Equilab detects your horse's gaits and your turns automatically while you track a training, using the sensors in your phone. Here's how gait detection works and what it needs, so your trainings get the right gaits.
Which gaits Equilab detects
Equilab detects these gaits:
Walk, trot and canter, on every horse
Tölt, only on horses whose horse type is Icelandic Horse
Standing still
Equilab doesn't detect other gaits. To get tölt on your trainings, see Tölt isn't showing for my gaited horse.
How gait detection works
Equilab detects gaits from the movement of your phone, not from your speed. Your phone's accelerometer and gyroscope sense how you move with your horse, and Equilab analyzes this motion data with machine learning to find the gait and the beat of the steps.
Because gaits come from motion, three things decide whether a training gets the right gaits:
Where you carry your phone. Keep the phone tight against your body, for example in a tight pocket on your leg or torso, or in an arm band on your upper arm. A phone that moves around in a loose pocket or bag records motion that doesn't match your horse's gait. See Where to carry your phone while riding.
Your phone's sensors. Gait detection needs a working accelerometer and gyroscope. Some phones have no gyroscope: Equilab then shows a warning the first time you track, and gaits may not be accurate. See Which phones work best with Equilab.
The training type. Non-mounted training types, such as driving, never detect gaits. You can add the gaits by hand when you finish the training, or later when you edit it. See Record non-mounted trainings.
If a training has no gaits or the wrong gaits, see My ride has no gaits or Some gaits on my ride are wrong.
How turns are detected
Equilab also measures the time you spend riding in steep turns to the left and to the right. Use it as an indication of how much you've worked each side. You can see your turns in the Training Summary, in Trends and in the spreadsheet export. Turns aren't the same as transitions: transitions count every change of gait, including to halt, and show in Detailed Statistics.
Turn detection uses the GPS signal, which shows the path you rode, and the same motion sensors as gait detection. If the GPS signal or the motion data is weak or incomplete, turns are less accurate, and usually gaits and distance are too.
For the most accurate turns, gaits and distance, see Where to carry your phone while riding and Essential Device & App Settings for Equilab to Work Properly.
Do I need an external sensor?
No. Equilab only needs the GPS and motion sensors in your phone to track trainings, gaits and turns. Equilab doesn't offer any sensors of its own.
Gaits always come from your phone. A watch can't detect gaits on its own, so a training recorded with Apple Watch Standalone or Android watch Standalone, without your phone, has no gaits. To get gaits, turn off Standalone and take your phone along, so the watch records in Remote mode.
A Polar H10 heart rate sensor is optional and works only on iPhone. With Premium, it shows your horse's heart rate in real time while you track. See Track your horse's heart rate with a Polar sensor.
Still need help? Contact us in the app: go to Profile > Settings > Contact Support, or email [email protected].