Android Smartphone Mount for Horse Riding

Smartphones are the perfect filming device when riding a horse, as they are pocket size and have built-in optical image stabilisation. Unlike a handheld camera where the footage becomes a 30-second tribute to the sky or ground, a smartphone can be fixed to a helmet, pole or chest harness to hold it steady and allow you to concentrate on riding. Kind of important!

There are oodles of smartphone accessories that you can buy. We’ve researched quite a few to find the best angle when riding. This is the equipment that works for us:

Velocity Clip and Chest Mount - we don’t have the chest harness to test, but have seen footage using the chest harness when riding a horse. Its a great angle to view your ride from, however the entire frame is of your horse’s neck. And also when you ride, your moving your head to take in scenery not your chest, so it will be a completely static view the entire time. Rider's preference with this one.

Velocity Clip and Head Mount - this is a easy and no-fuss way to record when riding. If you don’t ride in a helmet (we recommend you ride in a helmet!), then the head mount can fit over a cap. You need to make sure its titled so it has your horse’s head and neck in the foreground to give perspective when filming. If you’re going for a leisurely trail ride through the bush, you’ll need to switch it up.

Pole Monopod Mount - Last but certainly not least, we find this is the best mount for riding. Its not for everyone, as you have to ride one handed the entire time, so if you have a horse above your skills, it might not be wise. It gives you a range of angles, where you can film an aerial shot of yourself riding along and your fellow riders.

Once home, it’s the moment of truth where you can watch your captured video/image files from your trip and relive your ride. No doubt you’ll have a library of video files of your trip, some will be great and you'll want to show friends and family! Remember, with PlotMyTrot there's no huge video files - simply generate a link and share away via Facebook or via email. And, if you have the skills, you should compile the highlights of your video footage and put it together into a video montage.

Have fun!

Top Tips for Optimising PlotMyTrot

So here you are trying to keep up with the ever-changing technology and you recently started to collect your data digitally though your Smartphone or tablet device. Beside all of the great advantages that this change has, you will probably quickly realise a few not so great things. 

The battery can drain quickly when the device is constantly being used.  The more you use your mobile device, the more prone you are to dropping and damaging it. 

The goal of this blog post is to provide PlotMyTrot users some solutions to these problems.

Maximize battery life

Out of all the problems, short battery life is probably the most common. Spending long days away from a power outlet or vehicle can leave you with little to no battery power on your smart device. Data collection done on your cell phone makes this even more of an issue. Here are some simple steps you can take to help retain power throughout the day.

Features like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are great but if you are not using it then it is unnecessarily draining your battery. Turn these features off when they are not in use.

If you are going to be working in a remote place where you know you will not have a data signal, turn off you data connection. Important Note: I would not recommend simply turning on airplane mode, because this mode turns off the internal GPS.

Close any apps running in the background. For iOS devices (iPhone/iPad), double-click the Home button to view the multitasking bar. Then swipe the apps upwards to close the apps running in the background. For Android devices – go to settings, applications, and then manage applications. Then tap on the app and select force stop. There are also third party apps that have auto-kill features.

Lower the brightness settings. This may work for you since most data collection is done outside during daylight hours.

Adjust the fetching frequency of apps on your mobile device. The more apps you have that periodically go and fetch data on the internet, the more battery power will be consumed. Purchase a battery backup. They are available for pretty much every Android and iOS device out there. Backup battery packs allow users to charge their device in the field when not near a vehicle or power outlet.

Protect your device

Protecting your smart device can often be overlooked when first purchasing. If you have ever dropped your phone or tablet and had the screen spider web with cracks, then you've probably learned the lesson the hard way. Mobile devices can get pretty expensive, so spending a little extra money for a good quality case should be a simple choice. 

When using a mobile device to do work, the cost of the device is not the only thing you should consider when and if the device breaks.Time lost not working and potential data loss should also be considered.

Increase the reliability and accuracy of the devices GPS

The accuracy and reliability of the internal GPS in mobile devices is probably one of the most overlooked issues a mobile data collector faces. While the GPS on most devices are pretty good, there are instances where they can be non-functioning and unreliable. To eliminate these problems an external GPS receiver will ensure that you have to make far less geo-position corrections and that you get the best reliability available.

There are a lot of different options available on the market. Some units connect directly to the device and are generally powered by the mobile device. Others have their own internal batteries and utilise Bluetooth technology to stay connected.

These are just a few ways to optimise mobile data collection.  For all of those actively in the field, we would love to hear your ideas and contributions. Please post your feedback and let us know what works for you.