About Us
The Balance Rider was born of the combined passions of a husband and wife team. Through their different, yet complimentary, interests, fitness expert and inventor, Jim Lauter, and lifetime horsewoman, Jo Lauter, came up with this simple aid to the profound development of core strength, physical balance and proprioceptive acuity.
It all began when the passage of time in Jo’s life took a toll on this once fearless rider’s confidence. Understanding the heart and the physiology of the situation, Jim set about the business of building an antidote.
A longer story than there’s space to tell here, suffice it to say that the resulting collaborative effort produced a gift to horses and riders, athletes and other humans of all ages, interests and activity levels.
Jim Lauter
Inventor, Company Founder and CEO
A fitness industry professional for most of his adult life, Jim was a high school football coach for 20 years, and a personal trainer for 10 years. Always staying abreast of innovative technology and emerging trends, Jim is, today, a leading expert on cutting edge core, balance, and proprioceptor training.
A high school football coach for 15 years, Jim also holds the distinction of having been the first, ever, in home personal trainer in the busy resort town of Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
Always involving himself in cutting edge technology, Jim has become an expert in the fields of proprioceptor exercise and core training. Married to a lifetime horsewoman, Jim conceived the idea for The Balance Rider to specifically target––from a unique seated position––the core muscles and proprioceptors that are so vital to physical fitness.
“Balance,” Jim says, “is not always recognized as an essential component of fitness. But the simple fact is that every form of physical activity –– even just walking, sitting upright or getting in and out of a chair––is enhanced by good balance.”
Jo Hardesty Lauter
Company Co-Founder
Jo has spent her entire life in the company of horses and horseman. Since the 1960s, she has been an active participant in the horse industry, training horses, instructing riders, etc. During the past 40 years Jo managed the three most successful Arabian horse breeding ranches of the 1970’s & 80’s, the pinnacle years of that industry’s success. She was marketing and promotions manager for more than a dozen Arabian stallions, each of which achieved National acclaim and million dollar plus value under her direction. She enjoyed the experience of being production coordinator, script writer, and marketing director for numerous multi-million-dollar Arabian horse auctions. She was the editor of seven internationally distributed equine publications, and editorial contributor to many others. And she was Publisher of the award winning Arabian Horseman Magazine; Founding board member of the Arabian Professional Horsemen’s Association; and co-writer and marketing director of the Arabian Horse Show industry’s primary prize money program.
Jo is an author and book
publisher, whose primary focus today is on helping Jim to expand awareness about The Balance Rider to maximize the good this unique and valuable product has the capacity to do.
By the way, she’s riding again . . . even walking with her dogs over snow and ice . . . reasonably fear-free, all things considered.
