Featured Video: A 360-Degree Show Jumping Helmet Cam

Over the past few years, 360-degree videos have been popping up on YouTube and Facebook. These are interactive clips taken with a certain type of camera that allow viewers to look in all directions. Like a more traditional helmet cam, you can get the rider’s-eye view and see what it’s like to ride a show jumping course. But you can also drag the view to see what’s happening on either side of the rider’s view. You can look down over the jumps just like your riding instructor is always telling you not to. You can even play “around the world” as the horse is conquering the triple combination.

YouTube is, of course, full of 360-degree riding videos. Here’s one for those of you buried under snow and ice this winter: A ride into the blue-green waters of Tampa Bay. Watch the horses, look down into the clear water below, or up at the bright, warm sun. Enjoy your mini virtual vacation!

Leslie Potter is a writer and photographer based in Lexington, Kentucky. www.lesliepotterphoto.com