Last year my horse and I abruptly parted company on the trail, and he continued galloping away until he was out of sight. I was lucky–I was in a fenced area (even if it was a few thousand acres), and as the rangers came to get me they found my horse grazing close to the trail. Until I was told that he was safe, however, I was definitely in panic mode. And after following the news about Dealer, the Tennessee Walker who has been missing in the Fechtel Tract for over 2 weeks, I’m seriously considering a GPS tracker that I can keep in a saddlebag in case my horse gets away from me again. There are several on the market with various features–such as those that use cell towers, or satellites, or both. Some only work within a short distance–others use crowd sourcing cell phones to find the missing item. I’ve discovered that the only feasible ones for horse owners are those that work off both satellites and towers, have a fairly long battery life, and require a monthly service fee. Is it worth it? Each horse owner must make that decision individually. We have wonderful places to ride, but many are truly wild where a horse can disappear forever. I expect that I’ll be purchasing a tracker soon…and if you have a recommendation, I’d love to hear it.
Florida Sport Horse Club 