British Dressage (BD) has signed Equestic, a Dutch maker of training software and sensors, as its first Official Training and Coach Development Partner. The governing body announced the agreement on 15 October, saying it supports BD’s strategy for training and education and for horse welfare. BD did not disclose the value or the length of the deal.

Equestic is a brand of Smart Horse Technologies, based in Deurne in the Netherlands, according to the company’s website, which names Leon Rutten as founder. The company says its tools are built on insights from more than 400,000 rides and are used by riders and coaches in 65 markets. Those figures are the company’s own.

What members and coaches get

The partnership introduces BD members to two products. EQ Coach-Copilot is an app that audio records lessons and uses artificial intelligence to produce structured text summaries that riders and coaches can revisit, with a Rider Reflections feature for notes after a lesson, solo session or competition. EQ Saddle-Clip is a motion sensor that clips to the saddle flap and, according to BD, records each ride and gives information on rhythm, impulsion, gaits, transitions and symmetry. BD’s announcement states that the device complies with FEI rules and is approved for use at competition in dressage, showjumping and eventing; it does not cite the FEI document behind that statement.

All BD coaches can use EQ Coach-Copilot free of charge for teaching, with an unlimited number of students, once approved through the app after registering. Members get a two-week free trial and 30% off three-month or annual subscriptions. BD’s member benefits page lists discounted prices of £12 a month for one horse (regular price £17), £17 for two horses (regular £25) and £30 for five horses (regular £43), with slight differences between iOS and Android. For the Saddle-Clip, members get 10% off the device through a code on the BD member portal and a three-month Pro subscription covering up to 20 horses. BD said more offers would follow in the coming months, and that the two organisations will produce content and learning opportunities for members and coaches on the BD Learning Hub.

Strategy and what is not disclosed

Jason Brautigam, Chief Executive of British Dressage, said digitalisation had been central to BD’s strategy for several years and that the partnership would introduce members and coaches to technology that supports their training. He also said Equestic shared BD’s core values, particularly putting horse welfare at the heart of its work. Leon Rutten, Equestic’s founder and chief executive, said the company connects the coach’s expertise, the rider’s feel and information from the horse’s movement, and that the partnership would bring a modern approach to BD’s education programmes.

The new category sits alongside BD’s existing commercial structure. The federation’s partners page groups its backers into partners, National Championships sponsors, Winter Championships sponsors and series sponsors, and describes dressage as one of the fastest growing equestrian sports, a claim it does not quantify there.

Several commercial points are left open. The announcement does not say whether Equestic pays a rights fee or shares revenue from member subscriptions, how long the agreement runs, whether Equestic receives marketing access to BD members, or how audio recordings of lessons and movement data from horses are stored and used, and by whom.

Equanine’s reading

  • BD has created a sponsorship category, training and coach development, that is not tied to championship or series title rights. Other national federations with coaching registers have the same inventory to sell.
  • Free access for coaches and discounts for members suggest that Equestic is paying, at least in part, through the offers themselves; coaches who adopt the app in lessons become the route to paying riders.
  • Lesson recordings and horse movement data are commercially sensitive. Federations taking on AI and sensor partners will face member questions on data ownership that BD’s announcement does not answer.