over the front on either side of the horn but we have to be so carful to not let his(the kids) legs slip down cos it could cause a lot of pain (realy he shudn't b riding but it's so good 4 him to get out of his chair)

i dont think it wud matter if it were expensive either cos so many ppl could get use from it

[Gnasher]

Hi there,

I think some kind of non-slip pad would be good. Its hard to get them with a decent girth so the pad doesn't slip round the pony and of a suitable fabric that the child doesn't slip on the pad.

I volunteer for Hope in the Valley RDA at Plumpton, but am on teaching placement so haven't been there for a while, but I think I know the two riders you're thinking of.

Unfortunately all technology has its limits and in some ways we just end up relying on (wo)manpower to help a rider stay comfortably on board their pony.

Karen xx

[Prelude]

I have been experimenting with ideas to stop a para dressage rider's feet slipping through the stirrups. She has Cerebral Palsy and her feet naturally point downwards. My latest idea is a small piece of sticky backed velcro on the stirrup that grips onto another peice of velcro on the sole of the boot. This works well until the velcro eventually comes unstuck from the boot.
She has used Toestoppers/Dapps but prefers something more discreet especialy when in able-bodied dressage competitions.

Mountain horse do a stirrup tread that is worn with a boot with matching grips that works in a similar way, but it is not ideal for a rider who does not have full control of their legs.

I know of at least one para dressage rider who uses the X'up stirrup system which fixes the boot to the stirrup (see http://www.freejumpsystem.com/etrier.php5) which is favoured by some showjumpers, but I would be worried about the rider not being able to detach their foot from the stirrup quickly if in difficulty.

Any better ideas?

[fishiz3434]

I have been experimenting with ideas to stop a para dressage rider's feet slipping through the stirrups. She has Cerebral Palsy and her feet naturally point downwards. My latest idea is a small piece of sticky backed velcro on the stirrup that grips onto another peice of velcro on the sole of the boot. This works well until the velcro eventually comes unstuck from the boot.
She has used Toestoppers/Dapps but prefers something more discreet especialy when in able-bodied dressage competitions.

Mountain horse do a stirrup tread that is worn with a boot with matching grips that works in a similar way, but it is not ideal for a rider who does not have full control of their legs.


Any better ideas?

we have a para-equestrian girl in WA that uses toe stoppers even in national competition cos she has a similar prob...they are like clogs but not so bulky and just velcro onto the existing stirup but they dont fall off easily so her feet neva go though

[kerry spiers]

Thanks fishiz3434. Those pics are great and going to be great for my project. As you asked and so did pink lady i am creating a sheepskin numnah/saddle with pads that can be added depending on riders needs, ie at the front/back, knee roll or behind leg. Therefore it could even be put on a database, and type in the roders name and it will tell the instructer which pads that rider needs.

Karen, did i meet you the other day when i visited PLumpton, or did u see someone lingering around. I will hopefully be coming back soon!

Thanks again everyone!

[Gnasher]

Karen, did i meet you the other day when i visited PLumpton, or did u see someone lingering around. I will hopefully be coming back soon!



I wasn't there I'm afraid, on a teaching placement that means I can't make it until january :(

Karen xx

[kerry spiers]

Oh well ill probably be back there a couple times so may see u at some point

[fishiz3434]

cool i cnat wait to see the final product, make sur eit gets to Aussie! glad i cud b of help

[kerry spiers]

Thanks everyone, next time u go riding and you think of my product, think about how you want it to be or anything else that you may find missing in your life!

Keep enjoying it, i get to ride my horse agian in a few weeks (had the year off as had a foal) and just cant wait!

kerryx

[salee]

how about a magnet on the sole of the boot? if using normal steel stirrups in the event of falling the magnet connection would give but not under normal riding if strong enough?
or if using rubber stirrup treads get an opposite pole magnet set into the tread to 'stick' to the one in the sole of the boot?
there are some darn strong magnets about, and they should look very discreate too? bye