What will be the next big change in equestrianism?

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helenchat

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Just a 'for fun' question !
Today my friends mum was showing me photos of her early Eventing days in the late 60s/early 70s- no body protector and hat with a chin cup etc. - and happened to mention that at the time, she couldn't imagine riding in anything else, and thought she was using the most high tech / safety conscious equipment (which for the time, I imagine she was!)
But it did make me wonder what new developments we're going to see in the next few years or even decades - which will make us think air jackets or body protectors and current Eventing organisation is really old fashioned!
So does anyone have any predictions for what's going to change in equestrianism in the next few years?
Opinions on Safety equipment / competition standards / Olympic organisation are all welcome !
 
It'll be all these apps and devices that give you clear feedback about your horse's physical state (heart rate, lame or not, over-bent and distressed, etc) and maybe even mental – new research on horse thought processes and preferences and how they can communicate pain or whether they want a rug or hate dressage.

I think that will potentially shake many things up.
 
SusannaF said:
It'll be all these apps and devices that give you clear feedback about your horse's physical state (heart rate, lame or not, over-bent and distressed, etc) and maybe even mental – new research on horse thought processes and preferences and how they can communicate pain or whether they want a rug or hate dressage.

I think that will potentially shake many things up.
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Ooh that's a good call! I've seen lots of ads for these new smart girths etc, will be really interesting to see how commonly they're used and the sort of data they'll collect!
 
Possibly tack coming with built in reflective strips as standard, likewise using hi-vis materials for breeches and riding jackets. Riding helmets might have cameras built in for safety, but also for uploading live footage to social media. And all horse feed will come from the foothills of Bavaria - it'll probably be the nation's main source of revenue! :D
 
Romote control robots on the horses instead that would be super safe for us and warmer and we could eat cake and drink tea whilst 'riding' that would be great (for me anyway because I'm too lazy to ride)
 
I definitely think there will be advances in relation to wellbeing in our horses. As a previous poster said, we will likely have more access to information about their state of health, and I also think that now there is far more acceptance that behavioural issues are often pain related.
Possibly also greater understanding of diet and nutrition.
 
H&H did bit about horses in the future, think it was supposed to be a joke but is getting scarily likely to come true, one but I remember was lazer beams instead of jump poles so there was no danger if a horse touched a pole as was no pole.

Also mentioned the advent of the 'sports shetland' which us shetland owners know already exists.......
 
Big changes in how we keep horses - more like the system of individual pens that you see in parts of Europe or the US, and more use of walkers etc. I can't see the land holding up any other way in a lot of places.
 
Eek!!! Some of the above is pretty scary!!!

But I can foresee us using modern materials to greater effect in the way we care for and ride our horses. We've already gone from jute rugs with pure wool linings to high denier nylon and fleece, heavy leather and brass fastenings to lightweight webbing and Velcro, leather tack to synthetic etc ....

As materials technology advances I can see things like rugs getting warmer but lighter, synthetic leather becoming more the norm due to its lightness and ease of care, rider clothing becoming more breathable/water resistencia/hi viz, protective headgear becoming ever more effective but less bulky etcetc ...

Bring it on .... space age equestrianism is the future ....
 
Hacking will become a thing of the past, or available only in the more remote areas of the uk, roads will be too busy and land that isn't covered in concrete will be desperately needed for food production. Horses will increasingly seen as an expensively luxury as feed costs rise.
 
Overdue already this one. Riding schools required to teach the basics of walk trot and canter on a simulator instead of a live animal.

Biomechanics and advanced materials resulting in the production of more types of treed saddle without a fixed front arch (as in the WOW)

Air suits that inflate without pulling a cord when they sense a fall.
 
I recently bought a Hovding for cycling in as I was fed up of horrible plastic helmets: http://shop.hovding.com/ and I've read that they're going to be designing them for horse riding eventually.

YCBM - just seen your post. That's exactly what my Hovding does (but for my head, not body)
 
Thank you everyone for all the replies - it's made for some interesting reading and a great debate up at the yard this morning !
My main thought was that eventually at the top levels of Eventing we'll see all human fence judges replaced by some sort of motion sense camera during the cross country phase. Think it might help to take out some of the interpretation needed- especially when you have riders shouting 'not presenting' / debates over stepping back at a step or ditch.
I also think the tape in open water jumps will probably be replaced by some sort of pressure sensitive technology which will automatically trigger a red light or something similar if a certain amount of pressure is applied- again to take out the question of whether a horse made an imprint on plasticine or if it was just the edge of a boot and if that should count etc.

But yes I think the biomechanics industry will hugely influence how we keep our horses- and probably ourselves - for the best standard of living, riding and competition!
And in terms of clothing - I'm only 22 but have myself gone from riding at pony club as a child in a huge, thick and sweaty rugby shirt to using a technical base layer in the last few years, and I think there is a definite move towards manufacturers realising that riders need and want sports style clothing (e.g breathable, waterproof, sweat wicking etc.), so I'm interested to see what will change in this area next !
 
Probably some sort of 'safety' measures to prevent people falling off the horse and getting hurt. There actually are already things like this but mainly used in America. But with health and safety and people who complain about the simplest of things being around now i could see these measures becoming mandatory in competition.
 
I miss old style horse world. If people rely on an app to tell them everything they won't bother to know an animal and quickly honestly I think it would lead to a stupider horse world.
 
ycbm said:
Overdue already this one. Riding schools required to teach the basics of walk trot and canter on a simulator instead of a live animal.

Biomechanics and advanced materials resulting in the production of more types of treed saddle without a fixed front arch (as in the WOW)

Air suits that inflate without pulling a cord when they sense a fall.
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Teaching w/t/c in a simulator would make most animals under 14hh obsolete. How would any child ever learn to have compassion or love for an animal if they are riding a robot? The robot also can't teach them balance and special awareness. What's the point in having a horse?! Just buy a Xbox and get a riding game.
 
I'm surprised the sensor for water jumps isn't used already, it would make life 10x easier and the technology is there I believe (would be similar to the lazer beam thingys that start/stop when you cross them to time you round a course)
That said, if you put a foot in the water, they may not work, but then anyone with common sense would see it and give 4 points anyway.

I can imagine riding hats may change with more concussion technology being developed. Air jackets may change as well, for a similar reason and have a new/different design.

XC fences may change to something 'safer' for the big solid fences that won't break and pins don't work for (like corners) and changes to the format possibly, if the Olympics are planning to change.

There will undoubtedly be changes to horse care - more research into veterinary options, into alternative ways of keeping horses, advances to how we keep them/even more understanding towards it. And advances and changes to how we ride as well, and how riding is taught.

I hope to see more veterinary advances too, I know stem cells can now be used to treat some injuries, so maybe we will start to see more and more advances and more injuries that are otherwise thought to be 'career ending' and 'life ending' become fixable, or at least fixable to the extent the horse can live soundly and whilst maybe not compete at the level it was at, remain a sound riding horse at a lower level.

The one thing I will be reluctant to see is horse prosthetic legs - until they are further developed I personally think they are cruel, limit the life and cause more suffering to the horse. I have never seen a horse fitted with a prosthetic that is happy or seemingly able to live as a horse without massive human interference and a lot of horses with prosthetics seem to be kept alive due to the owners not being able to understand sometimes it is kinder to let them go, than to prolong a life of suffering. If prosthetics technology advances so horses can live soundly and happily as horses with a prosthetic, then maybe my opinion will change on that.
 
equi said:
I miss old style horse world. If people rely on an app to tell them everything they won't bother to know an animal and quickly honestly I think it would lead to a stupider horse world.
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Indeed! But one advantage of that stuff: it makes it objective, not subjective. So people who don't see or acknowledge something like lameness would have to admit it.

I wonder about electronic means for judging dressage too. I think Epona suggested it once – measuring how well a horse really was carrying itself or if its rider was hard-handed.
 
Martin-Baker making saddles. If you can feel yourself falling, pull an ejection handle and you get fired clear and land by parachute.

Feed which makes poo glow in the dark so that you can poo pick at night.
 
equi said:
Teaching w/t/c in a simulator would make most animals under 14hh obsolete. How would any child ever learn to have compassion or love for an animal if they are riding a robot? The robot also can't teach them balance and special awareness. What's the point in having a horse?! Just buy a Xbox and get a riding game.
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I said teach the basics before they move onto a horse or pony? Also ON a simulator, not IN a simulator. They already exist, they should, imo be being used more widely. Our local RDA has one. So does the National Racing School.
 
case895 said:
Martin-Baker making saddles. If you can feel yourself falling, pull an ejection handle and you get fired clear and land by parachute.

Feed which makes poo glow in the dark so that you can poo pick at night.
Click to expand...


Is that the same Martin Baker who's just paid a half million £ fine for killing a pilot?

I volunteer you to test it first :D. I like the idea though, sounds like fun!
 
I predict the complete unavailability of molassed horse feeds as gut biome analysis shows how unsuitable it is as part of the diet of a horse.
 
i think it will be a realisation of just how ineffective we can be as riders trainers, a revolution embracing the principles of classical ways of showing the rider how not to spoil the bloom on an unspoilt horse, how to use horses without breaking them down with our own stupidity, so the horses soundness possibilities will be enhanced long term.

i hope it will be a new age in the history of horses lives.
 
ycbm said:
Is that the same Martin Baker who's just paid a half million £ fine for killing a pilot?

I volunteer you to test it first :D. I like the idea though, sounds like

The worry with a horse would be the issue which used to effect F-104 Starfghter pilots. Early marks had downward firing seats, later marks upward firing ones. A pilot used to upward firing ones suffered an engine failure just after taking off in a downward firing seat aircraft. It took several days to dig the remains out off the ground and to fill the crater in...

Horse trips, you pull the handle and are fired downwards.
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Just look into the racing world to see some of what you lot are thinking of! Many trainers use heart rate monitors, weigh machines, various therapy machines and good old fashioned stop watches to tell you which horses are going to win.

The heart rate monitors are good to an extent but fail regularly. Once a horse reaches a certain level of fitness their heart rate wont vary much during pieces of work, but will obvious increase when getting fit. They also let you know how quickly the heart returns to normal after work.

Weigh bridges are causing a lot of trainers to look at the number on the screen and not at the horse in question. Once it hits it's ideal racing weight that's that. Rather than actually looking at the horse and taking it's age into consideration etc.

The therapy machines are great and racing tests them all out before they even go onto the market for mere mortals to buy. Some are fantastic, some are useless and racing has bypassed them but they still sell for a lot of money because the sales pitch is good and the idea behind them good.

All of these scopes, xray machines, scanners, drugs, etc will become more advanced - Thank you racing for those ones!
 
strapped hats mandatory in showing

Affordable treeless saddles in more of a classic saddle shape

Pressure sensitive walkways for vets to evaluate the weightbearing of each leg

laser height measuring at competitiona

more frequent dope testing with reliable fast results

more bespoke livery for prevention of laminitis

More 3.5t boxes stalled for one with mini living

show/jumping jackets or XC jerseys with airbag technology built in
 
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