eQu gives disabled children a safer seat on the horseback and brings the legs as close as possible to the horse, the warm temperature of the horse will go into the legs of the rider and relaxes the spastic muscles.

eQu can be adjusted to the shape of the horseback and gives more shoulder freedom for the horse. The anti-shock pads can be adjusted to the weight of the rider and makes the therapy session more comfortable for the horse.

eQu is a modular system, and the therapist can adjust eQu for the different types of disabilities of the riders.

Riding therapy is in many ways used to improve childrens physical and mental disabilities. Therefore the therapist, rider and the horse need equipment which is empowering the results of riding therapy.

Nowadays there doesn´t exist a saddle which is focused for that usergroup. Normal saddles are used for riding theraphy but they are still in some ways uncomfortable for the horse and some therapy exercises can´t be done with them. An alternative which is used nowadays are just simple pads. They give a closer connection to the horse, but have the disadvantages that it is very unstable to sit on them which leads to a lot of accidents. As well these pads are not protecting the horse´s back due to the fact that the riders weight is not equally spread (like with a normal saddle).

After all, the challenge was to please 3 different users (rider/horse/therapist) which have different needs. The goal was to make the saddle more comfortable for the horse, making riding therapy safer for the child and improve at the same time the therapy results. And the workflow of the therapist should also become easier, since the added safety value can make the therapist focus more on the child.

I did not only want to design a saddle I also wanted to make the whole riding therapy experience to something more. A normal day of a disabled child is often filled with limitation. During the interview with some children I found out that as soon they enter the horse stable a new world open for them. On a horse they feel more powerful. It is basically the only sports sometimes they can do.

Thats why I wanted to make the eQu saddle in it´s look also to something special, and sporty.It shouldn´t look like a medical device since those children have been so many times in a hospital environment, they wanna have their own sport with their own sport equipment. Each child could have for example its own customized safety belt, which they bring to every session.

I was in close contact with 2 riding therapist from 2 different riding therapy centers which was essential and both of them gave me relevant feedback during my entire design process. I was as well following several riding therapy sessions with different kind of disabled children. I made several testing mock ups which were tested in the therapy centers on the moving horse with children.

Due to the fact that not everything could be tested on a real horse, I milled out a 1:1 foam horse model. With this model I was as well testing the saddle mock ups...this time with more children.

During the whole project it was very important to include as well the horse movements. In the beginning I draw the skeleton with waterbased colour on a real horse and observed the movements it made. That was necessary to understand the horses anatomy and the problem areas.

I was also in contact with a saddle fitter and a saddle maker company. In that way I could gain a lot of insights in the problematic areas of saddle fitting on horseback. My concepts were shown to them and with their feedback i went into my final direction.

The whole design process was as well including the feedback of an veterinarian.

At the end the final result, was approved by the therapists, the saddler, the veterinarian and off course by the children.

I was 70 percent of this project traveling around and testing my mock ups to get feedback on safety, comfort and its usability. The rest of the time I was building the mock ups and finalising the design with sketches and 3D programmes.

With eQu the improving results of riding therapy can be achieved much earlier. For example a child with cerepal palsy in its legs can quicker start to leave the wheelchair or walking aids.

The whole therapy empowers the children since riding on a horse is basically the only sport they can do. As quicker the improvements of their physical and mental abilities, as better they will get in horse back riding. One day it could end up that they can control a horse on their own.(during therapy sessions the horse is always guided by a helper or the therapist.)

The modularity of the saddle makes it also perfect for normal horseback riding. As more advanced the child gets as more modules can be taken away (handles, stirrups, safety belt...).

The child wants to improve itself which leads to motivation with the eQu saddle.