We’ve been eyeing the horse industry for a while now, a sector that has shown steady progress over the last few years. For the horseback riding sector alone, based on the 2019 data, the economic value is estimated at £4.7 billion of consumer spending on goods and services each year in the UK.
That is why is exciting to hear news like Ekerö-based Ridesum, a leading training platform for riders, acquiring an AI platform for biomechanical seat and movement analysis from UK company Blackdog Equestrian Biomechanics. The acquisition will enable Ridesum to offer riders worldwide detailed objective feedback about their seat. The analysis, which is suitable for riders of all levels, requires no special sensors and just involves filming the rider with an ordinary mobile phone camera, after which the rider receives a detailed analysis of their seat and suggested exercises to develop faster into a better rider.
“We are delighted to have acquired this unique and user-friendly AI technology,” said Karl Svantemark, CEO of Ridesum. “This is an important step in our commitment to revolutionise riding training. With the help of AI, we can give riders the feedback they need to improve their seat and increase the horse’s endurance.”
Blackdog Biomechanics was started by Ilse Daly in 2018. As a Ph.D. student at the University of Bristol in the UK, she struggled to afford regular riding training and could feel her position and seat on her dressage horses, Ru and Teddy, slipping.
Purely out of curiosity, she decided to see if the computer vision techniques she was using in her scientific doctoral work could also track the rider’s body. After some trial and error, she developed a working system: the technology uses video analysis to identify and measure rider movement patterns.
“I am very happy to see my technology used by Ridesum,” commented Daly, who is joining Ridesum as part of the acquisition. “Ridesum has a strong team who are passionate about helping riders and horses reach their full potential. I am convinced our technology can make a really positive impact on equestrian sports.”
AI-powered seat analysis is a revolutionary technology that has the potential to improve equestrian sports in many ways. By providing riders with detailed objective feedback about their seat, AI technology can help them identify and improve issues with their seat and their impact on their horse. This can lead to improved performance, reduced risk of injury and more sustainable riding.
Ridesum will launch AI-powered seat analysis in its app in September 2023. The service will be available to all riders at every level. Today, the app has 30,000 riders and 2,000 trainers and experts from over 100 countries.
Features offered by Ridesum include the revolutionary AI-powered seat analysis service ‘AI Seat Analytics’, a diary to log and track all horse-related activities, GPS, digital live remote training, the world’s largest bank of trainers and experts, and Pocket Office for efficient horse-related business.
Ridesum was launched in Sweden in 2019. The company is part-owned by Hööks Hästsport, Scandinavia’s leading equestrian company, and Lisen Bratt Fredricson, Swedish equestrian entrepreneur and Olympic show jumper. Ridesum is available for download in the App Store and Google Play.
