Train More Effectively
As riders we always strive to improve ourselves and our horses. Regardless of your level and whether you are active in competitions or not.
The Equestic SaddleClip helps you make your training more effective. As in most sports nowadays, factual data and measurements will help you improve quicker. Now this technology is finally available for Equestrians too
With the Equestic SaddleClip you can now track your training activity and measure your horse’s progress on key indicators.
Not only will you get an insight into your training habits, you will also see what impact your training has on the Rhythm, Impulsion and Symmetry of your horse.
Training Goals
What you want to achieve with your training can depend on the specific discipline your train for.
For example dressage riders want as much elevation as possible whereas for racers that’s just a waste of energy.
Some goals are generic though, whether you do jumping, eventing, dressage, working equitation, endurance or any other equestrian sport.
We all want to find the optimal rhythm for our horse. We all want that looseness and straightness. We need to balance our work on the left and right rein to ensure muscle symmetry and we need to build up stamina and strength.
The Equestic SaddleClip measures these key indicators objectively. You can see the relations between them and adjust your training to your goals.
Lets have a closer look...
Below we’ll go through some of the key areas the SaddleClip helps you in your daily training. The SaddleClip is no replacement for a trainer. It will however give you and your trainer additional information to work with and to finetune your training.
Keep it symmetrical
Symmetry is one of the key, universal, goals of riding. We need to keep the horse straight, have the same push-off on both diagonals and have the same Rhythm and Timing on both diagonals. That’s not easy. And the better you get at it, the harder it is to feel and adjust
The Equestic SaddleClip measures the symmetry of Push-off, Landing and Rhythm. It detects as little as 1% difference between the diagonals. You never had this precise feedback to work with.
Balance the work
The first ‘oops’ moments most riders have when using the Equestic SaddleClip is the time spent on each rein and the time spent per gait. We all try to balance this, but none of us have a stopwatch in our head and we all tend to do the easy things a bit more
The Equestic SaddleClip logs exactly how much time you spend on each rein and in each gait. You’ll be surprised how deceptive your own perception can be.
The optimal rhythm
Every horse is different. Each horse has an optimal rhythm that enables it to best use it’s body and generate optimal strength and suppleness.
A horse at its ideal rhythm has better coordination of its strides and can develop more strength. As the horse gets stronger, this rhythm will change. With the Equestic Gait Analysis you are able to compare the rhythm and impulsion of your horse to other horses at the same level
The Equestic Saddleclip will show you the relations between Rhythm, Impulsion and Symmetry and help you find the optimal rhythm for your horse.
Building Stamina and Strength
To build up stamina and strength effectively, an alternation of effort and rest is necessary. For muscle building you specifically train them with certain exercises. But for that to have the right effect, the muscle must be allowed to recover just enough to become stronger before you put on a heavy load again.
The Equestic SaddleClip analyses your training intensity and helps you manage the optimal training scheme
Practice the right Transitions
As riders we often, subconsciously, avoid the more difficult exercises. There’s always certain transitions that don’t go as easy as others. Maybe your trainer even gives you instructions to train certain transitions more.
The Equestic SaddleClip registers every transition you make. No more second guessing if you've trained a certain transition enough.
Keep your trainer in the loop
You’ll also be able to keep your trainer in the loop when you’re riding on your own. As we all know, it’s difficult to achieve the same results when riding by yourself. Are you less precise in your Rhythm? Are you riding less Transitions or maybe not paying enough attention to straightness?
You can give your trainer access to your data. Now they can finally see what you do differently when they’re not around. They'll be able to see what you did and what the result was.
Early Warning for injuries
One of our main concerns as riders is the possibility of our horse getting sick or injured.
The SaddleClip monitors the gait pattern of your horse. It helps you identify changes before you can even feel them.
The Equestic SaddleClip monitors Rhythm, Landing and Push-off . As soon any of those show any significant changes, signs of potential injuries, the App will warn you.
Research shows that horse owners often do not realize that their horse is irregular. In a UK study, irregularities were found in 47% of the horses, while the owners had reported that their horse was regular.
The Equestic SaddleClip can recognize an irregular rhythm or an asymmetry in trot, which is often a sign of an injury, long before the average rider can see or feel the change. The SaddleClip can already detect a 1% change.
By having this information, potential injuries can be identified faster, so that horses can receive rest and treatment at the most appropriate time and any worsening is prevented.
Most common problems and injuries
Jumpers, Hunters and Eventers have a higher risk of causing injuries on the forelimbs as they land. Often creating issues with the deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) either through inflammation or as an actual tear in the tendon. Suspensory ligament injuries as well as issues in the navicular bone and ligaments in the hoof often occur as well. Due to the nature of their work these horses are highly prone to foot injuries, hind leg injuries and knee swelling.
Dressage horses more often experience injuries more related to repetitive stress. The nature of the sport does create injuries to the legs, neck and spine. The horse must hold its own weight and injuries can often be joint and muscle issues and lead to degenerative joint disease (arthritis) in the fetlocks, hocks, neck and spine.
The Equestic SaddleClip provides insight into changes in your horse's symmetry for Push-off, Landing and Rhythm. Significant changes in these patterns can indicate early stages of lameness or strain. For more details read the examples below.
In Depth
Joint Inflammation:
Inflammation, otherwise known as “synovitis,” can occur in knee, fetlock, coffin joints or the hock joint, and is one of the most common sport horse injuries diagnosed today. The injury is likely due to a change in work level, intensity, or motion that the horse isn’t accustomed to. Your horse will appear to be sore or stiff at the start of work if he or she is suffering from inflammation.
Typically the Equestic SaddleClip will pick up very irregular patterns for Rhythm and Symmetry and they will show in the Equestic App.
The first and common way to treat this injury is to give your horse some rest. Usually at least seven to ten days off. When not acted upon timely, it can result in longtime recovery or even permanent damage.
Suspensory Ligament Injuries:
The suspensory ligament helps the ankle joint when it’s holding up weight and when it returns to normal once the weight is released. If a horse puts too much weight on the leg, the suspensory may give out resulting in lameness. Repeated stress will only prolong healing, so recognizing the injury and giving your horse rest is essential.
Spotting the injury can be difficult because it is often barely noticeable. The horse will try to shift weight away from the injured leg and to the other side.
The Equestic SaddleClip can pick up on that small change and ‘Symmetry of Landing’ will show bigger deviations in the Equestic App
Starting to hand-walk with your horse for ten minutes a day will help boost the healing process as well. Gradually increasing the duration of the hand-walking and other exercises over a few months is a wise choice. The Equestic SaddleClip can monitor the asymmetry allowing you to see the progress throughout rehab.
DDFT Damage (Tendinitis):
DDFT injuries are among the most severe that sport horses can endure and can result in a nine to twelve-month rehabilitation process.
The deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) gives a horse its support and positioning in the foot. In adult horses, the tendon runs down the back of the leg and behind the heel, attaching to the bottom of the coffin bone. It can take a long time for a horse to get back into form after a tear.
The Equestic SaddleClip usually detects bigger deviations in both ‘Symmetry of Landing’ and ‘Symmetry of Push-off’ and they will show in the Equestic App .
Like any injury, patience is the key to a full and healthy recovery. Hand-walking and shoeing changes can help your horse in the meantime. A veterinarian may offer an injection of anti-inflammatory medications if the issue is identified as tendinitis. There are many specialized rehab clinics to assist in controlled recovery.
Sore Muscles:
Sore muscles are common when a horse is not able to use it’s body correctly. Too much muscle tension, not being straight, over-training or maybe a poor-fitting saddle can be several causes.
There are many variations possible in this category. Typically Rhythm, Impulsion and Symmetry will show increasing irregular patterns and deviations in the Equestic App.
One way to look for soreness is by moving your hands and fingers as you groom. If your horse flinches, wrings the tail, or pins back the ears when pressure is placed on an area, the muscles may be sore.
A good physiotherapist can treat muscle soreness but the key is to find the root cause of the discomfort. Make sure your saddle fits perfectly and don’t shy away from looking at your own riding and training regime. Consult a professional trainer to make sure you train your horse the right way.
In all cases: Don’t ignore the warning signs!
Prevent high treatment costs by recognizing potential injuries in an early stage. By taking action early treatment costs will be reduced, and recovery time will be shorter. Your horse will thank you too.
Do not assume that it will all heal without action. When in doubt, at least give your horse a couple of days rest. The SaddleClip will show you if it has or has not improved after that.
The Equestic SaddleClip is not a medical device. Make sure you always contact a certified professional to help.
Monitor Rehabilitation
One of the most difficult processes for us as riders is bringing a horse back to work after an injury.
Our first advice is: Please always consult a certified professional rehabilitation specialist.
Whatever treatment or workout plan you’ll get, part of the plan will always be controlled movement and a gradual build up of training activity and intensity.
The Equestic SaddleClip can help you and your therapist. It helps you to keep to the schedule by logging all activity and monitoring if Rhythm and Symmetry improve.
All of this information can be shared with your Rehab Specialist so everyone has the exact same precise information on the actual work done with the horse.
Below we explain how the SaddleClip can help you keep the schedule and manage the pace.
Keep track of the schedule
Depending on the nature of the horse’s injury, at some point in the process you will get the green light to introduce very modest activity. The activity periods and frequency increase gradually, expanding to include walking under the saddle and eventually starting to slowly build up the work.
Building exercise incrementally on a strict schedule is key to rehabbing many injuries. Walking your horse under the saddle will progress to include trotting the horse for a minute, increasing to five minutes, etc., before eventually introducing the canter.
The Equestic SaddleClip tracks work per gait. Get a clear and precise overview of the actual work done over time.
If your horse is recovering from a tendon or ligament injury, usually a minimal of turns, circles, and lateral movements are advised.
The Equestic SaddleClip tracks time spent per Rein. The app also shows how you distribute work on a straight line versus turns.
Managing the pace
No matter how good your Rehab Specialist is, every horse is unique and it can’t always be predicted how your horse responds to building up training activity.
The Equestic SaddleClip analyses how symmetrical your horse Trots on Rhythm, Push off and Landing. You will be able to see progress or relapse however small.
While building up training activity and intensity you and your therapist can keep an eye on how your horse responds to that.
Are you going too fast? Does the schedule need slowing down? Or is your horse actually getting stronger more quickly than expected and you can actually build up faster? The Equestic SaddleClip will help you answer these questions.
To measure is to know!
Always remember that horses are masters of disguise. The weakest horse in a herd gets eaten first, so a horse will always hide any pain or discomfort as long as possible.
With the high tech precision of the SaddleClip you’ll be able to see right through this and enable you and your therapist to act in time.
Want to hear more?
Check out our video with Leon from Equestic & Suzanne from Big Dee's!
The Equestic SaddleClip is not a medical device. Make sure you always contact a certified professional to help and never ignore your own observations.
