TUFF - Horse Simulator

TUFF is the Tall Ugly Fat F...... (Well, we’ll leave that to the imagination). He is the stationary horse everyone gets to ride before they mount one that moves on its own. He has been specially designed and modified to replicate the shape and size, and general feeling of sitting on a horse, imitating many of the natural movements of horses.

 

Regardless of the riding ability and skills of the rider, everyone has a go on TUFF in order to learn the correct seat position, the one we like to call the ‘strong seat’ to ensure maximum stability in the saddle to minimise the chance of a fall, as well as learn the specialised language we use when communicating with our horses so as to prevent any confusion between horse and rider.

 

But before we get technical, let me explain the method behind the madness. Horse riding, specially for someone who hasn’t had very much experience in the saddle, can be rather stressful and scary, as well as causing a major ‘sensory overload’, specially with having to remember all the technical bits and pieces, while trying not to fall off… or look down.

 

Learning how to sit, where to focus your attention, where to put your legs, how to hold your arms, and trying to memorise the language, both physical and vocal, is very much for a person to take in all at once can be rather daunting, this is where TUFF comes in. Tuff simulates the experience of riding a real horse; the height, seat position, hand and voice signals, and of course it also builds confidence in the saddle, so when mounted on a real horse, one has more chance to relax have fun, because they already know the theory.

 

Horses are very sensitive to their riders and everything they do in the saddle, horses always try to please. By using clear and assertive communication, the horse and rider fall into balance with each other. This also minimises any chance of confusion between the horse and rider. When constantly given the incorrect signals, a horse will become flustered, confused, and eventually frustrated or unresponsive and desensitized. In other words, correct signals mean a happy and stress free horse, which means a happy and stress free ride.