Equitem

Equitem is an equestrian training system designed to instantly connect riders with their horse. Consisting of 4 armbands, 4 leg trackers and 1 app, Equitem relays the movements of the horse’s hooves as vibrations to the rider’s arms; allowing the rider to obtain immediate feedback and make improvements on the go. You can read the full Business Case document here.

Currently, many equestrians are dependent on others telling them when their horse is moving correctly whilst riding, with over 40% of riders taking longer than they’d like to achieve their riding goals. Some riders ask a partner, friends or family to video, or use a tracking camera: however, mistakes are only realised upon review of the footage. Coaches are the most common person riders rely on, employing them for lessons to learn new skills and practice existing ones. The benefit of coaches is they are able to spot mistakes and tell the rider when and how to fix it.

However, coach lessons can be expensive, costing between $50-$150 per lesson which is not always affordable to those who wish to have regular lessons. Riders often practice in between lessons, however they risk performing the movements incorrectly and developing incorrect habits. This has a negative impact on skill progress and confidence during the following lesson, as the horse and rider combination have to repeat lesson content until they learn to consistently perform the movement correctly. This negative cycle is detrimental to progress, rider confidence, welfare of the horse, and it wastes time and money.

Therefore, equestrians require a product that that allows them independence to train correctly.

Equitem is designed to reduce the reliance on coaches and minimise the amount of time wasted correcting mistakes during lessons, therefore reducing money spent on lessons and increasing skill progress.

Equitem connects the rider to their horse so they can feel every step as soon as the hoof touches the ground, giving the rider the independence and confidence to achieve their goals faster. The lightweight leg trackers, and rider arm and wrist bands (shown in orange) are quick to put on, easy to use and fit seamlessly into the existing riding routine.

4 trackers are provided for the horse to wear. Each units tracks the location of the leg it is worn on, and its proximity to the other trackers. These trackers slide on and attach to the outside of existing boot designs or polo wraps. Each unit is lightweight and secure, meaning the horse will not notice the extra equipment. As the trackers attach onto existing leg wear the horse is already familiar with, the horse will not spook at or be irritated by the Equitem trackers.

4 armbands are worn by the rider: one on both wrists and one on both upper arms. These are lightweight and quick to put on, sliding on over the top of clothing.

Haptic feedback received from the trackers keeps you in sync with and boosts awareness of your horse’s hoof placement and position.

Jessica Barratt

Equitem

Brochure

CAD