Ride tracker with fall detection: record a hack by GPS
Friends4horses records every ride by GPS – route, duration, speed and the time in walk, trot and canter – and, if you like, watches for a fall or a long standstill. After a countdown you can cancel, your confirmed emergency contacts get an email with your last position. Recording, fall detection, live location and bridleways are free.
For iPhone. The Android app isn’t on Google Play yet.
What the tracker records
- Route, duration and speed by GPS, with ascent and descent in metres. The server discards inaccurate points and GPS jumps, so that ten minutes standing still don’t count as kilometres.
- Time in walk, trot and canter – estimated from the speed and the rhythm measured by the phone’s motion sensor. If you correct a gait, the app learns your horse’s speed limits over time.
- Indoor and outdoor arena: indoors, GPS only measures noise. The ride then has no route and no map; the time per gait comes from the rhythm alone.
- Pulse with a Bluetooth heart rate strap on the horse that speaks the usual heart rate standard – without an account with the manufacturer.
- Without a network: a ride in a dead zone is still recorded and goes out by itself as soon as there’s a network again.
Recording only happens between start and stop. The ride analysis with a gait map, elevation profile and playback is part of Friends4horses Plus; the minutes per gait are free.
How do I record a hack?
- Choose the horse and tap “Record a ride” – or on the iPhone with Siri, a shortcut or the Action button.
- Choose trail or indoor / outdoor arena. If you like, turn on fall detection and live location.
- Carry the phone on your body, not in the saddle bag: the sensor then measures the horse’s rhythm.
- After the ride, “Stop”: the app shows route, duration and gaits and files the ride with the horse.
Bridleways and loops
The map shows bridleways from OpenStreetMap – nearby, at the start and during the ride. Adults can share their own loop; the server always cuts off a piece around the start and finish, so that nobody sees the way to the stable on the map. Other riders see the loop nearby and can ride it too.
How does fall detection work on horseback?
During a ride the app watches, if you like, for a possible fall or a long standstill (5, 10, 15 or 20 minutes, your choice). If it suspects something, a countdown of 30, 45 or 60 seconds starts. If you tap “I’m fine”, nothing happens. If it reaches zero, your confirmed emergency contacts get:
- an email with the type of alarm, the time and your last position as a link to the map,
- a push notification in the Friends4 app, if the contact has a Friends4 account with the same confirmed address,
- with Friends4horses Plus a text message – only to contacts who have stored their mobile number themselves (Germany, Austria, Switzerland).
Emergency contacts (up to five) confirm by email that they want this. After the alarm you can send an all-clear to everyone who received it. “Call for help” triggers the alarm immediately.
Not an emergency call. A phone estimates: detection can miss a fall and go off without one, and without mobile data it reaches nobody. In an emergency, call 112.
Share your live location on a hack
If you like, your confirmed emergency contacts can see your last position about every 30 seconds while you’re out. Sharing ends with the ride, at the latest after six hours. Only the last position and the track of the last 30 minutes are stored; at the end the server deletes the location. A link to pass on only exists for adults.
Frequently asked questions
How accurately does the app recognise walk, trot and canter?
The gait is an estimate, and the app labels it as such. Outdoors it comes from the speed and the rhythm measured by the phone’s motion sensor; in the arena, from the rhythm alone. It works best with the phone on your body, in a snug jacket or trouser pocket. Tölt can’t be told apart from trot by speed and therefore isn’t counted separately.
Is fall detection an emergency call?
No. A phone can only estimate: detection can miss a fall and go off without one. That’s why a countdown you can cancel starts after every suspicion. Only then do your confirmed emergency contacts get an email with your last position. In an emergency, call 112.
What happens if my phone has no network after the fall?
The app reports the suspicion to the server straight away, with a deadline. If the deadline passes without you cancelling, the server sends the messages itself – even if your phone goes silent afterwards. Without any mobile connection, however, the app can’t reach anyone; in a dead zone it doesn’t help.
Does fall detection cost money?
No. Fall detection, live location, ride recording and bridleways are free. Only the text message to emergency contacts needs Friends4horses Plus, because every text message costs money; email and push stay free.