enlightened horsemanship through touch

These are so cool. I wish I needed them.

I just got a note from Tanya Heins on my post Phone Apps For Horsepeople that says,

Just a quick update. EquiApps.com has just launched the first two in a series of apps for learning FEI dressage tests. Ideal for riders, trainers or even spectators. Study dressage tests with a more visual and auditory learning approach. FEI dressage, eventing and para-equestrian tests will be covered.

So I went to their site to check it out and here’s what I found: they have two apps, one free and the other costs 9.99.

Dressage Tests Lite Use your iPhone or iPod Touch to help you learn, reference and practice your FEI dressage tests. Each test allows you to:

• Read the test instructions along with the marking criteria
• Review dressage arena diagrams that animate through the movements within a test
• Play and record your own readings of the test that are perfectly timed for the individual horses and the arena in which you are practicing
• Reference the official FEI dressage test score sheet to see how judges will mark the users performance
• Understand the rules for dressage events as PDFs of related rule books are provided for reference on topics such as movement definitions, competition rules, dress attire, judging and veterinary inspection
• Keep up-to-date on the latest in dressage competition through the FEI news feed

FEI EquiTests 1 is available for free, so that riders and coaches may evaluate the features available. This application includes all features related to one test: the FEI Young Riders Individual Competition Test.

FEI EquiTests 2 includes all the most recent FEI Eventing Dressage Tests:
CCI & CIC One Star (*) – Test A
CCI & CIC One Star (*) – Test B
CCI & CIC Two Star (**) – Test A
CCI & CIC Two Star (**) – Test B
CCI & CIC Three Star (***) – Test A
CCI & CIC Three Star (***) – Test B
CCI Four Star (****) – Test A
CCI Four Star (****) – Test B
CCIP One Star (*) – Pony
CCIP Two Star (**) – Pony

In 2010, additional versions of FEI EquiTests featuring FEI Dressage and FEI Para-Equestrian tests will be launched.

FEI EquiTests 2 – Eventing Dressage Tests is $9.99

• Read the test instructions along with the marking criteria
• Review dressage arena diagrams that animate through the movements within a test
• Play and record your own readings of the test that are perfectly timed for the individual horses and the arena in which you are practicing
• Reference the official FEI dressage test score sheet to see how judges will mark the riders performance
• Understand the rules for dressage events as PDFs of related rule books are provided for reference on topics such as movement definitions, competition rules, dress attire, judging and veterinary inspection
• Keep up-to-date on the latest in dressage competition through the FEI news feed

FEI EquiTests 1 is available for free, so that riders and coaches may evaluate the features available. This application includes all features related to one sample test: the FEI Young Riders Individual Competition Test.

FEI EquiTests 2 includes all the most recent FEI Eventing Dressage Tests:

CCI & CIC One Star (*) – Test A
CCI & CIC One Star (*) – Test B
CCI & CIC Two Star (**) – Test A
CCI & CIC Two Star (**) – Test B
CCI & CIC Three Star (***) – Test A
CCI & CIC Three Star (***) – Test B
CCI Four Star (****) – Test A
CCI Four Star (****) – Test B
CCIP One Star (*) – Pony
CCIP Two Star (**) – Pony

EquiApps and iTunes stresses that diagrams are an indication only and should always be used in conjunction with the Official FEI Test Sheets which take precedence.
All images courtesy www.Equiapps.com

In a post on her blog today, Linda Tellington-Jones alerted me to a really interesting iPhone and iPod Touch application for riders.

EquiApps.com makes three applications for both iPhone and iPod Touch that might be useful to the average equestrian. But the one I find to be most potentially interesting is EquiTempo.

From the site:

Riders interested in dressage training help their horses maintain a consistent tempo through riding aids and body language. Riding with a metronome that matches the tempo you want to maintain can help you develop a consistent and rhythmic tempo. This metronome utility allows an instructor or peer to mark time for riders by giving a regular tick sound at a pre-determined rate. Plug your iPod into an arena sound system and have a friend or instructor change the tempo as you change your gaits.

The main view shows average beats-per-minute (bpm) for each gait. Change the gait by touching the walk, trot, and canter buttons at the bottom of the main screen. Touch the add (+) and subtract (-) buttons to fine tune the appropriate bpm for your horse. This app will automatically save the changes you make. Should you wish to reset the default bpm settings, select the RESET button on the INFO screen.

Cool, huh?

Several blogger friends have written recently about settling into work on transitions and breathing. I wonder if this nifty application would help. I don’t do dressage myself (couldn’t ride a 20-meter circle if my life depended on it–they come out more like trapezoids), but transitions and circles and all that sort of stuff can all benefit from having a pace to match. In Linda’s post, I read that horses will match the pace of the ticks if they can hear them. What a wonderful way to increase communication between horse and rider. This way, both are listening and working to match the same thing, working toward a common goal.

EquiApps has two additional applications.

EquiCalc, for weighing the horse, and EquiList for those all-important lists of things we have to remember when setting out for a show or a foxhunt. If only the thing would prod me when I forget an extra hairnet!

For more information, visit the iTunes Store on your computer or your iPhone or iPod Touch or go to EquiApps.com.

© 2009 enlightened horsemanship through touch

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