The Quintessential Rider: Equestrian Training For The Digital Age

Over lockdown, South Africans were introduced to a new online platform called The Quintessential Rider. A new platform, and the first of its kind in South Africa, the Quintessential Rider team, led by creator Graham Kearney, introduced a new way for riders and coaches to increase their knowledge and learn from the very best riders and coaches in South Africa. The platform is all-inclusive with monthly training videos released on topics such as showjumping training, warm-up etiquette, reading a dressage test, grooming techniques, and mounted archery accuracy.

The idea came from Graham Kearney who, with the implementation of the coronavirus lockdown, noticed a gap in the market for online equestrian education and decided that, with his expertise in the field of photography and videography, a history of artistry, and a long standing connection to the equestrian world, this would be an incredible platform to launch in SA. The platform quickly grew beyond the ability of just one man and so Graham teamed up with a few partners, a small film crew who also doubled up as editors, and, of course, the riders, coaches, grooms, and judges who provide the knowledge in the videos.

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An educational series like this is an incredible way of bringing equestrian-relative information into the new age and providing access to equestrians of all ages, disciplines, and riding levels. With showjumping coaches such as Anne-Marie Esslinger, Ian van Schalkwyk, Barry Taylor, and Nicola Sime-Riley, you get an incredible range of knowledge, diversity, and years of experience brought to you in a tailor-made package the size of an easy-to-view video that can be watched anytime, anywhere. The dressage, showing, and eventing disciplines are also catered for by bringing well-respected personalities such as Debi Van Wyk, Gregory Goss, and Roxanne Massaro into the coaching seats to share their extensive range of expertise in their own respective disciplines.

The education doesn’t stop at the riding episodes either, they continue to cover the full equestrian lifestyle by including videos on saddle fitting with Claire Jurgen, hoof cleaning with Samuel – Head Groom of O’Connor Equestrian, how to tack up a showjumping horse, and a turnout guide by Julia Vickers. Videos focusing on grooming techniques are even hosted in a number of vernacular languages including Zulu and Sotho, allowing grooms to learn from the best in their native tongue.

Graham Kearney and his team hope to grow the series into a platform that’s available worldwide to emphasize the well-being of the horse through correct training and to provide access to education to those who may not have instructors or facilities nearby. While the platform is not designed to replace coaches, it may provide another point of view to take into account as well as perhaps enable riders to better understand the basics so that lessons with their coaches can be more productive.

The Quintessential Rider is available to all equestrians for a minimal monthly subscription fee of R150 per month and is also available on a month to month basis to enable users to pick and choose the monthly lesson plans that suit their personal needs.

Full details, trailers, and breakdowns of The Quintessential Rider lessons, as well as bonus content, can be found either on the official website and Facebook page.

-The JumpOff-

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