HFP study: Digitalisation in the equestrian industry

Innovation doesn't meet up with as much tradition as in equestrian sport. At the same time, the pressure for increasing efficiency within the horse industry combined with equestrian sport athletes' everyday usage of digital technologies is a very strong innovation driver. It is no longer just the generations Y and Z, who are not prepared to exist without Internet technologies. The digitalisation of the equestrian sport is happening between modern technology developments and the traditional approach of the horse and it’s rider.

The digitalization has already reached the horse industry in terms of screening and gathering information . Digital aids provide performance measures, supervision and management support to the equestrian industry. More than 90 Start-Ups are offering digital applications - from automated feeding systems, to training documentation of the training and self-monitoring. Supervision of the horse in the stable, as well as route planning and emergency call systems in order to provide greater safety when hacking out.

Along to the digital achievements that are directly implemented within the horse industry, the digitalization comes with challenges and potentials, which arise from the change in society: In the era of digitalization the horse acts as an antipole to the accelerating everyday-routine of people. Occupying oneself with horses is considered to be a meaningful pastime by a growing number of the population. That is the theory, but to what extent have digital applications actually reached the horse industry in Germany? What do equestrian sport athletes associate with the term digitalization in their environment and which developments can be expected in future?

The survey Digitalisation 2019 of the horsefuturepanel gives an overview of the market potentials and challenges, of the digital change processes and their impact on the horse industry.