“Making equestrians better is our goal,” stated Nicole Graf, US Country Manager of the Ridely App, in a recent phone interview with The Tech Equestrian. The training app launched in the US in October last year and now boasts 50,000 video plays and more then 100,000 user-logged rides per month. “Ridely originated in Sweden in 2017 and they were looking to expand globally with the US market being a natural fit,” said Nicole. The app not only gives you access to hundreds of training videos but it also incorporates an innovative calendar-based journal where you can keep track of your training and everything around your horse. You can set goals and monitor your progress through photos and video.

Early Riding & Writing Days
Nicole has an extensive riding resume and it all started when she first sat on a horse at the age of two followed by owning a horse at the age of ten. She was a hunter rider as a kid, but then switched to dressage in college while working as a small animal vet tech in Rhode Island. She was lured to England during her senior year at college and tried her hand at eventing. After graduation she returned to the UK where she stayed for ten years. Nicole then saw an opportunity when the internet became a ‘thing.’ 

“I started the first equestrian website and news service in 1996 which continued for 15 years - I had a vision that it would take off,” shared Nicole. Her focus was getting the news to people quickly as only the Internet could. Upon returning to the US, she returned her focus to competing in dressage and Friesians. She then took up the position as head writer for Classic Communications, writing for clients including the World Cup Finals and many of the top shows in the US. 

Helping Riders in All Disciplines 
She was introduced to Ridely through her friend Harvey Buchanan who is the UK Country Manager for the app, and after she met with the team, she was hooked. “I’m an entrepreneur at heart and my background of public relations, creative marketing and riding made joining this company a no-brainer.” Another aspect of the job that resonated with Nicole was the fact that the app applies to all levels of riders, in a majority of disciplines. “I was that kid, growing up not being able to afford top trainers and access to the equestrian stars, so having the ability to offer this solution to all riders makes it very powerful and transforming,” said Nicole. The app is also affordable for everyone – less than a carrot a day! Another key focus for the Ridely team.

Top Trainers = Top Features
“We are always adding more training videos to expand the library which already features about 200 in English and another 200 in Swedish,” said Nicole. They recently completed filming a training series with Olympic dressage gold medalist Carl Hester, and are doing the same with Charlotte Dujardin. The app also features many exercises with Olympic jumping legend Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, and five-star Eventer Ariel Grald just to name a few.

The app provides coaches the ability to transfer their knowledge and establish a legacy. “This solution connects riders with trainers to appreciate the basics and so much more.” There will even be segments from top grooms sharing their best practices. “Our users have the ability to send videos of their rides to the many experts in the app – which broadens their learning and techniques.” You also have the ability to add as many horses as you want in order to track by day, week or month your progress. “It can become an essential tool for preparing to show,” Nicole added. If you lease or own a horse, sharing its daily training schedule is seamless. Along with a calendar, the app also gives you stats including time in the saddle, distance and average speed on your hacks which you can track in real-time. 

Awareness Building
“We primarily market the app online by leveraging social media platforms and through the riders we feature,” shared Nicole. Ridley has also been a sponsor of the Kentucky 3-Day Event livestream and is exploring partnerships with leading equestrian organizations.

“We do offer featured trainers revenue generating opportunities and each one gets to approve their videos before we put them in the app. We want to represent them well and for them to be happy with their content. We also create short promo clips for them to use on their own social media platforms, which gives them a way to promote their videos in the app, and also creates content for them where they can tag their sponsors.”

Ridely also takes part in sponsoring riders to build mindshare and educate equestrians on the benefits of using the app.

Advancing Tech Adoption 
Nicole feels that equestrians are starting to see the benefits of technology with their horses. She does recognize that even though horse sport lags in technology adoption versus mainstream sports, people are realizing that horses and riders are athletes who can benefit from the advancements technology offers.

“Ridely is excited to be on the horse tech journey of giving equestrians access to the best in the business and instituting a robust video library of trainings and ways to advance your skills both in and out of the saddle,” shared Nicole. This digital tool is ideal for helping riders stay motivated by setting goals and sharing with their supportive team.

Ridely Website
Instagram: ridely.app
Facebook: @RidelyApp