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> Would just have to caution that you are getting down to the point where
> just the base excitement level can shoot a pulse up over your criteria.
> Both my competition horses have true resting pulses of 28.  They vet in
> pre ride 99% of the time at 40 to 44.  If you take his buddy away,
> Ceders will jump over 50.  When I check my HR as we are walking to the
> out timer during the ride (with me in the saddle) he's almost always
> 60+.  He is at 44 moments before, standing and eating his hay prior to
> me getting back in the saddle.  His pulse goes up some just knowing we
> are going to go again.   FWIW, these are both Arabs.
FWIW, the majority of horses DO NOT show this excitement response to this
degree.  (And a few show it even worse.)  The ones that do are a real
pain, but I also think that these horses are MORE at risk for problems
over the long haul, because they DO "shoot themselves up" with adrenaline,
with the accompanying potential detriments to long-term performance.  Most
horses who do this ARE Arabs (not all), but again, most Arabs don't do it,
either.  I've done exit exams at most of the rides I've vetted since the
late 80's, and the majority of horses (most of which are Arabs) present
all tacked up and ready to go with exit pulses in the 40's.  I'd suspect
many are "up" right at the start of the ride, but for most, this
excitement-coupled rise in pulse is short-lived and doesn't tend to happen
to a significant degree again during the ride without a really MAJOR
stimulus.

Personally, this is a trait that to me is a big negative in selecting a
horse, as much as any conformational flaw.  That said, I also understand
that there are no perfect horses, and that we each deal with the flaws of
our own horses as we try to best manage them.

Heidi



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