XSalute horse and rider mark XSalute
PLANTRAINCOMPETEREFLECT
The dressage training app by Virtual Dressage NZ · Made in New Zealand

Train, plan & track your dressage journey.

Your season plan, test learning, coach sessions, results and judge feedback all in one place, consolidated with insights to help you train better. From your first Novice test to Grand Prix.

Named for the halt and salute at X that starts and finishes every dressage test.

Join the betaSee XSalute

Free during beta · Runs in your phone or computer browser · Freestyle music player built in

Today dashboard screen
Founding beta cohort

Now forming our founding beta cohort

Riders from Novice to Grand Prix.

NoviceElementaryMediumAdvancedFEI / Grand Prix

XSalute adapts to each rider’s level and tests, from your season plan to the test library. FEI tests are coming.

Limited founding places

Apply for the founding beta

Tell us about your horse, level, tests ridden, target shows and coach.

How it works

Plan. Train. Compete. Reflect.

01

Plan

Add your shows and goals. XSalute builds your season in phases (Foundation, Consolidate, Prepare, Compete) and a weekly plan.

02

Train

Open Today for your session. Learn each test movement by movement on the arena diagram, with what the judge wants and schooling tips.

03

Compete & reflect

Log results, photograph judge sheets, upload test videos for your coach and watch your scores and league points add up.

Features

Everything for your season, in one place: XSalute.

Today screen

Today — your daily dashboard

Open XSalute and know exactly what to do.

  • Key stats: best score, next show, entry deadlines
  • Freestyle music player, one tap away
  • Weekly plan checklist and today’s session
  • This season’s scores, placings and points at a glance
Freestyle music player pinned at the top of the Today screen, playing Samson's Level 2 Freestyle
Live in beta

Your freestyle music, one tap away

Store your musical freestyle (MFS) music in XSalute and play it with one tap while you ride. No fumbling with phones, playlists or speakers at the arena gate.

  • Upload your freestyle music once and it’s always with you
  • Player pinned at the top of every screen
  • Play, pause and restart in one tap, mid-schooling session
Season screen

Season — plan the campaign

See the whole road to the championships.

  • Countdown to your next show and the championships
  • Training phases: Foundation, Consolidate, Prepare, Compete
  • Know which phase you’re in and what it’s for
Tests screen

Tests — learn every movement

An interactive arena diagram steps through each test.

  • Movement-by-movement arena path
  • What the judge is looking for
  • Coefficients flagged so you know where marks count
  • Schooling tips for each movement
Coach screen

Coach — make every lesson count

Plan coach visits so nothing is wasted.

  • Warm-up and exercises
  • What to film
  • Homework to carry into the week
Log screen

Log — results & logistics

Track your record and never forget the hoof oil.

  • Results history and averages
  • League points tally
  • Show packing checklist
Coach videos screen

Video review

Upload competition videos for your coach to review remotely — feedback between visits, wherever you both are.

Judge sheet reading screen showing several sheet photos summarised by judge
New in beta

AI judge sheet reading

Photograph your judge sheets and let XSalute read them for you. Turn handwritten marks and remarks into a clear plan for your next ride.

  • Photograph every page from up to three judges — up to 6 photos per test
  • AI reads the handwritten marks and remarks
  • A plain-English summary, grouped by judge
  • Common themes the judges agree on — and where they differ
  • Picks what to work on next
  • Copy a summary to send to your coach
Calm, focused Grand Prix dressage
Coming soon
Mindset

Ride with a calm, focused mind.

Sport psychology tools built into your training, so the rider is as prepared as the horse. Designed to be developed with sport psychology professionals.

◎Pre-ride & pre-show routines

Build a repeatable routine for schooling days and show mornings.

◈Guided test visualisation

Ride your test in your head, movement by movement, linked to the interactive test sheets.

≈Breathing & nerves toolkit

Quick techniques for the warm-up arena and the wait at the gate.

✦Goal setting

Set goals that tie into your season plan and phases.

♡Confidence & mood journal

Log how you felt alongside your scores, and see how mindset shows up in your marks.

✎Post-show reflection

Guided prompts to capture what went well and what to work on next.

Coming soon
Nutrition

Fuel the partnership.

Feeding and fuelling tools that sit alongside your training plan, for horse and rider.

❋Feeding plans

Horse feeding plans matched to training load and season phase.

✚Supplement notes

Keep notes and questions to discuss with your vet or equine nutritionist.

▤Feed & condition log

Track feed and body condition alongside performance and scores.

◌Rider fuel & hydration

Nutrition and hydration reminders for training and show days.

General guidance only, not veterinary or medical advice. Always consult your vet, equine nutritionist or health professional. We’re open to working with equine nutrition partners in future.

Horse in extended trot
Arena Surfaces

Know the ground you ride on.

The surface under your horse matters for soundness and welfare, for how well your horse can perform, and for a fair, consistent test. Virtual Dressage NZ wants to help every competitor learn to observe surfaces and share what they find, constructively.

Why it matters

  • Welfare & soundness: footing affects the load on your horse’s legs.
  • Performance: horses move with more confidence on secure, even ground.
  • Consistency: riders deserve comparable footing in the warm-up and the arena.

What to observe

  • Depth
  • Firmness and give
  • Consistency across the arena
  • Grip or slip
  • Drainage and wet patches
  • Dust
  • Edges and corners
  • Warm-up arena vs competition arena
Coming soon

In XSalute

  • Log and rate each venue’s surface, with photos
  • Attach surface notes to your test score
  • See community reports per venue over time
  • Share feedback constructively with organisers

Want to learn more? Read the FEI Equine Surfaces White Paper and the FEI guidance on footing. General information only; links are to independent sources.

Case study #1 · First founding rider

Samson & Susan.

Virtual Dressage NZ, the company behind XSalute, is run by Susan Philp, a rider from the Palmerston North area, and XSalute is used to train her horse Samson, a 14-year-old black stationbred by Tiraumea Flint competing at Level 2 Novice.

Every screen has been shaped by real schooling sessions, coach visits and show days, so it fits how amateur riders actually train. Samson is our first founding-cohort horse; the cohort is now opening to riders at every level.

66.2% Samson’s best Level 2 score, tracked in XSalute
Samson's results log
Grand Prix extended trot
Extended trot
Canter pirouette
Pirouette
Grand Prix trot
World Cup Final
Extended trot
Trot allongé
Grand Prix horse
Grand Prix

The levels we all dream of. Build toward them, from Novice up.

Pricing

Free during beta.

Everything is free while we’re in beta. Launch plans are below; prices are indicative and coming soon.

Beta – free during beta

Rider

Free
  • Today dashboard & weekly plan
  • Results log & packing checklist
  • Show countdown
  • Community arena surface reports (coming soon)
Beta – free during beta

Rider Pro

NZ$12/mo*
  • Everything in Rider
  • Full season campaign planner
  • Interactive test library
  • Judge-sheet insights & schooling options
  • Video upload for coach review
  • Mindset toolkit (coming soon)
  • Nutrition planner (coming soon)
Beta – free during beta

Coach

Coming soon
  • Multiple riders in one place
  • Review rider videos
  • Plan visits & set homework
Beta – free during beta

Club

Coming soon
  • Licences for clubs & pony clubs
  • Support members & instructors

*Indicative launch pricing, subject to change. No payment is taken during beta.

Join the beta
For coaches & clubs

Support your riders between lessons.

Coaches

Plan visits with warm-ups, exercises, what to film and homework. Review competition videos riders upload and keep feedback going between sessions.

Clubs & pony clubs

Give members one place to plan their season, learn tests and track progress, with instructors kept in the loop.

Shows & organisers

Interested in working with us? We’d love to talk about calendars, tests and results.

Talk to us
Our story

From lockdown arenas to XSalute.

Virtual Dressage NZ didn’t start as an app. It started as a way to keep New Zealand riders riding, together, when shows stopped.

Chapter I

Born in lockdown

When Covid lockdowns stopped competitions across New Zealand, riders had nowhere to ride a test. Virtual Dressage NZ ran virtual dressage competitions: riders filmed their tests at home and they were judged online.

Chapter II

Riders return

When lockdowns lifted and riders went back to shows, the idea grew. Virtual Dressage NZ became a way to capture, share and track progress between competitions.

Chapter III

The app

That evolved into XSalute, a training, planning and tracking app, now in beta and tested on Samson.

FAQ

Questions

Is it free?

Yes. Everything is free during beta. Paid launch plans will be announced before any charges apply.

What levels is it for?

It’s built around NZ competition riders, from Novice upwards, and is adapts to each rider’s level and tests. It’s currently used at Level 2, with FEI tests coming.

Do I need a coach?

No. It works on your own, and if you have a coach you can plan visits and share videos with them.

What devices does it work on?

It runs in your phone or computer browser and is designed mobile-first for use at the yard and shows.

Can I play my freestyle music from XSalute?

Yes. You can store your musical freestyle (MFS) music in the app and play it with one tap while you ride. The music player is pinned at the top of every screen, so it’s always within reach in the arena. It’s already live in the beta and used for Samson’s Level 2 Freestyle.

What is the Mindset feature?

A coming-soon set of sport psychology tools: pre-ride routines, guided test visualisation, breathing for nerves, goal setting, a confidence journal alongside your scores and post-show reflection. It’s designed to be developed with sport psychology professionals and will be part of Rider Pro.

What is the Nutrition feature?

A coming-soon part of Rider Pro: feeding plans matched to training load and season phase, supplement notes to discuss with your vet or equine nutritionist, a feed and condition log alongside performance, and rider nutrition and hydration for training and show days. It’s general guidance only, not veterinary or medical advice, and it won’t recommend specific products or doses.

Why does XSalute cover arena surfaces?

Footing matters for horse welfare, performance and consistency. We want to help riders learn what to look for and, when in-app reporting arrives, log and rate venue surfaces and share feedback constructively with organisers. Community surface reports will be free on the Rider plan.

Why is it called XSalute?

Every dressage test starts and finishes with a halt and salute at X, the centre of the arena. XSalute is the app; Virtual Dressage NZ is the New Zealand company that makes it.

How do I join the beta?

Apply for the founding beta cohort by emailing virtualdressagenz@gmail.com with your horse, level, tests ridden, target shows and coach. Places are limited.

Join the beta

Ride with us.

Rider, coach or club? Join the beta and help shape XSalute.

Email: virtualdressagenz@gmail.com