Equus Note: Digital Equestrian Diary (App Review)

High-Tech EQ is our series of in-depth personal reviews showing how technology can help equestrians enjoy more time, safety, and peace-of-mind. With 30+ years working in the tech industry, our team understands what makes (or breaks) the effectiveness of “smart” products and apps.  

Designed for the Disorganized Equestrian

Equus Note is an online journal specifically for equestrians. The application is designed to track your equine experiences and meet and hopefully, surpass your horse goals. It combines your horse’s records with your training sessions and goals in one convenient app.

So, why would this work for horse owners? Most horse owners I know are incredibly busy and barely have time to record their horse’s medical history, let alone their daily training sessions. (Ok, it’s me, I’m most “horse owners.”) With multiple horses, an extreme lack of time, and my horse goals in mind, I took a look at the Equus Note app.

What is Equus Note?

The Equus Note app combines horse record keeping and training/riding goals journaling into one location.

You can track your training in the app and take notes on your ride for the day, the condition of your horse, and training issues in the journal portion.

The training section of the app contains selections for:

• Training type
• Footing
• Duration
• Suppleness
• Mood

Health records, feeding regimes, and farrier and dentist appointments can also be saved within the app for easy access. The in-app notifications tell you of any upcoming appointments for your horse. 

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Who can benefit from Equus App?

This app is a great choice for horse owners who are short on time and need quick access to records. You also may find this app helpful for keeping track of multiple horses and their training and health needs.

You might like this app if: 

• You need mobile access to your horse’s records.
• You are short on time.
• You have multiple horses you want to track.

What’s the solution?

With my busy schedule, I was hoping this app would help me stay organized on the go. I need quick access to all of my horses’ records while I’m standing in the barn with the vet or farrier. I also need help remembering how our last ride went.

Did we have trouble with suppleness in a certain direction? Did we struggle with a canter lead?

Here’s what a “win” would look like for me: 

• Quick access to my horses’ health records
• Information from our last ride/training session
• Keep all horse-related appointments in one place (and get reminders!)

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How to use Equus Note

Equus Note was super easy to get started. The app downloaded quickly and without errors. The sign-up process was painless and didn’t ask for an excessive amount of information. 

How do I setup the app?

Once you have downloaded the app, your first option will be to add your horse, or horses as the case may be. You can input as much or as little information as you would like, though I’d suggest entering more.

You can enter your horse’s name, age, breed, gender, height, and microchip number (if applicable).

I appreciated the microchip option because all of my horses have microchips and NO ONE remembers those numbers! You can also add notes about temperament, health issues, and feeding schedules. 

Download the App:

iPhone users can enjoy this tool, so download it from the Apple App Store. It’s free to use for a single horse.

How do I journal?

After you have entered your horse, you can start tracking your rides and training sessions, appointments, and changes to health status. The journal section has lots of options for keeping track of your sessions.

You’ll want to be sure you switch to the correct horse before making any entries, if you have multiple horses in the app.

What are some key features?

The training session tracking can track your ride location. This is really fun if you are a trail or endurance rider. You can also add pictures and videos from your ride (theoretically from the saddle, but I didn’t try that). This app also tracks your horse’s appointments and sends you reminders. For busy horse owners, or trainers, this is super helpful.

Special Features

GPS Training Tracking: Record your entire ride and add photos and videos. This feature reminds me a lot of a human fitness app, Apple Watch, or Garmin Watch. 

Health Appointment Reminders: You can add current appointments, set reminders to schedule appointments, and keep notes about any visits with the vet, farrier, or dentist. It is very handy to have all of these items at your fingertips.

Calendar at a Glance: The app contains a calendar where you can see everything in the app in one place (ie. appointments, training sessions, rides, etc.) This is convenient when you are trying to schedule something new or get a quick glance at how many rides you got in this week.

Tips and Takeaways

• Don’t Forget to Switch Horses: If you have multiple horses in the app, it is easy to forget to switch before making a note. Make sure to look at the top right of the screen to be sure you are making notes for the correct horse. 
• Add More Info: While it is easy to enter the least amount of information during setup, I’d recommend adding ALL of the information. The app is only helpful if you can trust all of the information is there and available when you need it. If you leave something key out, like a Coggins test date, you’ll have to spend the time looking for that information elsewhere.
• Backing Up: You need to sign in with an email or with Apple to back up the information to the Equus Note Cloud. Take a couple of seconds and create the backup. You will thank me later.

Download the App

What people are saying

Most equestrians give the Equus Note a good review and find it convenient to have their horse’s information on-hand.

One negative is you have to pay for additional horses. If you don’t know this ahead of time, it can be a bit annoying. Especially since you already like the app.

It does seem, though, like the app developers are continuing to add features and respond to customer feedback.

• “Amazing!! I use this app to track when I ride….” – User: B21)300
• “Amazing app. This is an amazing app and I can track my rides and track everything about my horse so when you know it’s normal you know when something is wrong!” – User Ellacneilson
• “This app is a must for all horse lovers. It helps you connect with your horse in ways you might not of thought before. I love how the dairy entrees go into the calendar for you to review later. The only thing I wish they would add was a way to put videos along with you dairy entrees. To visually track you equestrian progress. This app is amazing!” – FalconStarGirl

Frequently asked questions

Q: Can I use the app for multiple horses?

Yes. You can use the app to track multiple horses, but this is a paid feature. 

Q: Can I share my horse’s information and rides with my friends?

This feature is not available in the app yet. The developers did say they were working on adding it in the future.

Q: Can I get this app for Android?

This app is only available for iPhones through the Apple Store at the moment.

Is Equus Note worth it?

In short, Equus Note is a helpful tool for equestrians. While it does have a few limitations (e.g. paying for multiple horses, not available on Android), it does deliver a consistent, mobile location to track all of your horsey activities and information.

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