For 5,000 years, humans have trained horses based on a mix of intuition, sight and horsemanship. Now, wearable horse technology and artificial intelligence are changing a sport that has long shied away from the digital age.Data analytics is rapidly becoming popular as the world’s top riders begin deploying GPS-enabled tail straps, AI-driven gait sensors, and software that analyzes bio-mechanical markers such as the horse’s frame, stride length or the rider’s seat position.“There are different ideas and concepts coming in, which is great,” Scott Brash, a double Olympic show jumping champion from Britain, said. “We are still a little bit behind in our sport on having the accuracy of the data in the horses. I’m constantly working with different ideas, and we are still exploring some avenues to try and get the best reliable data.”With the global market for smart wearables for horses forecast to more than double to $1.65 billion by 2031, according to a report by Clearview Market Insights, it’s no wonder some of the world’s biggest smartwatch makers are betting the farm on horse tech.Finland-based Polar has produced a range of heart rate monitors for horses that can be fit underneath the saddle, while Garmin, the world’s third-biggest wearable tech maker by revenue, last year introduced the Garmin Blaze, which features a small sensor inside a neoprene tail wrap that monitors a horse’s health and motion. A tracker made by Czech horse tech firm Equimo, which can be clipped to the saddle, measures speed, jumps, elevation and balance as well as heart rate.The Garmin Blaze is currently being used by some of the world’s most successful equestrians, including Australian show jumper Edwina Tops-Alexander, an Australian show jumper, and Yasmin Ingham, a world champion eventer from Britain.For competitors such as Ingham, who rides up to seven horses per day, devices that monitor and analyze health and fitness can provide valuable insight into the level of training each animal needs. Ingham recently started trialing the Garmin Blaze.