Aside World Magazine
Spring 2022 Issue
Review of Equilab Phone App.
Article and Photos by Tammie Conway
If you are like most of my horse friends, at some point you have probably used a mileage app of some sort on your phone. This could be on an intermittent or regular occasion for training purposes, safety, or even tracking mileage for personal use or for awards programs such as ISSO's Aside Mileage Program. In the past I would only use an app when going on a trail ride in unfamiliar areas, just in case I were to get lost. Since ISSO restarted the mileage program a couple years ago however, I have tried using a couple apps. Last year I settled on the Map My Ride one to keep track of both aside rides for ISSO and astride rides for personal knowledge and training of my horses.
​
Photo Above of some available apps including Map My Ride & Equistic
Photo Above start screen for Map My Ride
Photo Above of overview of rides
Each app has their pros and cons but I have never found one that completely fulfills all my riding needs. I even bought an Equistic after Kate's review, but have had difficulties with it physically breaking (they did replace the part for free), multiple technical issues with tracking rides/loosing data (don't know if this was due to my phone, the app, or reception at the barn), and have ultimately stopped using it for now. I have recently debated using it again as I did like to know the evenness of my horses gaits but it will require a monthly subscription and running the Equistic app along with a mileage program runs down my phone battery way too quickly so I have been trying alternative programs to see if I can find a happy medium which I think I may have!
A couple weeks ago I was told about a new app called "Equilab Equestrian Tracker" which tracks your rides and records movement of your horse but also has some extra bells and whistles if you want to pay. It has been around for over four years but again I am just finding out about it. The funny thing is, when I mentioned it to a couple people, several were already aware and using it but had not told me about it, hence the reason I thought this may be a good article for Aside World! There is a free version that you can download to your phone and an option for a paid premium subscription that includes additional features.
The basic version allows you to track multiple horses for mileage/distance purposes, track you on a GPS screen, see how many transitions you did as well as graphically see your speed, tempo, stride, elevation and count the number of transitions. The Summary screen can tell you number of training rides as well as total number of miles, total hours, and breaks down time in each gait. There is a graph that shows a comparison of your last 30 days to others in Equilab and that can be further divided into discipline. There is also a place at the end of the ride to write a paragraph about the ride and it has a smiley face scale for you to rate your horse as well as how you felt as a rider.
​
The premium option includes all the regular access plus full access to advanced details about the training, weather history, q customized calendar, safety tracking and supposedly some new upcoming features. I went with the free version for maybe two weeks to check it out then tried the premium version for free for a week. Afterwards there are three options for subscription: monthly for $9.99, 6 months for $49.99 (ends up being $8.33 per month), and a 1 year option for $79.99 (ends up being $6.67 per month). I ended up liking the safety tracking in particular so I went ahead and paid for the yearly subscription since it saved me money and I can have people check on me while I ride alone.
Start Screen of Equilab App
Free Analysis screen with just graph
Free version - number of transitions
Premium Options and Pricing
Premium screen with extra information
Paid version with more information
Screen showing options with premium
As you can see with the photos to the left, the app can analyze speed, tempo, transitions, stride length, and elevation. For these analysis screens, the difference between the free and paid versions is seeing just a graph over time (with the free version) versus specific details at each gait (with paid version).
When you look at the differences in the analysis: the free version shows a graphical depiction of information over time which is helpful to see visually and is similar to other programs I have used. The paid version on the other hand has a lot more specifics depending on the sub-category. After using both versions I personally feel the additional information in the paid version is well worth the money charged and I especially appreciate the ease of technology compared to other options I have found on the market. It can't get much easier than just putting your cell phone in your pocket or wearing any Apple Watch!
Under the Speed category in the paid version you can see within each gait your average speed, top speed and distance traveled. I can really see this being quite helpful when trying to work on conditioning your horse or having data when training for several different disciplines (such as cross country or endurance riding).
​
In the paid option there are additional analysis for Tempo which is in strides per minute for each gait, Transitions which show number of upward and downward transitions for each combo (i.e. trot to canter or canter to walk), Stride is for average length of stride in feet per gait, and Elevation shows the total feet climbed at each gait.
The Trends tabs shows a summary of the number of training session in the set time period along with total miles, hours, and trial riding miles breaking it down with time in each gait. The paid version unlocks additional information with gait distribution, turns distribution with time in each gait in each direction, self evaluated performance of horse and rider, ground distribution, and distance. You can also Compare your training session in last 30 days compared to other trainings in Equilab. You can even select a discipline. The Summary screen shows you a map with color coded lines for gait and will tell you distance, speed, horse energy and rider energy. In the Premium version it also shows the temperature, wind and humidity along with distance, speed, and tempo within gaits, and the amount of time spent on each rein at each gait.
Premium membership also gets you safety tracking, a posture coach with reminder to maintain good posture & keep eyes up during the ride (if you have compatible ear buds- which are next on my list to buy since I do not have any). You can record training directly from apple watch without the phone. There is a trends section, an interactive calendar. You can even export your training!
​
My favorite thing about the Premium version is the safety tracker function which I really love. It allows you to real time send a text to anyone when you start your ride (they do not need to have the app) and they can follow your ride via GPS until you safely return home. It can pinpoint exactly where you are in the world in case you have an accident and need help. One rider I talked to said their hunt requires it for all staff so if there was an accident in the field they could easily find the rider (but you have to have the phone on your person and not in your sandwich case on your horse!).
Above shows comparison of rides
Photo to Left of screen showing how you share your ride with the Web Link
Photo Above is what the person you contact will see when you text your ride to them
Above shows your safety tracking
Above is what your safety buddy will see when they click on the link that you send when you start your ride. They can see real time exactly where you are and can come get you if help is needed.
Pro's​
-
Free version available with many features
-
Easy to download via your App store
-
3.2 K ratings with 4.8 stars on my App store
-
Easy to use technology (phone or Apple watch)
-
Has typical features of other tracking apps
-
Has notes section for each ride and rating scale
-
There is an option to connect with friends & also chat
-
You can keep records in each horses profile
-
You can add other riders, trainers, vets, grooms, or anyone interested in tracking your horses progress
-
Numerous Advanced Analytics with Paid version- better than most other apps (in my opinion)
-
Safety Tracking with Paid version
-
Posture Coach with Paid version
-
Audio Stats with Paid version (coaches you through ride)
-
Weather condition tracker with Paid version
-
Can Export data/analytics
-
I keep finding more functions the more I play with it!
Con's
-
Have to pay for advanced features
-
Does not tell you evenness of gait (like Equistic)
Overall, I would say I am very pleased with the Equilab app and am happy to pay the yearly fee for the additional features. I feel it is a fair price for all that I get and I like that the technology is very easy and does not run down my phone battery quickly. For me, the safety tracking feature in particular is worth it because I ride alone a lot of time and have had several falls over the years. I now have the security to know if something goes wrong then I can be found in a timely manner and someone can accurately come find me via GPS. I also like the fact I can track multiple horses for no additional fee (several other apps charge extra for each horse added to the account or make you pay a "trainer" price). In fact, I am currently riding a friends horse while they are recovering from an injury and this has been so convenient. I send him the text to Safety Track me and he can see real time my entire ride. He appreciates knowing exactly what I did and how long I am riding his horse. I can see this being a great resource for people who have their trainers ride their horses as well. One can monitor rides, see how long and what was done, and track progress of training. I am sure I have forgotten to tell you all the functions and in fact, each day I keep finding more and more that I didn't know about so as far as apps go I definitely give this app two thumbs up and suggest you at least try the free version (and heck, the free 7 day Premium trial as well) as you may find something you can't live without!
If you decide to try the Equilab app please comment on our FB page, drop me a PM or you can even send an email to AsideWorld@sidesaddle.com and let me know your thoughts so I can add them to the post!
Stay safe out there! Tammie
If you would like to submit an article for the next edition of Aside World
Please contact AsideWorld@sidesaddle.com