An Interview with Hannah Basetti- Founder of The Riders Pod

♡ An interview with Hannah Basetti, the founder of the fitness app for equestrians, 'The Riders Pod'. You can find The Riders Pod in the app store, and on Instagram at @theriderspod ♡

Now I'll let Hannah take it away and introduce you to (and plug) the app!

The Riders Pod is the #1 Health and Wellness Mobile Application for Equestrians!

With a range of features to improve rider health and fitness, this app is a one stop shop.

From rider fitness, meditation, nutrition, planning, goal setting, and a results library, The Riders Pod is there to support riders to achieve their goals and dreams.

What are you trying to achieve with the riders pod? What is your "end goal"?

Our aim at The Riders Pod is to support riders to be healthy, organised and feel their best both inside and out! We know how important it is to be fit while riding, to benefit the horse's performance but also the riders.

Showing riders how easy it is to incorporate training into everyday life, and that the commitment to yourself is so worth the effort, physically, mentally and emotionally.

I would say, we don’t actually have a set end goal. Every day we are listening to our subscribers and working on their needs and feedback to build a bigger and better brand, that can reach more riders and help them to achieve their goals. We hope The Riders Pod is able to continue to grow and achieve great things for us and for our riders across the world!

What inspired you to create the riders pod?

The inspiration was with me for about 3 or so years, throughout my degree of Sports Management specialising in Active Communities, I really wanted to combine my passions; Horses, Community and Fitness/Wellbeing. As a rider myself, I knew the lack of knowledge and education in the Equestrian industry, so decided as a young rider, it was time to make a change and create a new culture revolves around Health and Fitness. I have always been a person that thrives off projects and being busy! It was the perfect

opportunity to put all my learnings into a tool that can

help others. I also love connecting with the Equestrian community!

Another aspect that really inspired me, was being a rider myself and juggling 100 different things. From training schedules to competitions and everything in between. I used to plan my days and events on paper. Juggling a social life, riding, competitions, school and family was a real struggle. So having a tool that keeps me organised was sure to be beneficial!

Our Co-Founder, Sarah-Jane is extremely passionate about Health and Wellbeing, this motivates me every single day to be the best I can be! Sarah-Jane writes all the workouts for the app and spends hours upon hours making sure they are the right fit for riders.

How long did it take from the initial planning process to launching the app?

This is something I love reflecting on. I initially

had a small business with my partner where we

travelled toPony Club’s across Victoria to run clinics, I would train the riders in a ‘Personal Training’ setting, run through goal setting and planning, which we loved. The passion was still burning to make this more and to grow the idea. Throughout university, I learnt a lot! I then started a book where I was drawing designs, contacting developers, designing a brand logo, having moments of hope and moments of “why

am I doing this!?!”.

It took approximately from the moment I decided yes I am going to build an app, to the launch date.. 12 months. On top of the 12 months, I dreamed and planned something like The Riders Pod for about 3 years!

The building process of an app is expensive, draining, fiddly and also very rewarding as you see all your drawings come to life.

What are some of your short term and long term goals for the business?

This is so hard to answer as it is forever changing. We try to be really flexible with our work and adapt to the world, trends and new ideas.

Short term: Continue to support riders globally to achieve their goals every day. Being interactive and getting to know our subscribers! Release our new features!

Long term: Sustain a global business that supports riders to achieve their goals and make their lives that bit easier!

How is the riders pod different from other fitness apps, and how is it directed towards equestrians?

The Riders Pod was designed and built with riders in mind.

Each feature represents riders in different ways.

Fitness: We designed this feature to have workouts that can be completed from the stables, a bedroom or the gym! With categories broken down to allow riders to target areas of weakness, for example, Core. All designed by our Co-Founder and Personal Trainer, Sarah-Jane.

Meditation: We know how much sport, life and being a human can affect someone’s mental health. We introduced meditations to the app to support riders in whatever circumstances may face them. From anxiety or nerves for competitions,

sleeping or even schoolwork. We have a meditation

to help calm, clear and reset the mind.

Nutrition: All riders know how hard it can be to get in the kitchen and cook up a huge meal, that’s healthy, with just 30 minutes to spare... that’s why all our meals are designed by our Nutritionist, Maree from Nourishing Life Nutrition, to be easy, full of nutrients and delicious!

Planner: Colour codes that are equestrian specific, visually appealing to the eye and sends reminders..keeping you in check no matter what the day holds. Planning your day can really improve productivity, reduce stress and benefit riders and their horses by planning a structure routine and schedule to tick off all their training requirements.

Goal Setting: What rider doesn’t have a goal? We have daily goals, every time we sit in the saddle. This feature allows riders to break down short and long term goals, interactively of course. Add photos, descriptions, updates. It’s all there! Store your completed goals, so you can revisit them and see just how far you have come!

Results Library: Ever lost a dressage test, or it has been rained on at a competition and all those comments you worked hard for disappear? That’s what the Results Library is for. Storing important results or journey achievements.

Do you have any advice on how people can make an idea or a dream into reality?

Do it! If you have a dream or an idea... DO your research, DO the hard work, DO the planning and make it happen. You will only ever regret not giving it a go.

Not every idea or dream will be successful, but we know we always feel better for trying and giving something our best shot.

Work with the networks around you and you will be amazed by the talent those you are surrounded by have. You don’t need a lot of money or education to achieve an idea, you just need to go down the right avenues for yourself and what you need.

I am a true believer in the saying ‘if you put your mind to it, and work hard, anything is possible.

Is COVID-19 having an impact on the riders pod?

Absolutely - we are finding a lot more riders wanting to get active and improve their health and fitness whilst there are no competitions on. It has been amazing to watch riders on new journey’s doing things they have never tried before, all from the comforts of home. We hope this experience encourages riders to continue to be active, even when things do return to normal.

We send our love and well wishes to everyone during this difficult time! We will get through this together! X