I am sure this question has been asked before, I did a search and couldn’t find any old posts so I am starting a new one.
I’m looking for a GPS or similar type system to keep track of how far and how fast I am riding. Any suggestions?
I have a Garmin Forerunner 205 that I use for riding and running.
It tracks time, mph, distance, average mph
I have a Garmin Forerunner 201. Love it! Just purchased a brand new one off eBay for $100. My 8 year old 201 was being held together with electrical tape (band pin hole was broken on one side and the wristband was always in danger of being released - hence the electrical tape to hold everything together). I really needed a new one (so I kept telling myself) Retail they go anywhere from $125 (for years old models that sat on the shelf and never sold) to $260-$295 (current models). So if you buy, shop around to get the best deal
I like the 201 because it has a BIG screen with BIG numbers - which I appreciate on an endurance ride. One brief glance tells me all I need to keep track of my time elapsed, distance traveled, and current speed.
It does what the 205 does, plus uploads to your computer to the Garmin site to give you all kinds of super neat data. (I’m pretty sure the 205 does this, too)
Love my Garmin 305, which for $75 extra you can buy the horse conversion kit, and use it to track their pulse as well. Here’s an example of one of my conditioning rides:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/83356176
OH how cool is that! The 305 will be my next one!
I may have to spring for a 305, too!! One can’t have too many HR monitors! 
Another thumbs-up for the Garmin Forerunner 305. I also converted it to have the heart rate monitor working, and it’s been a great training tool and so easy to keep a record of everything.
[QUOTE=sign of Grace;5601171]
Love my Garmin 305, which for $75 extra you can buy the horse conversion kit, and use it to track their pulse as well. Here’s an example of one of my conditioning rides:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/83356176[/QUOTE]
Is the heartrate shown on your chart yours or your horses?
This is a really great looking system.
[QUOTE=DianeS;5602064]
Is the heartrate shown on your chart yours or your horses?[/QUOTE]
The heart rate in the link is my horse’s, although I have a HR strap for my chest as well which I bought separate and I use it at the gym with the same 305. That’s another reason I like it…it’s a HR monitor for myself and my horse! Although it won’t monitor both at the same time.
I like this system so much I bought one for my friend who trains in another city than I do. This way she and I can look at each others logs and see what we need to work on so when we meet at rides, we can keep up with each other.
I also use the 305 and it is awesome. My farm is surrounded by undeveloped BLM land so I get a lot of use out of the mapping features–otherwise it’s hard for me to track routes and such since we don’t have actual trails and any time it is windy or rains our paths are erased. The software is really great for mapping progress and super easy to use, and the human HRM works really well…though I didn’t know you could get a horse mod, I’m going to order that! There’s also an attachment for bikers that I was considering experimenting with…basically lots of add-ons for whatever you need. I also ride in a lot of canyons and channels and I think the satellite reception is better…I had an older Garmin model (I think a 201? not sure, got it used from my father who upgraded) and I would lose the satellites whenever we were in them. No problems so far with the 305, even in pretty deep canyons. I’ve only had it for like 2 months though and haven’t ridden any super narrow slot canyons or anything, but some of those are so narrow you can’t get reception on anything. I use it for riding, running, and walking my dogs. The software also makes it really easy to sort and track the various workouts.
The only real problem I had with my original Garmin was that I thought it had a pretty steep learning curve. I also don’t really read instructions generally so fiddled with it for a long time before I gave up and dug out the instruction booklet. :lol: Once I read the instructions it still took me a bit. The 305 was similar but I still had to read the instructions and really learn it to the point I could to it on the fly. Now though I can keep running or riding and change or reset things without a pause.
I did a lot of research before getting it, and I didn’t really find much that was even similar quality. There are some better units (as in, they had more features and maybe less of a learning curve) that are a lot bulkier and less portable, but for the mixture of compactness, suitability for riding and usefulness I don’t think much compares.
eta: I don’t work for Garmin I promise…I just love my 305 that much and also wrote product descriptions for years. :lol: Rereading I thought that last paragraph sounded a bit fake, but I meant it.
There is a 310 now-
http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Forerunner-Waterproof-Running-Monitor/dp/B0025VKUPM/ref=dp_ob_title_ce
Oh, wow. That readout is amazing! I know what I’m going to ask Santa Claus for this year. That would help my conditioning program out so much, right now I feel like I’m just throwing darts at a board and hoping for the best!
for those who stay in cell reception, I use the motionX sport app on my iphone. costs a bit less 
http://gps.motionx.com/iphone/overview/
Thanks, guys. You all just cost me $300.
In happier news, my Garmin 305 with equine HRM adaptor kit should arrive this week.
[QUOTE=BarbeyGirl;5637888]
Thanks, guys. You all just cost me $300.
In happier news, my Garmin 305 with equine HRM adaptor kit should arrive this week.[/QUOTE]
Where did you find the equine HRM? I can’t find it. I’m wanting to order the 305 but still looking for that darn HRM.
I got both the 305 and equine adaptor kit from The Distance Depot. Someone told me afterwards that the 305 is cheaper thru Amazon, so you might want to check.
Does anyone know WHY you have to adapt it for horse use (or if you really need to)? I just purchased the Forerunner 610 which came with the premium heart rate monitor.
It appears that we could just enlarge the strap and have it under the girth. Will the heart monitor record the heart rate (it apparently reads the electrical impulses sent by the heart) of the horse the same way it does the human or does there need to be some adjustment?
When we tested it this morning for the resting heart rates of our small herd, it appeared the readings were about 2x what they should be.
Any ideas?
