We’ve all had the same dilemma, you’re on a ride with beautiful views and you’re debating whether or not to dig out your phone that’s floating around your saddle bag to take a picture. I would constantly feel like I was missing out on the ride while taking pictures or videos. However, quite a few years and hundreds of rides later, I feel confident writing about all the tips and tricks to making great pictures and videos without missing out! We’ll be covering shooting while riding in an arena, showjumping, doing dressage, but also for getting footage on outrides and how to store your equipment in the best way possible.
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Let’s start with equipment for arena rides. As a dressage rider, show jumper, or if you’re just learning to ride, it’s great to track your progress throughout different rides. It’s great for yourself and your horse and allows you to improve so much. However, your barn friends are not always available to take videos of you and they might also be going a little crazy with how often they have to film you. The perfect solution for this is Pivo. It’s a small tool called a Pivo pod and it connects through your phone with an app, you then just pop your phone on top of Pivo and it tracks you and your horse. It works like a dream and comes with a small remote that you can keep on you to switch the camera on and off. I’ve been able to shoot an incredible amount of footage with it and it has allowed me to really improve my dressage training. There are several settings and options and it might take a while to figure it out. My favourite settings are as follows: Smart tracking: on (horse), on-screen position: centre, tracking speed: fast, auto zoom: on, predictive follow: off, target exposure: on, and I use my iPhone 12 pro. Check out some of the footage Pivo has captured on my Instagram and in the pictures below.
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Another amazing accessory for shooting unique videos is a Gimbal, I personally use the DJI OM 4, you can get it here. It is such a great tool to use during rides and adds so much stability to your videos, perfect for canters or gallops or just to get a video that’s not shaky. It’s super easy to use and there are several options on how to attach your phone. You can either click your phone into a holder and place it onto the gimbal as both the holder and gimbal are magnetic, or you can attach a magnetic sticker to the back of your phone which then attaches to the gimbal. If you use it a lot, I highly recommend you use the sticker as it saves you lots of time and allows you to get ready for filming in just a few seconds. It takes a little longer to click your phone into the holder but you might prefer this as it works even if your phone has a case around it, and the sticker doesn’t work with a case on. Again, check out my Instagram and the pictures below to find more gimbal footage and see if it’s something for you!
Before moving on to more content creation equipment, we’ll be discussing one of the most time-saving tools while shooting videos on a ride. The way that you store your equipment makes all the difference in how time consuming it is to create footage. By getting a simple but strong and slightly large fanny pack, you can save lots of time by keeping your phone and gimbal nearby and easy to reach. Riding with a fanny pack is something you’ll get used to fairly quickly. After figuring out where and how tight it’s comfortable, you won’t even notice you’re wearing it, and it’s such a pleasure to not have to search through your saddle bags in an attempt to quickly find and turn on your gimbal. There are lots of different types but this is the one that I have been using on all my trails!
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There are a few pieces of equipment that I am definitely going to invest in in the near future. I’ll tell you about them now and definitely write an update once I have bought and tried them out. First of all, there is the GoPro hero 9, which most people have likely heard of. A great tool for longer rides and it is one hundred percent the solution for never having to miss out on the ride again. It’s complete handsfree filming while at the same time really being able to live in the moment and enjoy the stunning views, you don’t have to worry about getting out your camera for a second. This accessory is definitely at the top of my list and recommended by lots of different content creators and organisations. Get your GoPro hero 9 right here.
Another really interesting piece of equipment for amazing footage is a drone. The footage shot with these is usually so dreamy and really captures the feeling of a ride or nature so well. The most highly recommended drone of the market right now is the DJI Air2S, it is said to be fairly easy to fly and has fantastic quality for its price. However, there are also drones especially recommended for new flyers, which are easier to fly. The most highly recommended starter drone is called the DIJ Mini 2. I shall definitely be investing in this ultra-light starter drone after getting the GoPro.
