Here's her story:

Some time ago, I was re-gripping my tennis racquet with a length of cushioned, rubber gripping tape. I was thinking about a very green horse I was schooling, and it flashed into my mind: Why hasn't someone created a set of removable, gripping panels for saddles, to improve grip, rider comfort, performance, safety, cornering speed during jumping rounds, and every other aspect of equestrian sport? No one had.

So, I did.

I wrote the patent, engineered the prototypes, began ride-testing, designed the website, and, with input from the early-stage experimental customer base across the U.S., Canada and New Zealand, continuing to improve the product.

RiderGrip™ International was launched in late 2010 in Calgary Canada and Cologne Germany at the Spoga Equestrian Trade Exhibition. 

I could probably use a nap.

Formerly a college English professor, she consults for attorneys in the area of FDA-regulated biomedical research in Biologics and Implantable Devices.

She designed RiderGrips™

to give all equestrians that extra level of confidence and performance in the saddle that hadn't existed before.

LeeAnn's Equestrian Resumé:

Calm, cool and collected schooling, for your horse’s peace of mind.

• Hunter-Jumper (Foxfield Riding Academy, Westlake, CA USA)
• Dressage
• Santa Ynez Valley Hunt Club
• Polo: Santa Barbara Polo Club
• Jumpers (to 1.5M)
• Team Penning
• Instructor, Santa Barbara Therapeutic Riding Academy (NARHA)
• Equine Rehab / Injury / Post-surgical: Groundwork, long rein work, liberty work, massage therapy.
• Diverse methods of combined training and equine philosophy, applied with quiet patience, persistence and compassion.

• Equine Orthopedic medicine, preventive and corrective shoeing practices.

• Current and traditional schools of equine nutrition and feeding that balance systemic Ph toward the alkaline. Diagnosis of chronic nutritional deficiencies resulting in disease and joint issues.

Recommended Reading: 

• Kohanov: The Tao of Equus
• Ackerman: Dressage in the Fourth Dimension
• Allen: 101 Jumping Exercises
• Schutol / Mistral: Horse Training In-Hand.