Photo courtesy of KER
Remember KER ClockIt Sport? Kentucky Equine Research‘s smartphone app helps take the guesswork out of equine fitness by monitoring heart rate, speed, distance and altitude during rides. We’re excited to announce that the new KER ClockIt website has now launched, and KER is offering free premium memberships to help eventers get started using the app.
So how can tracking your horse’s heart rate help you get him fit for a competition? When a horse’s heart rate reaches 180 beats per minute, his muscles start to produce lactic acid, which ultimately creates fatigue. That’s why training adaptation is so important for event horses, as Dr. Joe Pagan, KER founder and president, explained to EN.
“In order to train a horse’s muscle to handle the sort of environment it sees in competition, the horse has to train at levels that will replicate that environment,” Joe said. “You adapt a horse’s muscle to deal with the lactic acid by letting the horse’s muscle experience the accumulation of lactic acid it will see in competition.”
By using the KER ClockIt Sport app with a heart-rate monitor to track your horse’s fitness, you can ensure that your horse is achieving the proper heart rate to set you up for success on cross country and a quick recovery time after your round. And if that alone doesn’t compel you to use KERClockIt Sport, here are seven reasons to go download the app.
KER ClockIt Sport app data from an Advanced jump school. Image via KER.
1. It’s easy to use. You don’t have to be tech savvy to use KER ClockIt Sport. All you need is a smartphone with bluetooth capability and an equine heart-rate monitor. Never used a heart-rate monitor? Here’s a handy guide and tutorial video. It’s free to create a KER ClockIt account to access your horse’s fitness data, which appears in your account on KERClockIt.com as easy-to-understand visual charts.
2. The app has more than 25 years of research behind it. KER has conducted research into equine exercise physiology for more than two decades, working with David and Karen O’Connor, studying heart rates and response to exercise leading up to the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and later joining the United States Equestrian Federation as the organization’s official equine nutritionist in 2000.
3. You can plan your horse’s training schedule in the app. Trainers and students can create, assign and complete workout programs for their horses in the app. Professional riders can monitor large programs remotely and access custom reports on each horse. Amateurs can develop a program and share their data with a trainer or fellow eventers to compare their results.
KER ClockIt Sport app data from a CIC3* cross country round. Image via KER.
4. Buck Davidson uses KER ClockIt Sport. “KER leads the way in nutrition and exercise research for horses. It is such a quality company in everything it does,” Buck said. “I think this new fitness app will revolutionize the way we monitor our horses’ fitness programs and treat them as the athletes they really are.”
5. Jimmie Schramm uses the app too. “I used KER ClockIt Sport to monitor my horse’s fitness while I prepared for my first four-star. I found it extremely useful for tracking (Bellamy’s) day-to-day work, and it’s so easy to use,” Jimmie said. “Anyone looking for a way to track a horse’s fitness should try KER ClockIt Sport.”
6. The app helps you stay safe while riding alone. Many eventers hack out alone when doing fitness work. KER ClockIt Sport features an “In Case of Emergency” safety mechanism that allows GPS technology to pinpoint your location and notify preset contacts in case of an emergency.
7. Take advantage of a discount on heart-rate monitor. Don’t have a heart-rate monitor to use with the app? KER is offering a 20% discount on a heart-rate monitor starter pack, which includes a bluetooth-enabled Polar heart-rate monitor and a bottle of contact gel. To get started and access the 20% discount, just download the app and register for the free trial.
If you’re interested to read more about the science behind KER ClockIt Sport, check out these research reports. Click here to start a free premium trial of KER ClockIt Sport, which gives you a detailed breakdown of every ride, including a responsive map and graph showing speed, altitude and heart rate during fitness work.
The KER ClockIt Sport app works on iPhones with iOS 7 and higher, and an Android version of the app is currently being developed. To get the app, go to the Apple iTunes store and search for “KER ClockIt.”
The EN team is currently using KER ClockIt Sport, and we’re excited to share our experience and hear how our readers are using the app in their own fitness programs. Visit the new KER ClockIt website for much more information on the app and to get started.
