Tracking Exercise: Horseback Riding - Horse Riding - Equestrian

I know it's perhaps not the most common exercise, but common enough and it's incredibly difficult to gauge what kind of calory burn and value this kind of exercise has, because - well the horse does most of the work! There is a huge difference in riding styles and how this effects my own exercise level: trail riding can be just walking - where the rider has little exercise, but if you trot it's quite the exercise for the rider too. Then there is the distance aspect, which is invalid when you do dressage or arena riding... Finally jumping has quite a different impact again. 

 

Since I work for a digital agency, I know that you must have business logic to build out expensive new features both for the sensors, the logic/algorithm and how you present it on the web. I know it's a huge effort. But with an equestrian tracker, you will have a captive audience and a weathy niche market who will be loyal customers. You'll need to do little marketing as this is definitely an industry/audience who are all interconnected and exchange ideas, infos and new products readily. 

And if you want to go all out, you could combine it with a FitBit for the horse - because most horse owners also want to monitor the stress on their horse as well as their horses' fitness. 

 

Moderator edit: Subject for clarity and labels.

200 Comments
Opivali
Jogger
This kind of activity should get the majority of its caloric burn data from heart rate, RR, and HRV.
Opivali
Jogger
To be truthful if your Fitbit does HR then that is where it should get most of its caloric burn data from.
ladylonglegs21
Recovery Runner

I add mine thru MyFitnessPal and its linked to FitBit....  MY horse doesn't do all the work! I have to use a ton of leg to get him to move! Plus I lunge and do showmanship so I'm working out too.  *I have a Flex - so the HR isn't available*

BigWhale
First Steps

After purchasing Surge, I was a little bit disappointed on the selection of  sports that can be tracked with GPS and the lack of a more generic type, similar to Workout, but with GPS enabled.

 

I'm doing a lot of horseback riding, so a GPS tracking would be really handy. Now I'll have to select running, biking or hiking if I want to track my ride.

 

So, I'd like to see one of these features:

 

- horseback riding as a fully supported activity, just like running or hiking. GPS tracking enabled and step counter disabled. We really don't want to count horses steps.

 

- generic workout activity where you could select if GPS tracking is enabled or not and it would use HR to calculate calory burn

 

- user defined workout types that can be tracked, just like with manual entry, but something that you'd turn on on the Surge and it would take care of GPS and HR tracking.

Katirmeyer
Jogger
I'm suggesting more "exercise shortcuts" for people that want to track anything thru do with the GPS.

I would like to track my horseback rides with my Fitbit surge. I'd like to track GPS, heart rate, time and avg. speed.

I've been wondering why all exercises aren't available to be a "shortcut".
There should be a way to at least track heart rate and GPS at any point and then be able to go into the app and label the exercise.
SassV
Keeping Pace
it would be great to have this as an option, I currently select "hike" when I'm riding but it would be good to know exactly how many calories I'm burning really. I think the surge would be popular with the endurance riding community who need to know their current speed when competing.
Warrantor
First Steps

When I am horseback riding with my fitbit Surge on it counts steps, I do work out on my horse but I do not take any steps. when I log the activity hoseback riding afterwards it does not negate any taken steps. I could log my activity under Driving but that is not the activity I just did.

 

Request: Make activity horseback riding an option in the exercise menu and make the activity negate or ignore any taken steps.

Sfrose74
Jogger
Other activities as well - this happens with sailing too! When we log certain activities it should 'remove' a few steps to adjust (or even all steps logged during that time!!!
fishwithfeet
Jogger

I agree! I bought the surge just for tracking my mileage on trail riding. (Well, and a few other things).  But Fitbit had the features I wanted. I currently use biking and it seems to do an okay job, but I would like to differentiate my workouts from when I'm riding versus actually riding a bike, since I do both!

I would also like a 'ride' feature!

Status changed to: Reviewed By Moderator
FerdinandFitbit
Premium User
Moderator Alum
Moderator Alum

Hey there @adobe101. Thank you for taking the time to share your ideas with us!

 

I think this is a very good feature that several users are asking to have available. I'll go ahead and forward your request to our team and hopefully, this will be added soon.

 

Thank you for stopping by the Feature Request Board.

Swaff
First Steps
There should be an exercise shortcut on the fitbit (I use a surge, but any) for horse riding, that accurately measures your activity and route effectively. Like there is for walking,cycling, hike ect.ect.




(If I manually enter it online then surely the Fitbit is redundant, exp as that is my main activity, other apps have managed to enabled the software)
Swaff
First Steps
Yes! This needs to be a feature!
Naildriver
Stepping Up
I second this idea. The horse community would be a great customer.
pammalamma
First Steps

I am a dressage rider and would love to have equestrian as an exercise option. I don't want the fitbit to count the horse steps as my own either. I do a lot of hard isometrics while riding and I usually work the horse about 45 minutes a day. It must count for something. I also jog, do weight lifting, kyak, and walk/run hills. Mostly I do high intensity intervals. It would be great to have the fitbit have a HIIT form of exercise or workout too -- I know the calorie expenditure is much greater then simply lifting weights with rests, jogging at a steady pace, etc. 

Swaff
First Steps
Tell all your Fitbit/horsey friends to vote for this feature. Apps like runtastic already have a pretty good tracking for horse riding, so it is doable
Fraulein
First Steps

Yes, please! I have the HR Charge, and it would be a great activity to track quickly and easily as a 'common activity'.

 

BigWhale
First Steps

Any more news on this front? I'd really like tracking for horseback riding. I purchased my second Surge and after an update I am a little bit disappointed that this still isn't supported.

 

Even a generic "Workout with GPS" would suffice for a start. Or an ability to rename current exercise types.

RideOn
First Steps

Also interested in learning if there are any updates in this direction.  Horseback riding is one of my main forms of exercise... I'm incredibly dissapointed to learn that my new fitbit won't really allow me to track it.

SunsetRunner
Not applicable

Yes!  I would like this as a feature.. just disable the steps!

Pebble
Recovery Runner

I'm another who needs to disable steps while riding - I normally take my Fitbit off but I forgot today and my horse did 7,500 steps for me 🙂

z_0_e
Jogger
I and other horse riders would like to be able to log a period of time as horseriding g and for the extra steps accrued ( the horses steps) to be removed automatically for that time period.
Beckyandhorses
First Steps
There are so many equestrians that use Fitbit but the Fitbit does not accurately work while you're exercising your horse it counts the horses steps! It works great for winning all the challenges but it's not really correct. I would love to see in equestrian version of the Fitbit I know so many people would buy that especially in the horse community.
SunsetRunner
Not applicable

Cat Happy Heart

Dawnm0708
Jogger
I would definitely go for this. I love my fitbit but I'm disappointed there is no horse riding setting.
Jojoflojo
Recovery Runner
Yes definitely a generic workout option with GPS and HR. I want to be able to look at my routes after and see speeds etc and also see how hard I was working!! I suggested this myself a few months ago in the feature requests.
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