Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

In a message dated 10/14/2004 1:00:45 PM Eastern Daylight Time, "Nancy Sturm" 
<nsturm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:

> Yeah - we came upon someone running a chain saw to clear trail and the
> heart monitor spiked to 200 on a very phlegmatic (resting HR 28) pony I
> ride sometimes. ?It had come loose at the girth. ?My mentor says she is not
> as concerned with how high the heart rate gets (in the 170-180) range as
> she is about how quickly it backs off. ?Do others agree?

I agree with that.  So many things can elevate the horse's HR that have nothing 
to do with how hard they're working - a sudden rustle in the bushes, crossing a 
scary bridge, passing a field full of cows, etc.  But, I *really* pay attention 
to how quickly my horse's HR drops whenever I stop at water, stop for a grass 
break, reach the crest of a hill, drop from a trot to a walk, etc.  If it 
doesn't drop as quickly as I feel from experience that it should for that horse 
under the ambient conditions, then I start wondering why.  That said, once my 
horse has settled down and is trotting along calmly, I do keep an eye on his 
working HR.  I know what his approximate HR "should" be on various types of 
terrain and under various weather conditions.  If it is 10-20 beats higher, 
this could mean a number of things - that he has to pee, or he's hurting 
somewhere, or sulking because a buddy left him, or is somehow not doing quite 
right.  Again, I'll start trying to figure out what's going on, although in 
most or all of the above situations I've probably already picked up cues 
directly from my horse.  The big key is knowing your horse and what's normal 
for him under different conditions, so that you can supplement knowledge of 
your horse with info from your HRM.

Dawn in East Texas
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