I saved money by accident when I found a human heart rate monitor at Wal-Mart on sale for $30. I bought it on the spot, and when I mentioned it in another forum, I was told it's essentially the same as a human hrm, just the means of holding it in place were different. I've been using it since. Up until now, I've been able to secure it to the girth, but now I'm working on sewing "holders" onto an old fleece polo wrap to use as a band around the horse's heart girth which the hrm will slide into. I chose a polo wrap because it's got "give" to it that won't restrict my horse's breathing. You can purchase electrode jelly (probably same as KY jelly) or just water for the pads to get a good reading. I've backed it up by checking as well with a stethoscope and had no problem.
