New Technology

We say…

The Garmin Blaze made tracking my horse’s exercise so easy. It wraps around the tail and records distance covered, heart rate, strides, gait times, skin temperature, average and maximum speeds, heat score and location. I used it on two horses, but multiple animals can be added to the app, and I tried it for hacking, flatwork in the school, and polework.

One thing to note is that the activity options are limited – you have to choose from outdoor training, indoor training, recovery or transport. It would be nice to have the option to change activity names and add notes on each session.

The app is simple and easy to use, with a straightforward layout that shows all registered horses with their profile picture and exactly what exercise they’ve done over the past week.

Being able to monitor heart rate was particularly useful, as I’ve been rehabbing my mare. It was eye-opening to see her heart rate spike as soon as we entered the arena, and to then watch it gradually decrease with more work. Starting the tracker can be a fiddly if you don’t connect your phone before getting on, or have a weak GPS signal.

Using the tracker made me realise that I don’t exercise my horses as much as I thought – one flatwork session that I thought was long and productive actually showed we spent almost the entire time in zone 1 (the lowest level). The clearly explained zones make it easy to see which intensity to aim for, making it simple to improve fitness and gradually increase work.

Setting up the Blaze is straightforward. It stayed securely in place on the tail, was easy to put on and charge, and connected easily to my Garmin watch. Overall, I found it to be a practical, well-designed tool that helped me understand my horse’s exercise in a new way, making rides more effective and giving me peace of mind.

Join amateur showjumper and Digital Marketing Manager Alex for a week testing the Garmin Blaze Equine Wellness System here.