Re: heart rate

[K S Swigart <katswig@deltanet.com>]

On Fri, 18 Dec 1998 OasisArab@aol.com wrote:

> Any opinions on what to do with a very good endurance horse who really likes
> the endurance sport and does well but has an unusually high heart rate.
> Standing at rest he will run about 40 bpm, getting him ready for an event he
> will rise to about 54 bpm and when we start an event he will reach 70 bpm. He
> is well conditioned as we work about 30-40 mi per week and gets all the right
> nutrition

Ride him in endurance.  I have a mare that has a resting HR of about 52
(getting her to recover to 60, which is the way that most of the rides in
this neck of the woods are going, is a real tough one), she vets in at
something much higher than that, that is pretty much ignored by the ride
vets as being insiginficant;, and the P&R people need to be really "quiet"
when they take her pulse..wwhich will only stay at criteria for as long as
somehting doesn't distract her.

I have just accepted that she takes a long time to "recover"...especially
at the start of the ride.  As she tires, she recovers more
quickly...because she isn't so excitable and easily distracted.  If she
recovered quickly early in the race, I would be concerned that she was
more tired than she ought to be.

SHe has seen 4 first time riders and one junior through their first
endurance rides, has finished in the top 10 in about half of the endurance
rides she has done and has won best conditioned junior horse with the
junior and top 5 BC for one of the first time riders that used her for and
LD ride.

So she has a high heart rate.  So what?  It is just one of the multitude
of things that have to be managed in an endurance horse.  If you have one
that is fit, sound, and likes the sport, you can't ask for much more.

kat
Orange County, Calif.

> Would like to hear about solutions or suggestions.
> Bill & Smokey
>