Lesson on Horatio helps iron out faults

For a start, it is a long time since I have had any lessons and I know that years of happily hacking out have not done anything for the finer points of my riding. But they promised it would be fun and that I would like Horatio. So here goes...

Horatio turns out to be a mechanical horse, a dressage simulator and one of only three in the country at the moment.

He is housed in a new rider fitness suite at the college, with mirrors on either side and a plasma display screen on the wall ahead. There is no escape as your every move is monitored and you soon know if you are doing something wrong.

Your leg aids, for example, must be spot on before Horatio will change pace and I quickly realised that my right side was much weaker than my left.

A red dot on the screen shows how your weight is distributed and how well you are balanced and this was really useful.

With so much to think about, I was glad that Emma Jane Foster, course manager for the National Diploma in Horse Management at the college, was there to help.

She has ridden competitively and is also interested in point-to-point training.

"Riders don't realise that you need to be fit, regardless of your level," she said.

"People under-estimate the level of fitness they need to do the job well. Your confidence will be better because your fitness will be better and your balance in the saddle.

"A horse carrying a fit rider is much safer than a horse carrying an unfit rider."

The plasma screen is programmed so that you can have a lesson, a free ride or do a dressage test in an arena. Using Horatio teaches you accuracy and how to fine tune your aids and is useful for experienced riders as well as those just starting out, says Emma Jane.

Horatio has been a considerable investment for the college and they hope to be able to recover some of the cost by making him available to more riders and possibly riding clubs as well as students.

My lesson included doing a variety of transitions between the paces, going from walk to canter and leg yielding – with plenty of instruction from Emma Jane. She pointed out that core stability is vital if you want to ride well, so doing sit-ups, pilates and using a gym ball can all help.

Horatio and I finished the lesson on a high note (with considerable guidance) by doing a flying change – for the first and probably only time in my life. My New Year's resolution? Must join a pilates class.

More information: tel. 01964 553000; www.bishopburton.ac.uk