We have always been driven by the deeply held belief that science would lead us to a better understanding of the horse. With this in mind, we are developing the most innovative products of the future in partnership with our scientific ecosystem.

Research projects: audacity and long-term vision.

In 2011, the saddle maker CWD began looking into the effects of riding, based on a better understanding of the horse and rider. The Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort (EnvA -National Veterinary School of Alfort) and its Centre d’Imagerie et de Recherche sur les Affections Locomotrices Equines (CIRALE – Center for Imaging and Research on Equine Locomotor disorders –) – based in Normandy – were our first scientific partners. The objective was to participate in research projects to develop responsible riding. This fruitful collaboration gave rise to the first public-private laboratory in the equine sector: the LIM VetLab.

Supported by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR-16-LCV2-0002), the project – governed by a framework agreement which lasted four years in total – allowed us to work on connected riding to better understand the horse, better train it and care for it to ensure its integrity and performance. The iJUMP® saddle and the iPULSE® girth by Arioneo were direct results of this project.

Scientific partnerships with universities have also emerged and we jointly supervise theses with different universities in France and around the world.

Since then, our teams have collaborated with the Ecole Vétérinaire de Maisons-Alfort and some of these universities (Lyon 1, UTC, Montréal) around the CAPT-ESE (ANR-20-CE19-0016) project. Our ambition is to develop connected sensors specifically designed for the equine athlete and its rider. These tools will help manage training from the point of view of the prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment of locomotor disorders in horses. The tools and methods developed are applied in an aquatic environment at the CIRALE Kinesia center, which is renowned throughout the world. These developments can have significant benefits for equine athletes, whether in the aquatic environment for functional rehabilitation or for managing injuries by adapting the sporting activity of the horse and rider.

This large-scale collaboration involves pooling human, financial and material resources. The facilities, equipped with cutting-edge materials and made available by the CIRALE, allow our teams to carry out tests and work in the best conditions. In addition, based on the partnerships that we have been developing for several years with partner scientific universities, every year we host student researchers preparing their theses and working on these issues of the future.

Through its research and innovation, Lim GROUP contributes to providing concrete solutions for the industry’s stakeholders.

Our teams contribute to the development and marketing of practical solutions for different stakeholders in the sector every day. This includes riders, of course, with whom we work daily and who participate actively in improving our products, but also veterinarians, who work with us hand-in-hand to develop new diagnostic tools.

Recently, through a partnership that we have created with the Selle Français studbook and the IFCE, we used our iJUMP technology, comparing it to the results of human judges to try to bring additional, objective information to help breeders identify young horses and understand the effects of the rider on the horse’s back.