Fall detection?

[trubandloki]

@endlessclimb

When I tried it, it was a phone app. Not sure if they’ve upgraded to a watch app too.

Well, I know there are various apple things that calls in a crash if the phone falls on the floor board of the car (or off the roof of the car, and heck, who can blame a phone for that).
It is very common for the fire department to be looking all over for a down person or a car in a ditch on one corner near where I live, because the driver’s iPhone fell on the floor board of the car when they went around the corner too fast and they ignored it until they got home, which was well after the 911 call happened and the departments were looking for the person.

That is my only experience with these things, the way too often 911 calls associated with them that always seem to happen at very weird hours (wife of a volunteer fire fighter).

[endlessclimb]

I’ve accidentally activated the emergency calling on my phone when it was in the pocket of swishy-type pants facing screen in.

I like my phone facing that way in case I pick up something heavy that I don’t smash the screen, but I have to be cognizant of pant material type - will it transfer touches, or not.

[Atlas_Shrugged]

My kids got me one and it works! But unless you want to carry a phone, it needs its own phone line

[SonnysMom]

ROADId may work. It isn’t a fall detection as much as a non-motion detection.
I used it when the app was free. I don’t trail ride by myself anymore so it wasn’t worth the monthly fee.
If I remember it sounds an alarm after not moving for 4 minutes. You have 60 seconds to clear the alarm. After that it sends a text to your contact that basically says Help I have fallen and can’t get up. It shows your location.
I forgot to end the app after a trail ride once so it alarmed. I was able to clear it before it went to my contact.
Not moving includes untacking and sponging horse. You aren’t moving a big enough range to measure

[NC001]

I have friends who have had it go off with a fall.
Not an apple watch but an android literally saved my friends life going off in a fall while out jogging. It called 911 for him - still took 3 hours and a drone for them to find him but they would have never found him otherwise and he would have died due to serious injuries.
After that my whole family got apple watches.

[BroncoMo]

I’ll have to look in to that one. Cell service is questionable at best at home, but I’m looking at putting up cell/wifi boosters in the area. And recently I haven’t been riding the green ones at home, but rather in town where cell service is much more reliable.

[TheJenners]

@trubandloki

@endlessclimb

You have to turn it on at the beginning of the ride, and off at the end.

Thank you for clarifying that.

I did not realize it was something you had to manually do.

That’s what I have to do with my Garmin watch, which does exactly bupkis if one of the horses gets a wild hair during turn out/turn in and creams me. My previous gelding once pulled one of the most athletic moves ever and kicked my feet out from under me while I was handwalking him for rehab, and I didn’t have it on. Or, since I’m a klutz, if I just a pull a primo move myself and fall down, which I’ve also done.

I’ve been looking for something that is on all the time even if there is the annoyance of false alarms. And a phone app won’t work because I 90 percent of the time film my ride with my phone using Pivo, so it isn’t on me.

[Laurierace]

The newer Apple Watches have been programmed to cut down on the false alarms by not going off if you are immediately moving around post “fall.” I had a face plant while walking my dogs that could have been incredibly serious had I not caught myself at the perfect angle and my watch didn’t do a darn thing. Scared me so badly I contacted Apple and asked why it didn’t go off. That’s how I found out about the change. Haven’t had any falls where I was injured and therefore not able to move immediately after to test that theory but it made me a little less concerned about it not working

[Peggy]

On the other hand, mine went off yesterday while smacking a Scoot Boot to install in on a horse’s foot.

[BroncoMo]

I just asked my trainer about her watch, not 15 minutes ago. She said she’s never had a false alert. She rides 8+ a day, green ones, jumps, all of it. And I’m certain her watch has had enough impact to test the theory.

[IPEsq]

I was buying hay yesterday and had to make a couple of attempts to slam my tailgate shut and set off my watch. Battery life is waning, and if the new ones won’t do the alert if you keep moving, that might be a good reason to upgrade. Of course I just kept going and got in the truck to drive off. I had a couple layers of sleeves on, and thankfully didn’t have the radio up high so I did eventually notice the alarm before it made the phone call . I suppose unless you took a hit and are getting dragged…

[Hightale]

My Apple Watch hasn’t detected a single one of my serious accidents, 3 of which involved head injuries with concussion, one a full knockout as I went flying 15ft and ended up laid under a gate unconscious. I NEEDED it then as I was on my own and it failed me completely. Thankfully I woke up and managed to get myself into the house and then to the hospital the next day.
I have balance issues (partly related, partly due to severe foot & ankle arthritis) and can go over at the drop of a hat now……nada!
It has however become less sensitive to false alarms, I used to get them all the time hoof trimming.
It is utterly useless.