Are there any free apps for fall detection ?
I feel like I used to have one from SmartPak that you could turn on when you rode and if you fell it would sound an alarm and if you didnt’ turn it off it would call preset people.
Anything like that still available?
Apple Watches have fall detection.
I’m not aware of any that are free, unless you consider buying an Apple Watch with fall detection built in.
Here is one paid app for worker safety including falls: https://www.becklar.com/workforce-safety/apps/
I thought the Equilab app had something, but it looks like more of a “share my location” while riding feature so people can check on you. (Maybe it alerts if you do not check in afterwards?)
Lots of the apps are free but you first have to make sure your existing device has built-in accelerometer and gyroscope features. That’s what allows it to detect falls. Check your phone’s specs-- if it has an accelerometer and gyroscope, then it almost certainly has a fall detection app already built-in. If you have an older phone, and this feature is important to you, maybe this is your excuse to upgrade to a current model.
But, it doesn’t have to be a phone-- many of the current GPS watches have this feature too. You could get a used Garmin 45S on ebay for about $100. The garmin watches don’t directly call 911, they call your pre-determined emergency contacts, but the advantage is the watch will provide them with your exact coordinates. So even if you’re out on a trail and unconscious, EMS would be able to find you.
This is why I wear an Apple Watch. The last time I came off the ONLY sore spot and big bruise was where I landed on my phone in its leather case at my waist. No longer need to carry phone. I have the one with cell service so I do not need to be in Bt range of the phone. It’s only $10/month on Verizon.
Road ID. It’s made for biking, and won’t detect a fall, but will detect if you haven’t moved for a preset amount of time and sends a message to your contacts with your location.
This made me start shopping yesterday for an Apple watch. Why trust my life to free apps?
I often ride alone and once was stranded with a fractured pelvis. My horse and attached cell phone galloped away. I was out of sight in a hayfield, could not get up to see over the hay, and I swear there were vultures circling overhead.
Yep, Apple watch for me - which one would be best? Asking those who own one.
DH says the Apple watch 6, 7, and 8 all have the same processor with fall detection.
From there, if you’re going to wear it at the barn I’d probably get the stainless steel one with the sapphire glass.
And yes, get one with its own cell connection so it does not depend on having your phone nearby.
I can state with some certainty that the Apple Watch is utterly useless at recognising a fall in connection with horses.
Mine goes off every time I put a hoof boot on a horse (hand slap to sit the toe right in), but failed to go off the two times I’ve come off, or the time I was bowled over and kicked or the time I was knocked off my feet by a falling Dolav box….and two of those involved me being on the ground injured and concussed so it would have been REALLY bliddy useful if it had done it’s job 
A friend of mine has some sort of device for things like this (she rides alone a lot) and one day she did a cartwheel with her daughter and her device freaked out. lol
I also purchased an Apple iwatch a year ago for this reason. I ride alone, young ponies/horses that I break and worry that something could happen and hubby wouldnt find me for hours. So an iwatch it is! I feel secure just having it on every time I get in the saddle.
For all the Apple users, both watches and the new 14 phones - there is a new update (12/13/22) for the firmware to help prevent false activation of this feature. There are numerous false callouts from these that sent out search and rescue groups looking for these false alerts. The update on the firmware helps correct the false activations.
Another neat thing is they can call 911 if you are going into cardiac arrest. My husband is a fire fighter and they received a medical call from a Telus device. Most of the other fire fighters had no idea what that meant, but since my husband knows about my iwatch and that it can call 911 for emergencies, he was able to tell them what the call was about and what could have possibly happened. They broke into the elderly womans house who was unconscious on her bathroom floor (her guide dog and wheelchair beside her) and they were able to get her stable until the ambulance arrived. The watch called 911 when it noticed and erratic heart beat. This happened not even a week ago.
Is it on all the time or do you have to turn it on when you want to use it? I have a Garmin watch that has it but I have to turn on the feature when I want it. Not so great just bringing in horses if they get squirrely.
Yes, you can configure it to be always on. Here are the docs, change the watch version in the top left to see the different options.
I’m 70 and getting a 5 year old started. Shes a super quiet Morgan and only 15hh and not spooky at all. I also ride my medium pony a couple times a week. But…there’s the odd time that I’m the only person at the barn.
I’m about to upgrade to an Apple Watch from my beloved Fitbit because of the fall detection feature that Fitbit does not offer.
A couple of rider friends have the Apple and have not had a problem with them going off at random times.
Post deleted.
Actually if you are older and hoping to qualify for state-funded in-home services like home-delivered meals or homemaker help at some point, then having a documented history of falls (horse-related or not) puts you much higher on the eligibility scale.
It’s the one thing that can substantially move you up the list of thousands of people with low income and medical conditions who live alone.
(I work for one of my state’s AAADs, and while falls are never good, documented ones can serve a very positive purpose in this case.)
Thanks for the concern but I’m in Ontario…no worries about ‘qualifying’ for health care.
I picked up the Apple watch today and will get it figured out this week.
The SE model also has fall detection with a little better price point. This was the primary reason I got my Apple Watch, as I ride alone almost always.
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