TIMEX HR-GPS ADAPTATION TO THE HORSE
REPORT 4
12-3-03
The last few weeks have yielded good and not so good results.
Since winter is here and the horses all have long hair, I was having many problems with good readings.
I clipped the horses under the saddle and under the girth. Just 2 small holes in the long hair. I had to use a water to make the site wet as well as EKG gel. I obtained good reading the past 4 times I rode.
I have found the following. Both electrodes must be on the LEFT side of the horse. The connections must be wet. The connections cannot move.
The transmitter is very sensitive to movements. The transmitter is slow to react to quick changes in HR. I estimate the lag time to be about 45 seconds.I think that is acceptable.
My almost final analysis of this system indicates the HRM portion is a bit problematic. The connections have to be 'just right' Most riders will not be able to work though the issues. It will take some playing around with the connections on each horse to get it working well enough to use. I can make it work. I will be using this for next year at the rides.
The GPS is really great. I have learned so much about pacing rates with all the horses compared to what I already knew. This is a really great tool to fast-track learn about pacing. What took me many rides and actually years to learn how to pace, I could easily have learned within weeks with a GPS like this. The standard process of learning pacing is to ride many times and miles over a KNOWN measured trail. The go to rides and learn all over again. Using this TIMEX GPS I would have learned how to 'feel' the speed and timing so much faster. The other fast-tack learning process is the HR to speed correlation. How great it is to now go out at xx mph and know the working HR is yy. Applying this to rides will surely help riders to understand and feel the horse better. This will eliminate the guess work and the question; Am I over riding my horse? Once the real time information is learned and the nexus to all the intuitive horsemanship intangible points is made the process of really knowing your working horse is easier.
While I am able to pace my horse and know what an 8 Min Mile is like, it took me years to learn the feel. Since I have many 1000 miles riding with a HRM, I knew what my horses HR should be at 'speeds' based on feel only. NOW I can put real numbers on that feeling.
You can get just the TIMEX GPS from many sources. EBAY has the best prices.
If nothing else came out of this project, I would really advise riders who have no understanding of pace - speed and distance, to get the TIMEX GPS unit. Your learning curve will drop from months to weeks. Once you know how it feels to go xx mph you do not really need to ride with it. However I WILL. If for no other reason except to provide the real data feedback to make me aware of how fast we really are going. This also applies to why I ride with a HRM all the time. If I have real data to tell me to look at may horse closer and to listen better, I may just not cause a problem..again.
Those who like flying with feel only - great go for it. BUT there is NOT one rider that KNOWS the working HR of their horse by "FEEL" while riding. Its just BS.
May be why many of the top dog riders use a HRM all the time? What do they know?
I will NOT offer the TIMEX HR-GPS. I will offer for sale the lead wires to adapt it to your horse. You are on your own to get the system- from EBAY. I will bring a few to the ECTRA convention and the AERC Convention in Feb 04. I would sell them, but the rider will have to deal with the problems. The warranty on the TIMEX components will be back on the supplier and not me. I will also NOT guarantee acceptable HR results. I would offer all my notes and advice how I got it working. This is NOT for the picky riders.
I will ask the same price anyone can get this from EBAY, maybe a bit better since I would get a volume discount from the same dealer. Then add my lead kit at $55, with instructions and pictures. Have to pay for all this R and D?
RR
end 12/3/03