THE EQUIMOTION STORY
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EquiMotion was founded in 2018 by Sarah Davenport who has more than 30 years' experience working with horses in a wide range of disciplines including dressage, eventing, competitive endurance riding and years spent as an arab racehorse trainer. Having run her own successful equine therapy business for many years, a serious neck injury meant that this was no longer a viable full-time option for Sarah.
As an equine therapist, Sarah often observed what a big part the rider's posture played in both the horse's way of going and in some of the problem areas she was treating, and similarly, how problems in the horse were creating problems, and often pain, for the rider. Being able to correct these for both horse and rider, and therefore greatly improve the riding experience for both, became one of the favourite parts of her job - and so EquiMotion was born.
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As Sarah's work with both horse and rider continued, the matter of having the correctly fitting tack became apparent. Sarah's knowledge of anatomy meant that she could spot a restriction in either horse or rider which was being caused by an unbalanced saddle, or an inappropriate bit. Her continued thirst for knowledge, then lead into saddle, bit and bridle fitting qualifications, which today is still the main focus of her work.
ABOUT SARAH
With a long list of injuries herself, Sarah took her extensive knowledge of equine anatomy and biomechanics and started to develop an equally extensive knowledge of human anatomy and biomechanics, with a particular focus on their role in riding. Knowing the benefits of Pilates for riders, Sarah trained as a Level 3 Mat Pilates Instructor and is also a qualified Equipilates™ Biomechanics Trainer.
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At the same time, Sarah began to investigate the use of "Franklin Balls" in riding. January 2019 saw EquiMotion host the first true equestrian Franklin Ball clinic in the UK. The response to this clinic from riders was significant, the postural improvement in one session, dramatic. In February 2019, Sarah travelled to New York to attend the first Franklin Method Equestrian training with Eric Franklin, keen to learn how and why these little balls made such a big difference. Sarah returned to the UK as the first (at the time, only) Franklin Method Equestrian trainer in the UK. Sarah remains at the forefront of Franklin Method Equestrian training and is currently one of just three Level One Equestrian Educators in the world.
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As EquiMotion grew, a common theme began to emerge. Most of the riders Sarah was seeing, had some form of injury, often incurred many years previously, that appeared to be a significant contributory factor to the problems clients were encountering in their riding. Determined to help her clients overcome these injuries, Sarah travelled to Lisbon to qualify as an AiM (Anatomy in Motion) Practitioner. The impact these programmes had on her own injuries was profound, and Sarah is now able to incorporate this work into her rider performance work at EquiMotion.
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The enforced rest period during the Covid-19 lockdown meant that Sarah had some rare and unexpected time on her hands, which she utilised with even more learning! Joining the Saddle Fit4Life Academy and enrolling on the Equine Ergonomist Certification gave Sarah a fantastic insight into saddle fitting from a biomechanical point of view for not only the horse, but also the rider. Saddle's and bridle's go hand in hand, in terms of maximising the potential movement and also welfare of the ridden horse, hence the next logical step for Sarah was to begin to study bit and bridle fit.
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Beginning her studies with the Horse Bit Fit Academy, Sarah gained a higher distinction as a LANTRA qualified Advanced Bit & Bridle Fit Consultant, also gaining accreditation as a member of EAPER. She then went on to study with the Neue Schule Academy gaining a distinction in their "Equine Bits & Bitting Science" course, and in 2023 attended Durham University to complete the Neue Schule "Qualified Bit and Bridle Fitter" course, one of only a handful of professionals to have done so, in the UK. With training provided by Sue Dyson, Jane Bartle-Wilson and Dr. Graham Cross, the Neue Schule Academy courses complimented Sarah's existing biomechanical knowledge.