10 riding hat cameras and other devices designed to capture your special moments on horseback

So you’re looking for one of the best cameras for horse riding? Whether you’re buying the camera as a gift or treating yourself, I have to say this is an excellent shout! Having a camera with you while you’re in the saddle will not only capture memorable moments, such as your horse’s first visit to the beach and other occasions on your horsey bucket list, but could also provide useful footage in the event of an incident, such as a close pass or collision on the road, dog attack or a fall.

Cameras are usually mounted on your riding hat or body, but you can get cameras that track or auto-follow you from the ground or a tripod in the school, too.

Cameras and recording equipment are now common place in everyday life – and it’s not unusual for horse owners to have stable cameras, pet cameras and cameras for horse riding. While cameras can’t be worn in most competition, they are often encouraged when hacking as part of the standard safety gear to record encounters with other road users. The choice is vast when it comes to the best cameras for horse riding, and this guide will help you to choose the best for your needs within your budget.

Whether you're capturing memorable moments in the saddle, recording footage on the road or in the market for a tracking camera mount, we have it covered in this guide.

Best cameras for horse riding, including helmet, action cameras and other devices

The DC-2 Pro is Techalogic's higher-specification dual-lens helmet camera and is designed for riders wanting increased video quality and longer battery performance while retaining simultaneous front and rear recording.

This camera gives you everything that the DC-1 offers and more – the main differences are the extended recording time (an extra 90 mins per charge), the ability to record in 2K and the addition of GPS tracking if required. The weatherproof camera simultaneously records front and back, capturing everything around you, which is ideal if you’re recording your hacks for safety purposes. It attaches to an adjustable elasticated riding hat strap, which is included, or you can purchase a hi-vis strap separately.

You can take photos and lockdown (prevent overwrite) your favourite video files via the remote control wrist strap, and watch and playback footage anywhere via an app on your phone.

Georgia Guerin tested this camera while hacking and during a riding holiday. She said the battery life is what sets it apart from other models in this guide – if you don’t fiddle around with the settings too much you get a long recording time without the need for a battery pack. She didn’t manage to get quite four hours as she thinks she used up too much battery fiddling and viewing from my phone, but if you want even longer there’s always the option of a purchasing a portable battery pack to charge on the go.

This camera is made by body-worn camera specialists and like the Techalogics can record from the front and rear simultaneously. It is the only dual helmet camera that offers up to seven hours battery life from one full charge (on lower resolutions/settings) without requiring additional external battery pack.

This is very impressive and great if you regularly filming your rides or going on a riding holiday where you will have long days in the saddle. It’s also great for recording vehicles overtaking as well as capturing clear images of numberplate as they drive away when riding on the road.

The camera has an in-built sensor that automatically saves recordings if you receive a heavy knock, ensuring evidence is safe in case of an incident. It has a 145-degree viewing angle and you can start recording with just one click – it’s always ready to go.

Supplied with multiple mounting options for flexibility and a 128GB micro SD card.

This weatherproof camera simultaneously records front and back, capturing everything around you, which is ideal if you’re recording your hacks for safety purposes. It attaches to an adjustable elasticated riding hat strap, which is included, or you can purchase a hi-vis strap separately. You can also power it with a suitable external power bank for substantially longer rides.

You can take photos and lockdown (prevent overwrite) your favourite video files via the remote control wrist strap, and watch and playback footage anywhere via an app on your phone.

Georgia tested this camera and thinks if you’re looking for something to capture your roadwork for added security, this is the camera for you.

This 360° camera offers 5.7K video recording and strong stabilisation at a lower price point. The dual-lense captures everything around you at once. You do not need to aim the camera while riding; you can pick the best angles and create keyframes later in the app.

A stand out feature for me is the invisible selfie stick where the software erases the mounting pole automatically. This gives you an amazing third-person “follow cam” view as if another person was filming you on your horse.

If your main objective is filming occasional riding videos in daylight and wanting the invisible-stick effect without spending as much, I’d say the Akaso makes a lot of sense. But if you are wanting to create regular polished social-media content or ride in poor weather and light, I would recommend spending the extra and buying the Insta360 X5 if your budget allows.

This is a discrete and lightweight safety camera ideal for riders who are looking for a small easy-to-use camera offering personal protection and peace of mind when out riding.

With a simple single button record function, loop recording (so your memory card never gets full) and versatile crocodile clip attachment, this camera is a must have for all horse owners ideal for capturing events while out riding. It also offers a photograph option for taking evidence shots as well as night-vision for those darker winter hacks.

This tiny gadget isn’t designed for horse riding or bike/motor sports specifically like many of the others in this guide, but it’s definitely worth a look if you’re into capturing footage in other parts of your life, too. It can be mounted almost anywhere (for riders probably best on your chest or clipped to your helmet) and can be easily switched from horizontal to vertical filming, plus it’s waterproof, too.

With the Go3s housed inside the action pod, it becomes like a normal action camera. You can take pictures or videos using the buttons. The screen flips up over the top so you can record yourself more easily. It contains all the modes and adjustments you’d expect from a higher end action camera.

It has some clever features, including voice control, stabilisation and slow mo capture. If you use a Garmin or Apple watch while you ride, you can link up and overlay your data onto the video.

If you're after a simple-to-use riding helmet camera this is the one for you.

With a strong run time, this compact single-lens helmet camera is great for the longer rides. It’s also waterproof, particularly lightweight and has a simple, one-button operation with date and time stamped footage. The built-in Wi-Fi means you can easily view and edit the footage on the app.

Unlike Techalogic’s DC-1, this camera sits front and centre of your helmet, but is attached with the same strap.

This is an excellent compact action camera choice for horse riding, offering 5.3K videos and industry-leading stabilisation. A strong pick for a straightforward, high-quality action/POV footage, thats designed to withstand being used outside in the rain.

Of course, all the usual things you expect from GoPro: it's rugged, waterproof, and due to the way they've designed the mount, it's easy to attach to pretty much anything. If you want to mount it to something, there's more than likely a mount out there ready for you. The GoPro Hero 13 camera is well worth consideration if you're looking for the very best of what action cameras have to offer.

The GoPro adhesive mount (included) mounts the camera to your helmet or the GoPro Chesty is a popular choice over helmet mounts with horse riders because it sits lower, absorbs less head movement, and completely eliminates the risk of an impact hazard to your riding hat.

If you already have a GoPro Hero 12 Black and you’ve looking at the GoPro Hero 13, then the upgrades may not seem so worthwhile, aside from one. The wireless Bluetooth mic support, which suddenly transforms the GoPro Hero 13 Black from just another action camera into a fully featured creator filmmaking setup.

The GoPro Hero 13 Black is a far better solution for anyone looking to vlog or record more engaging videos.

We have not yet tested this camera for horse riding, however our sister title TechRadar awarded it ‘best overall’ status in their round-up of the best action cameras. TechRadar’s in-depth review praised the camera’s range of accessories, battery life and accompanying Quik app for easy editing.

This Pivo pod is a standalone pod that converts your smartphone into an auto-tracking camera, this clever device (known as a gimbal) works with a free-to-download app and uses your smartphone to record while automatically following your horse as it moves. The system is designed to recognise a horse’s shape (when you select horse mode) and will zoom as needed (within your phone’s capabilities) so you don’t end up appearing as a dot in the distance.

It has six tracking speeds and has up to six hours of battery life, pivo power pad is available separately to extend battery life. For the best results, the pod needs to be level and set to around the horse’s chest height – you can do this with the tripod, which comes as part of the “essential kit” add-on.

Previously known as both the Pivo Pod Silver and Pivo Pod Active, H&H’s Carol Phillips tested this device and found it to be a really useful piece of kit if you ride on your own and struggle to find someone to record you. She found it easy to use once she was familiar with it, but fairly heavy on phone battery usage so not ideal for long sessions. Read Carol’s full Pivo Pod review.

If you are looking for a device that is built for a heavier setup take a look at the Pivo Max it features a wider more stable base that performs better on uneven ground or in large open spaces. Can be used with smartphones as well as tables and lightweight cameras and an expanded battery life of up to 12 hours for professional or training use.

This is the upgraded successor to the original Insta360 Flow Pro, offering major updates to AI tracking, build quality, and software support.

This clever gimbal uses Apple DockKit tracking technology (but this doesn’t stop Android users). It has a built-in selfie stick and tripod, so you don’t need to worry about keeping everything together – it’s all in one place already. It essentially gives horse riders a way to film themselves without needing another person operating the camera.

It has 360-degree infinite pan tracking, which means you can ride a 20m circle in one direction continuously and it will keep following you and continuously adjust the framing as it moves. This model also boasts horse tracking, making it ideal for horse riders. It has excellent stabilisation capabilities, so if you like to record your riding by hand on your phone, this gadget will revolutionise the video you can produce. Plus, you can use it for up to 10 hours before you need to recharge.

How to choose the best camera for horse riding

If you’re looking for a new helmet camera, consider its size and weight. In general, lightweight and compact is your best option as you’re less likely to notice its presence, while mounting a big, heavy camera on your riding hat is going to be uncomfortable on longer riders and is likely to affect your balance, too.

It’s important to check out the battery life of your prospective camera as you don’t want it to run out on you mid-ride.

As with a lot of kit that goes to the yard, your new camera is likely to be subject to knocks. Finding a camera that’s tough and durable will help it stand up to the elements and life with horses. It’s not essential to choose a waterproof camera, but if you’re likely to go riding on the beach or use your camera in all weathers, then a waterproof camera – or one that comes with a waterproof case – is handy.

Most mounted cameras are made for general sporting use, rather than horse riding specifically, but they usually come with a range of mounting accessories to allow you to attach your camera. It’s important that the camera is held securely in order to capture good footage, but also to prevent it falling off, particularly when you’re riding at speed. However, the camera also needs to be able to break away if it suffers a direct impact, so it doesn’t cause injury.

How we tested the best cameras for horse riding

When putting the best riding hat cameras through their paces, we tested them in a range of scenarios:

• hacking on the road
• riding on the beach
• riding in woodland
• jumping
• schooling
• riding at speed
• riding in poor weather

These scenarios allowed us to asses the cameras’ capabilities in the scenarios that equestrians might want to film.

We also used each camera until it ran out of battery on multiple occasions, to ensure the battery life was as it claimed. We also charged the cameras and tested how long this took in comparison to the manufacturer claims.

Finally, we used the recommended apps to download and access the footage, and compared how simple this was to do, and determine in what situations it’s possible to do.

What type of camera is best for horse riding?

If your priority is recording road hacks, capturing close passes by with vehicles, dog attacks, or want evidence in case of an accident, a compact dual-lens helmet-mounted action camera is your best buy.

If you want smooth, high-resolution POV footage that you can edit and use on social media channels, an action camera with multiple mounting options like GoPro Hero series of Insta360 Go3s would be my recommendations.

If you are riding in an arena and want to film your lessons or training sessions without the need of a helper you should check out the Pivo pod or Insta360 Flow Pro 2. These motorised mounts feature intelligent equestrian tracking modes allowing them to automatically rotate to track you and your horse.

Are horse riding cameras worth it?

Whether a riding camera is worth it depends on your preferences, but it offers key benefits. Helmet cameras act as a safety tool by recording unpredictable incidents, providing evidence if accidents occur with other road or land users.

For some riders, using a camera while horse riding is a source of personal enjoyment, allowing you to capture scenic routes or showcase events, to document or share with others.

Does wearing a helmet-mounted camera affect the safety of my riding helmet?

Attaching a camera may influence the safety performance of your riding helmet, potentially changing how it absorbs impacts and altering your risk of injury during a fall. Standard safety testing for riding hats is conducted without any external accessories mounted. As a result, there is currently limited evidence regarding how adding an external device like a helmet camera might impact the hat's protective qualities during an accident.

Major equestrian governing bodies prohibit mounting cameras on riding hats during affiliated competitions and events due to safety concerns.

What is a gimbal?

A gimbal is a device that stabilises a camera and allows it to rotate freely while remaining level. They’re really handy for capturing smooth footage, especially when shooting handheld or on an unsteady surface – and some feature AI-tracking capabilities, too. Examples in this guide include the Pivo Pod Equestrian and the Insta360 Flow Pro 2.

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