Article and photos by Shawn Hamilton, Clix Photography

RooElla, the interactive horse simulator owned by Susan Cruickshank of Oakwood, Ontario, is a perfectly schooled mechanical dressage horse that is highly sensitive to its riders’ aids. During a session with Cruickshank and RooElla, riders gain instant feedback about leg pressure, seat position, and rein contact. It is the ultimate tool for helping riders be the best they can be for their horses.

Fifteen years ago, while obtaining her certification as an equine psychotherapist, Cruickshank purchased Canada’s first Racewood equestrian simulator, which she named Tuppy.

“I became an Advanced F.E.E.L (Facilitated Equine Experiential Learning) practitioner and bought Tuppy to assist with the therapeutic process,” she tells me.

“I changed my focus to riders when it became evident that the simulator was an amazing learning tool for equestrians of all disciplines. There was a lot of resistance at the start — no one seemed to understand how it would help them in the saddle.”

Beneficial for all disciplines, RooElla helps riders discover proper balance and increase fitness and core strength. This feedback screen shows balance in the pelvis, weight distribution, rein contact, and leg pressure.

After diving deep into biomechanics through various methodologies including the Mary Wanless method, Sally Swift’s Centered Riding, and certification training with Jane Savoie in the US, Cruickshank still felt something was missing. It wasn’t until she discovered Alysen Starko-Bowes’ Train Your Seat (TYS) program that things started to gain momentum. 

“The TYS training philosophy transformed the way I rode and taught,” she recalls.

Last year, Tuppy was sold to a good home in Ottawa and Cruickshank acquired RooElla, the first state-of-the-art Dressage Pro Simulator in North America. 

After applying her knowledge as a TYS-certified pelvis and Franklin ball trainer to the simulator sessions, word travelled and she now struggles to keep up with the demand. 

“The SIM is 100 percent about the rider,” she explains. 

Using aids such as Equisk and TheraBands, Franklin balls and taping, Cruickshank’s goals in each session are to get riders focused on their own bodies, to be present, and to feel. 

A TheraBand resistance band to help the rider feel a neutral pelvis.

“Most riders are not aware of what their bodies are doing in the saddle and typically focus primarily on the horse, not themselves,” she explains.

Cruickshank’s goal with each client is geared towards proprioception, training their bodies to be aware of correct position and movement. 

Instant feedback about seat position in the saddle — including which seat bone carries more weight and how much pressure is applied through each leg and hand — gives riders the information they need to find balance, improve posture and overall position, and develop better force absorption. Repetition allows for new neural pathways in the brain to gain new muscle memory. She teaches riders how to isolate and control different parts of their body in the saddle so they can apply those skills more effectively when riding their horse.

Related: Mounted Exercises to Improve a Horse Rider's Seat and Effectiveness

RooElla helps riders learn to ride correctly in a safe environment. This feedback screen shows the gait RooElla is in, where the leg pressure is applied, and measures rein value and lateral movements.

“Awareness is the first step to change,” she says.

Cruickshank will often place a Franklin ball, which she calls “the peanut,” under the rider’s seat bones to help open up their hip flexors, allowing them to sit deeper in the saddle to be more “plugged in.”

Above/Below: A Franklin ball placed under the inside leg to improve proprioception.

Cruickshank demonstrated passage, half-pass, and pirouette movements on RooElla, only accomplishable with a proper seat and precise pressure on each leg and rein. 

This machine is an incredible way to learn how to exercise proper aids without taxing the horse repeatedly to get it correct. RooElla can also be used to help build confidence in the saddle.  

Almost 70 years old, Jodie Goldhart had a hip replacement over three years ago, and after losing the horse she had raised from a foal, she says, “I lost my nerve and just didn’t have the confidence to ride other horses.”

Goldhart has been coming every week for the past three months to ride RooElla.

Jodie Goldhart working on two-point for balance and to build confidence in the saddle.

“I was taught in the old style with heels down and gripping with the knees. I learned that I wasn’t sitting on my seat bones,” she says. “Yes, she had an anterior tilt,” adds Cruickshank.

Tapping Goldhart’s leg with a yellow water-filled ball, Cruickshank explains: “Triggering the sensory receptors in the skin, fascia, ligaments, and tendons through tapping creates a feedback loop from the body to the brain, sending the message that it is okay to relax that part of the body.”

Related: Pilates for Every Equestrian

Susan Cruickshank helping Jodie Goldhart find the proper position in the saddle. The blue band from her ankles running behind RooElla puts her legs in the correct position.

Sue Gambling had a hip replacement and came to make sure her pelvis was in balance.

“Although my brain told me that I was sitting equally on both sides, I found out I was actually more forward on my right, where the surgery was.”  

Cruickshank recognized Gambling’s “piano hands” with thumbs pointing towards each other. With a piano-handhold, she was able to unseat Gambling by pulling on the reins, mimicking a horse pulling its head forward. With hands in the correct position, thumbs on top of the reins, the rider has more rotational range in the shoulders and the ability to use the core to stay seated when pulled.

Equisk bands were positioned contralaterally on Gambling, from left shoulder to right foot, and right shoulder to left foot, to help stabilize her body and allow her to feel a neutral pelvis, providing a better connection to the horse.

Sue Gambling using Equisk resistance bands to help stabilize her body and allow her to feel a neutral pelvis for a better connection to the horse.

Anne Vavra heard about RooElla through her horse chiropractor and discovered just how heavy she was in the saddle.

“I learned that I could be lighter in my aids and body language and still communicate even more effectively,” she tells me.

After taking up mounted archery, Vavra uses her simulator sessions to learn how to maintain a proper seat and stay balanced while shooting. With both hands on the bow, balance in the saddle is a very important element.

Related: Rediscovering Equestrian Sports from Long Ago

Michelle Whetung is training for the Mongolian Derby and rides RooElla with her full load on her back for three hours at a time in preparation for her next race. 

Kaitlin, who will be 18 this year, broke her arm five years ago and came to Cruickshank for rehab. 

“My rehab on the SIM allowed me to get back on my horse sooner.  Because of the increased body awareness it taught me, I continue to work with RooElla and Cruickshank on my journey to qualify for the North American Youth Championships (NAYC) Juniors this year,” she explains. 

Anne Vavra uses her sessions on RooElla to improve her seat and balance for mounted archery.

Clients from ages five to one hundred have used the simulator to recover from surgeries, broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, concussions, and more. 

Cruickshank is the North American representative for Racewood Simulators, founded by Bill Greenwood in the UK, originally designed for jockeys. She continues to study in the TYS program, now working toward her shoulder certification. 

“The courses are very intense with a lot of detail on the anatomy and biomechanics of our bodies, on and off the horse,” she says.

This knowledge in biomechanics as it relates to riding horses, combined with RooElla’s precise feedback, has attracted clients in all disciplines from various locations in North America and as far away as Australia.

Related: Crossing Mongolia for Charity

Although currently without a horse, the author, Shawn Hamilton, plans to ride RooElla more often to help her stay fit and balanced in the saddle.

My time riding RooElla was quite revealing. With an exercise band tied to my ankles, placing my legs in the correct position (heel-hip-shoulder), the improvement in my posture was felt immediately. Cruickshank guided me with a wheel analogy, isolating my hips and pelvis, to initiate a back-to-front movement as opposed to my habitual front-to-back motion. At the canter I was able to isolate each pelvic half to move more freely with RooElla. That was just one of my many “aha” moments. 

Without having my own horse at the present time, I find it difficult to stay fit in the saddle. I plan to visit RooElla more often so that, when I do have a horse again, I’ll be easier and more comfortable for them to carry.

For more information on RooElla and Susan Cruickshank visit Interactive Horse Simulator or email: roozarofarm@gmail.com.

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Main Photo: Clix Photography