RE: Breeds

[Mike Sofen <msofen@pacbell.net>]

But Truman,

A resting pulse is just a measure of heart rate with 'no load'.  It's akin
to comparing the idle RPM of diesel truck at 600 rpm to that of a gas engine
at 800 rpm - there's absolutely no indication of what kind of horsepower is
available when we step on the gas pedal.  In my mind, the same is true for
horses and humans, assuming they are healthy - a 10 or 20 point difference
in resting heart rate cannot possibly be indicative of physical capacity for
work.

Mike Sofen

-----Original Message-----
From: Truman Prevatt, Ph.D. [mailto:truman.prevatt@netsrq.com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 13, 2000 12:59 PM
To: CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com; RideCamp
Subject: RC: Breeds


A lot of dropping is conditioning. In her prime, my walker mare could and
did
drop with the Arabs. Her mother had the same trait as does her son.  She may
be
unsual, I don't know since I've only done endurance with that family.  I
have
heard the theories that resting heart rate doesn't really matter. But it
does
indicate the ability to maintain all body functions with fewer beats.  If I
were
looking at two horses, with all other things equal and one had a 40 resting
heart rate and the other a 26, at least for me the choice would be quiet
easy.

Truman