How tech is helping our sport restart – with future benefits
Innovations in scoring and other areas could help in the long term
NEW technology is to help horse sport return and keep people safe in the wake of Covid-19.
Government guidance to prevent the spread of the virus meant a rethink was required for equestrian sport to return safely.
Governing bodies and organisers have come up with logistical solutions, such as dressage judges bringing writers from their own household or “bubble”. But also, innovators have come up with simple-to-use technology that is hoped will help shows get back up and running, and provide longer-term solutions and improvements.
Little Downham is trialling a fence-judging app ahead of its British Eventing (BE) fixture, which feeds into the computerised cross-country control system the event already used, both designed by Benjamin Unwin.
“When we started to think about sport resuming we said, ‘How is fence judging going to work with two-metre distancing?’” Sarah Skillin of the event organising team told H&H.
“It was going to be an issue having collectors picking up score sheets while maintaining distance and there were also concerns about these bits of paper passing through so many hands.”
The app has been developed to take into account unpredictable situations that can happen in eventing, and it has a comments section, and the option for fence judges to add photos should they feel that would be helpful. It also has a security feature.
It will be trialled at the venue’s three-phase training day ahead of the BE event (28–29 July).
Ms Skillin added there will be a paper back-up, just in case, and portable chargers will be available.
Pyecombe Equestrian Centre in West Sussex has been sharing virtual showjumping course walks on its social media, along with maps, while Zoom briefings, online payments and “print-athome” numbers have become the norm for many events.
Fran Corkhill, of organisers Horse Events, created a dressage test sheet app, which was trialled at virtual shows ahead of its first “live” horse trials at Elmwood Equestrian on 4 to 5 July.
Judges tap in each score, and can add pre-written comments – dressage judges helped develop the wording – or write or record their own thoughts.
This feeds into a live scoring system and sheets are emailed directly to riders.
Mrs Corkhill told H&H they have had good feedback, adding it worked “brilliantly” at the weekend. Scores were live before competitors had made it back to their horseboxes after their test.
“Normally a sheet would pass through about six pairs of hands and now we don’t even need the sheet. We want to keep using the app, and don’t want to go back to paper,” she said.
The fixture also trialled a “drive-through” secretary’s office, where competitors were asked to show numbers before parking, helping ensure the only people on site were those who should be, which was also a success.
International riders can now upload weekly videos to the FEI eDressage Online platform to be judged by five-star dressage and para dressage judges.
“This platform is another example of the ways technology can be introduced into equestrian sport to transform training techniques,” said FEI commercial director Ralph Straus.
“While the pandemic highlights the value of a platform like this, it can also be particularly useful to athletes in remote regions, who would otherwise be unable to avail of the global expertise provided through this platform.”
FEI director of information and sports technology Gaspard Dufour added: “The beauty is that it has the potential to grow and develop and become something larger than we initially imagined.”