Horse-riding

​Horses aren't like dogs. Whereas the one is always around the house, the other spends much of its time off in a pasture. So, how is a horse-owner supposed to keep track of what their animal is doing? Well, a group of Swedish entrepreneurs believe that their HoofStep system is the answer.

​In equestrian riding, it's important to keep one's heels pointing downward within the stirrups – if the heels move up, the rider has less control. This can be difficult to learn, however, which is why Gallop Equine has created the sensor-packin' Bluetooth-connected SmartBoot.

The team behind Megasus Horserunners has launched a crowdfunding campaign for a horseshoe alternative it says will allow for more natural hoof movements, and can be easily clipped on and taken off as required.​

Scientists have traced the origins of the ambling horse back to medieval England, where the knights' penchant for the pleasant four-rhythm saunter and the selective breeding that followed instigated the global spread of the gaited horse. ​​

A project taking place at the University of Pennsylvania is looking to revolutionize how CT scans of large animals are taken, using two robotic arms that move around the horse while it’s upright and conscious.

It may look like a bit of disco bling for the equestrian set, but the Tail Lights Rider Safety System has a very serious purpose.

Looking for an objective measure of your horse's performance? Well, that's where Balios comes in. It's a saddle-mounted gadget that tracks the movements of your trusty steed.​

As a child, Brooklyn-based metal sculptor Adrian Landon played with Lego a lot. He also learned about horses from his polo-playing dad. That background set the stage for Landon's latest work of art, a stainless steel life-size Mechanical Horse that gallops in slow motion at the press of a button.

If you regularly take off into the hinterlands on a bike or horse, there's a chance you could crash and not be able to summon help. That's why David Coleman developed the Ridersmate. If you fall off your bike/horse, it automatically sends a text message to let people know that something's amiss.

Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has created a set of bespoke titanium horseshoes for a Melbourne race horse using additive 3D printing. According to CSIRO, this is a first for horse racing and demonstrates the potential for the technology.