Technology in the form of mobile apps has become a major part of our lives. Whether you enjoy a relaxing hack at the weekends, or are busy out competing frequently, there are numerous apps for horse riders available to help you organise your equestrian life. Here, in no particular order, are some of our current favourites...
What3words
This innovative app should be on every rider’s phone. What3words splits the world into a grid and assigns every 3mx3m square in that grid a unique three-word address. These randomly-assigned words, for example career.puzzle.area, are as accurate as GPS coordinates. The app makes it fast and easy to communicate exact locations, which is especially handy in rural or remote regions, and it has already helped rescue services find horses and riders in need by pinpointing their exact location. The app works offline, is available in more than 40 languages (including Welsh) and can be used anywhere in the world.
Cost: free
Find it: itunes.apple.com, play.google.com
Equilab
Use this app to track and analyse your schooling sessions – simply carry your phone on your person while riding and the app will record gait distribution, speed, and strides per minute, and can even tell you how much time you have spent on each rein. It can also record your route and distance on hacks, and allows somebody else to remotely track your ride and see your location as part of the safety tracking feature. Owners can collate information about their horse and organise their diary, as well as sharing details with friends, trainers and vets.
Cost: free
Find it: itunes.apple.com, play.google.com
Trackener
This app allows you to help monitor health, detect issues and prevent anxiety in your horse. The Trackener device analyses 24/7 your horse’s activity, location, movement, behaviour and heart rate. It can be placed within either an ergonomically designed horse bib, comfortable on the horse in the stable and in the field, and on a girth sleeve for when the horse is being exercised. It allows for unprecedented insights about your horse’s life via the app wherever you are and receive real time alerts in case of critical issues.
Cost: From £9.99 per month. Various purchase or rental options available.
Find it: trackener.com
TestPro British Eventing
The newest offering from the team behind Dressage TestPro, which was launched in 2018. This app can be used in or out of the saddle to provide an easy and effective way for event riders to learn their dressage tests. Listen to the test being read out while you’re riding, or watch it being “drawn” in front of you, with the option to draw it on screen yourself to make sure it is fully ingrained in your memory before your competition. All the British Eventing dressage tests are loaded onto the app, and there is the option to add FEI tests too. All updates to tests are included in the app free of charge, so you know you’re learning the right test at the right time.
Cost: free; download extra tests and credits from £1.99
Find it: itunes.apple.com, play.google.com
Grooms Go To
If you’re a professional groom, especially if you spend lots of time travelling, your life might be about to get a whole lot easier with this brand new app, launched by Daniel Deusser’s groom Sean Lynch. It allows you to quickly find stabling and vet clinics close to your location, as well as fill out, sign and send paperwork, book flights and ferries, and stay on top of your horse’s vaccinations, feeding routines and much more wherever you happen to be. It can even alert you to new grooming job vacancies, and help you navigate tricky cross-border Covid-19 regulations. And everyone who cares for horses can benefit from the tips and tricks section, giving easy-to-access advice on everything from plaiting to travelling.
Cost: £8.99
Find it: itunes.apple.com, play.google.com
OS Maps
Discover Britain on horseback — the official mapping app from Ordnance Survey gives you high-res access to all the Ordnance Survey maps, enabling you to find your local bridleways and plan your routes before you set out. The integrated GPS tracker will help you keep track of your current location while you’re out and about, so hopefully you’ll never get lost. This is particularly useful for long distance and endurance riders — as well as those who enjoy exploring for fun.
Cost: free
Find it: itunes.apple.com, play.google.com
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CrossCountry app
If you love eventing, you need this app. It has a range of features including the ability to record your cross-country course walk with GPS on your iPhone or iPad, add photos, videos, comments and striding, provides automatic minute markers, allows you to share courses or download virtual guided coursewalks and view courses on any smartphone, tablet or PC. The CrossCountry app works anywhere in the world and doesn’t require a mobile connection or internet.
Cost: £14.99
Find it: itunes.apple.com, play.google.com
Eventing Manager
This addictive game from EquiRatings allows you to become an event team manager, selecting your combinations and your team – while keeping to an allocated budget. Create or join a league with friends and get planning your riders’ tactics ahead of real-life competitions. You can even take advantage of a post-dressage transfer windows during live events, allowing you to drop combinations who have let you down. Perfect for filling the eventing void while sport is getting back on track, or just indulging your eventing addiction at any time.
Cost: Free
Find it: itunes.apple.com, play.google.com
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