Exploring Live Equestrian Coaching with Ridesum

A note from 2026: I originally wrote this article in 2021 when I was part of the Ridesum Ambassador Team. Ridesum was the first specialist equestrian coaching app I used for live remote coaching, and I’ve kept this article as part of the story of how I have explored technology in my coaching.

I discovered Ridesum in 2020 and immediately liked the simple set-up and the clarity of the audio-visual experience. My riders and I worked through the set-up together and soon found practical ways around most of the challenges that came with live remote coaching at the time.

A low data allowance on your phone, for example, didn’t have to stop a session. Some of my riders used a mobile PAYG broadband router to give them a cost-effective data boost without using as much data as we had feared.

Most riders persuaded someone to become the camera person, using a second phone to join the session. This turned out to have an unexpected benefit. The person behind the camera could hear my coaching observations, insights and suggestions in real time, giving them another perspective on what was happening in the arena. Riders told me that the experience felt as though I was sharing the arena space with them.

Riders without a helper could also connect using one phone and a Bluetooth headset. Ridesum provided step-by-step guides for connecting riders and coaches, and its support team was friendly and responsive — particularly useful when you were learning how everything worked without keeping a horse and a volunteer camera person waiting around.

The Ridesum booking system brought another part of the coaching experience online. Coaches could set their available dates and times and adjust them as their timetable changed. Riders could request a session, with the coach able to accept, decline or suggest an alternative time or date, and messages could be exchanged within the process.

Once rider and coach were set up, payments could also be handled through the system. Bookings weren’t limited to live remote sessions; coaches could use the system for face-to-face private lessons and clinics too. There was also the option to add written feedback after a session, which could help rider and coach agree what to work on next.