Garmin has officially galloped into new territory. On Wednesday, the running smartwatch giant strayed from its usual focus on endurance athletes with a gadget that doesn’t strap to your wrist at all–it straps under your horse’s tail.
The Blaze equine wellness system is exactly what it sounds like: a neoprene tail wrap with a removable sensor that tracks your horse’s health and fitness. The device monitors heart rate, skin temperature, strides, gait, distance and recovery–all of which can be viewed in real time on the Blaze smartphone app or a compatible Garmin smartwatch as you ride.
Marketed toward racing, eventing and jumping horses, Blaze also lets you create individual profiles for multiple horses, so one sensor can track the stats of an entire stable. The system is rechargeable, boasts 25 hours of battery life and–given the location users are expected to strap it–Garmin is quick to point out it’s washable and durable.
When Garmin shared the announcement on Instagram, many thought it was an out-of-season April Fools’ joke. “I’m sure that’s gonna smell wonderful after one use!” one user quipped. Another joked: “SO COOL!!! Buying a horse just to use this.” Others were skeptical, questioning the market size for such a niche product.
For context, there are an estimated two million horse owners in the U.S. and about 27 million people who ride annually. Garmin, evidently, is betting that they can rope in a new crowd to obsess over the same training stats and recovery insights runners already get–just now for their 500-kg training partner.
