2024 Pivo Pod Equestrian Review: Four years on…
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I first bought a Pivo Pod in April 2020, beginning with what was then the Pivo Red, before upgrading to a Pivo Silver (which has now been rebranded as Pivo Pod Silver Equestrian). So, four years on, was it worth it?
The short answer is yes.
As both a content creator and a passionate rider, my Pivo has been a vital tool in capturing content that I can share on my channels, as well as content that I can look back on and reflect on my riding, often with my coach.
Below: footage shot with my Pivo:
How good is your phone?
That’s not to say it’s completely without its hiccups. Whenever I’m asked what I think of the Pivo as a horse rider, my first response is always: how good is your phone’s camera? The Pivo Pod itself is essentially just a holder for your phone - the magic comes from the Pivo app and it’s ability to pick out the shape of you and your horse and follow it. Without a decent phone camera. this is hard to do. Older phones will also find that the battery drains more quickly, though Pivo have now come out with tools that let you charge at the same time as recording.
Pivo placement in the school
The second thing to bear in mind is placement in the school - if you pass too close, it can lose the shape of the horse and lose track of you. I usually place it in the corner of my school, or at X. Try not to place it too close to a set of wings or anything that might obstruct it’s view of you.
FAQs
Can it track me if I’m in the arena with another horse?
The short answer is… it depends. Technically, no, the Pivo can’t tell you and another horse apart, so it will tend to track whichever horse is closer or in it’s line of sight. The only way around this is to ensure that you are always the one riding closest to the Pivo.
Why did my recording stop?
Usually, this is caused by a phonecall - which will stop the recording, or by a lack of storage space. Some people use airplane mode when they record with the Pivo (you’ll need to turn the Bluetooth back on after before you can connect the app to the Pod).
How do you get your Reels in 9:16?
I shoot in landscape and crop them afterwards using Apple’s own photo/video crop tool on the phone.
The Pivo Pod isn’t a perfect science, but the app is improving all the time and if you value recording your rides without need for a camera man, I highly recommend it.
