I’ve had this app downloaded on my phone for months, maybe a year. I’ve never tried it. There are a couple younger women at my barn who use it and that’s what enticed me, but I generally just feel too old to open myself up to the frustration an app could cause. Has anyone tried it? I need to delete it so it doesn’t taunt me or just give it a go. HELP!
I am an out of practice army…but I like ride IQ. Short clear directions, gets me motivated, helps me focus. Specific lessons, so I can listen to one on spiralling or supplying or lead changes, several lessons are by different instructors with different styles. so if one doesn’t work for you try a different coach.
I have had good quality lessons in the past so maybe it just reminds me of the good stuff I have tucked away.
It is actually easy enough to use, I qualify for most seniors discounts and I figured it out easier than some.
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I love it! Just posted about it on another thread today.
It’s pretty much the only thing that gives me direction anymore since I seem to be perpetually trying to leg my horses back up from extended breaks.
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It’s not hard to use at all, it’s basically just a collection of recordings. The trainer talks you through the ride they are doing on their horse. I particularly like Jon Holling’s full rides (though we sometimes need more breaks because he’s usually riding advanced eventers so they go and go). There are a few I’ve repeated several times.
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They have made it a lot more user friendly in the year I have been using it. The rides are now sorted by warmups, skills, full rides, etc. Plus there is a filter feature and a clear 1, 2, 3 rating on level of difficulty.
You can make playlists if you want to combine several short warmups or skills in one place for easy access during your ride. There are a lot of longer warmups that I use as full rides.
You can download or stream.
And like @outerbanks77 said, sometimes I follow along exactly, other times I have to depart from what the instructor is doing and do my own thing. Either way I still usually get something for the lesson. You find what instructors you like and start gravitating to them.
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I just downloaded. Haven’t used it for riding. But, the podcast so far is great.
I’m going to listen to a lesson tonight and try it in the morning.
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I’d love to hear how it goes!
Has anyone compared Ride IQ with NOËLLE Floyd’s Guided Rides? Curious how they compare.
I’ve been using it for about a year and it’s been a game changer as an adult ammy who spends the majority of my time riding on my own. I have a regular weekly lesson with my trainer, but structuring the other 3-4 rides in a week can be tricky. It’s easy to get stuck in a rut of doing the same flatwork ride over and over. I don’t always have the motivation or mental energy at the end of a workday to come up with new exercises.
RideIQ does that heavy lifting for me, and I can browse lessons to find ones that target specific areas of interest or things I’ve been working on with my trainer. I’ve found that the RideIQ coaches do a great job making these lessons easy to follow in an audio format and the material accessible to a wide range of rider/horse levels and disciplines. Some lessons are specifically structured for younger/greener horses like my own, others for more seasoned horses and riders working on upper level skills. The majority of the content falls somewhere in the middle though, and the coaches provide simple modifications within each lesson for horses/riders who are still developing a skill versus those who already have command of it and may be looking to increase the difficulty or intensity.
Overall, highly recommend. I’d definitely suggest giving the app another chance before you delete. The new update makes it a lot more intuitive and user friendly. Also, for anyone who also happens to have Facebook, the RideIQ members group is great. It’s a really supportive bunch of riders sharing experiences and advice, and several of the coaches are on there too and will offer feedback as well.
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Frustration? I’m always surprised when people use those types of words to describe an app that is a tool, but I digress.
I’ve used it for about a year and a half now and find it tremendously useful. I have a mix of made and green horses at any given moment and there is no shortage of appropriate rides both for my 15-year-old schoolmaster and my 4-year-old OTTB.
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So I finally used the app.
I listened to the Kyle Carter Supple and Forward lesson yesterday and then adapted it for my horse and the fact that it’s 
outside.
I really like it. Even not following along 100% it was helpful. I made my circles all 20 meters, took more walk breaks and no cantering.
Totally doesn’t replace eyes on the ground and lessons as I need that oversight for my confidence, but I’ll definitely use it for planning out my rides.
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Can we step back a minute - how does it work with riding the horse under you?
For instance, my rides go based on what I’m feeling - a popping shoulder here, so counter-bend them for the next few strides. A little lazy there, so a few steps of medium.
How does that work if there’s someone whispering in your ear but can’t see what is happening? I feel like I would be constantly stopping the app to adjust as needed based on what I’m feeling.
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They aren’t “whispering in your ear” per se. The instructors are riding a horse and explaining what they do as they go through their ride. They explain what they are feeling on their horse, how they ask, why they are doing it, what their position is doing, what problems someone may face, etc.
The lessons all have “goals” of some sort. It might be something like “Rythmic Tempo with a green OTTB” or “Responsive Transitions” or “Square Halts” etc. There are lessons for every level of horse and rider. They even have upper level stuff and over fences lessons. You pick the lesson(s) that aligns with your own goals for the ride.
I just follow along with what they are doing.
Sometimes I can follow along with them almost exactly- they say they are picking up the trot, I do the same. They walk, I walk.
Other times I have to do my own thing for whatever reason- maybe my horse needs a walk break, maybe she is trying to spook at the neighbor’s cows, maybe we just aren’t getting that skill, whatever. But I find even if I’m not actively doing the same thing, hearing the instructor’s theory is always beneficial.
Obviously if your horse is popping a shoulder or similar, you have to correct for that yourself. And if something like that is a frequent problem, there is probably a lesson that addresses it.
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Totally agree and I’m curious about this too
It’s become my annual christmas gift from my mother - I adore it. There are rides where I follow the exercises, and others where I do my own thing, but enjoy having the trainer in my ear, even if it’s not applicable for me in that step, they’re very good about explaining big picture things. There’s also a Lauren Sprieser lesson that’s just rider cues. I kid you not, I listen to it almost once a week. It’s literally just, “eyes up, shorten your reins, etc.” I will always need reminders like that. There’s also a nice library of podcasts that I throw on when hacking out.
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Now THAT I can understand - I’d love one of someone just saying “shoulders back” every 3 minutes 
That could be very useful.
I guess I’m the type that, when riding, goes into a bit of a zone, and hate having background music or podcasts going as it feels distracting from the “feel” of riding. So I can’t imagine trying to follow some directives on a podcast, while also riding, listening to, and feeling my horse.
But that Sprieser one could be really useful, thanks! I’ll have to see if they have a trial.
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I would liken it to more like being in a group lesson or clinic than trying to listen to a podcast. What they are talking about is applicable to your ride.
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Ride IQ is well established with 100s of rides and a huge support communit. Noelle floyd is a cheap knock off
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I select the best lesson for what I want to work on for that ride. If I need to make a change then I do what I need and then just ignore what’s going on in the lesson or just catch up later. I found that the reminders in the lesson not only don’t distract from my ride but actually improve it because it’s helpful to have someone go “where are your shoulders?” or something similar.
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Also adding, they have a 2 week free trial. I think I read on the group FB that there is also a promo where you can download one lesson and have access to it indefinitely for free? Although I’m not seeing that on the website now.
They also have a quiz feature on the website (the quiz is not actually in the app) that gives you lesson recommendations if you are just overwhelmed where to start. I’ve found better lessons for me than the quiz recommendations by just reading through the descriptions on the app, but it’s a handy jumping off point if you don’t know where to start:
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