We had the pleasure of interviewing Ilaria and Alessandro Botti in Chantilly regarding their use of Equimetre.
Why and for how long have you been using Equimetre? How often do you analyze the data, and how do you organize your data collection? What is your favorite function, parameter, or service with Equimetre?
Find out all the answers in this interview!
Could you please introduce yourselves?
Alessandro: I am Alessandro Botti, an Italian trainer who has been based in France for 7 years. We have between 60 and 70 horses in training.
Ilaria: My name is Ilaria Botti, I am Alessandro Botti’s wife. I am his assistant, and I also help with personnel management to improve job satisfaction and attachment to the horses.
Why and for how long have you been using Equimetre?
Alessandro: Having observed the good results obtained with Equimetre and the valuable data collected by other trainers, we wanted to improve and explore this system. So, we decided to start using Equimetre. I was drawn to Equimetre because I wanted to learn more about my horses, and I found it to be a fairly simple and precise system to use. This allows us to work the horses normally without disrupting their daily routine. Retrieving the data by late morning is straightforward.
How often do you analyze the data, and how do you organize your data collection?
Alessandro: We try to place the Equimetre on several horses at least once a week. As we approach the next race, I find it very interesting to use it during gallops to see the horse’s preparation and understand his speed and the intensity of the work. Being on foot, we cannot manage or see exactly what happened during the gallop, hence the advantage of Equimetre. It also allows us to judge and compare the data of one horse with others and with his own history.
What does Equimetre bring to your training method? Have you adapted anything?
Alessandro: Today, we are still in the phase where we haven’t really changed our way of working, but we understand better how the horses are trained. For example, this system allows us to follow a horse during his comeback race and see how he progresses in subsequent races.
What is your favorite function, parameter, or service with Equimetre?
Alessandro: It’s quite interesting to analyze recovery time with heart rate after exertion. Equimetre also helps us understand the horses’ race distance.
Equimetre has been developing for several years already, and I think, for the future, it could become almost indispensable. As we see in other sports, the more information we gather, the fewer mistakes we make.
Do you use Equimetre to compare horses?
Alessandro: Yes, sometimes we compare one horse with another or the same horse from week to week to see if he has improved. Having a history of several years makes things even easier.
Following Roaring Gallagher’s victory in the Prix du Pont du Gard recently, did you monitor the horse before the race?
Alessandro: Yes. When the horse arrived, I had no knowledge of his performances. It then did gallops with Equimetre, and I noticed progress. Having numerical data before the race makes you more confident.
How do you see data in horse racing and the future of horse training?
Ilaria: Today, horse data is becoming more accessible to everyone, thanks in part to the transparency of France Galop. Before, it was a bit more secretive, and not everyone had access to it. Now, with the media and all modern communication systems, we can get closer to the horses. This allows us to understand how horse training works. Thanks to Arioneo, we can access precise data. It’s also very interesting to allow new owners to get closer to the discipline and become passionate about it.
For Arioneo, animal welfare is important, could you tell us more about it?
Ilaria: More and more, thankfully, the issue of equine welfare is something that really interests France Galop and everyone involved. I think it has a significant impact on performance as well. Those of us in this profession are committed to having well-cared-for and well-trained horses without stress at the physical and mental levels. Arioneo allows us to adjust the horse’s efforts and secure horse training through data, including heart rate or speed. These data allow an evaluation of the horse’s physical and mental state and thus understand if the heart rate is consistent with the horse’s speed and if it feels good. It’s a real plus.
Unfortunately, not all riders are necessarily attentive to the horses’ needs.
Equimetre can therefore allow the trainer to assess and understand what happened during a training session when the horse was not in front of them.
For example, if there was a change in behavior, an increase in heart rate, or an unexpected increase in speed outside of work.
→ Equimetre allows for good monitoring of the horse’s work.
Key words: Equimetre, Arioneo, data, horses, testimonial, Botti, welfare