We were lucky enough to interview the professional jumping rider Kevin Staut about his use of EQUISYM. Find out from Dr. Marie Madeuf and Kevin Staut how new technologies can be perfectly integrated into high-level equestrian practice.
Kevin Staut, show jumping rider
Can you introduce yourself please?
I am Kevin Staut.I am 43 years old and I am a French show jumping rider.
Who are your horses for 2024 and what are your objectives with each one?
We are in 2024, Olympic year, so obviously we are in the final phase for pre-selections and definitive selections for the Paris Olympics.
I’ll be following the Nations Cup circuit.
I have Beau de Laubry Z, who I am training so that he could possibly be the horse for Paris. I also have Viking, if his physical condition holds up well he is also a horse who has the potential to enter this competition.
There are other important competitions like the World Cup. Visconti will be taking part, along with other younger horses who need to gain experience and who are going to follow these various competitions anyway, to try to make rapid progress.
What do you think of the integration of new technologies into high-level sport?
My vision of high-level equestrian sport is that it is evolving very quickly, like any other sport, and top riders need to keep up with this rhythm.I think that technology, like in many other sports,
is about to make its introduction into the equestrian world and will help all actors to have a better understanding of the horse’s biomechanics.
What technological tool do you use?
As a technological tool, of course, we have EQUISYM which was set up by Arioneo, these are sensors placed on horses which we use once a week on each horse.
How does it help you? Does using this tool guide your work?
EQUISYM data must always be correlated to the rider’s feeling about the biomechanics of the horse under the saddle,and to the opinion of grooms and people who are in daily contact with horses.
Once I have the data, what is important to me is my feeling and knowing how to position the information in the full picture. Slow down if the alert is confirmed or, on the contrary, carry on working as normal if it was just something we needed to monitor, check and eventually everything is fine.
Does this kind of technological advance dedicated to health and performance follow-up tend to make riding healthier?
When Marie and I met, the first subject was to have a vet to compete at the highest level. We explained that we needed a closer follow-up.
The goal today is to have a certain longevity with our horses.Doing high-level competitions? Of course! But for how long? That is the question.
If the technology is available, I think it should be used.They also have this vision in racing,they have certainly been using measures for longer than we have in equestrian sports, because we are perhaps a little more artisanal.But I think that if the technology works, why missing out?
Marie Madeuf, equine veterinarian
Can you introduce yourself please?
My name is Marie Madeuf.I am an equine veterinarian, based in Normandie for the past eight years.I am the vet of some of Kevin’s horses, including Beau and Visconti.
Can you tell us more about EQUISYM?
EQUISYM is an objective quantification tool for lameness evaluation.It allows us to measure asymmetries that are sometimes difficult to see or quantify with the naked eye.
These sensors are placed on seven different locations. So there is one on each limb,one on the head, one on the withers and one on the pelvis. Then, once the sensors are set up,we make a locomotor exam of the horse simply by recording it with an Ipad. We make straight lines and circles on hard and soft grounds.
In the case of longitudinal follow-up, the ideal is to make a monitoring every week or every two weeks,regardless of the horse’s level.
What do you think EQUISYM offers?
EQUISYM provides precision and objectivity.You can’t rely solely on data, because there is also a lot of feeling involved and that is something you have to keep in mind.
Do you think that it is possible to compete at a high level without technological assistance?
It is possible to perform at a high level without technological assistance.The goal, really, is to increase performance. EQUISYM is truly a tool that enables us to be much more preventive and to intervene much earlier, before a problem appears.