I do not like to see the pulse criteria that low. I know that at some
rides the criteria is set that low with the idea that it will slow down
the race. I think that frequently a low criteria has the opposite
effect.
I feel that some horses just naturally recover better than some, so that
a less conditioned horse may recover faster than a better conditioned
horse. So what I think often happens is that if the criteria is set
unusually low, and a competitive rider is detained at the vet check
waiting for his horse to come down those last few beats, he will push
his horse faster on the trail to make up for the lost time at the vet
check which puts added stress on his horse.
I prefer to have a pulse of 64, and if I feel that the ride needs to be
slowed down, I will put a vet check at five miles from the finish.
Terry Woolley Howe
San Diego