Heartcheck

[Teddy Lancaster <Teddy@runningbear.com>]

I have found the hand-held heart monitor (the "heartcheck" sold by V-Max)
to be VERY accurate. I find that stethoscopes are only as accurate as the
person doing the counting...

The "heartcheck" does not count the first and last beat in a 15 second
interval (as many a pulse taker has done).  It integrates over 3-8
seconds.  In comparing it to a pulse taker (myself , a vet, or someone
else), I have found the heartcheck to VERY reliable.

I, for one, vote to have them used on EVERY ride.  I am sick of
pulse-takers who cannot count or "fake it" when they cannot "find" the
pulse.

Teddy

Lynette Helgeson wrote:

> Hand Held Heart Rate Monitors.
> My opinion of these handy little devices is they are a waste of
> money and they have no right being part of a P/R on any ride,
> let alone a competitive ride. They have a tendency to read
> higher pulses and I have got to wonder if they pick up all of
> the other little sounds that you hear when you put a stethoscope
> on a horses sides as part of the heart rate. I am not sure about
> that, just a guess, but what I am sure about is we had some
> instances where the hand held registered a heart rate on a horse
> that said 60 where the pulse taken by stethoscope said 40. And
> where the hand held registered 76 and the pulse taken by a vet
> with a stethoscope said the horses pulse was 52 and the pulse
> taken by hand was a 50. I was also told by other people that all
> of the BIG rides are going to the hand held heart rate monitors
> at their rides.
>
> So I wanted to know from everyone, first of all what your
> experiences have been with the hand held heart rate transmitters
> and if the ride managers are all using them now, and if they
> are, what they think of them. Also, I would like to know what
> the vets think of them. I would really appreciate some input on
> this issue, since it is getting to be a common practice at the
> rides in this area, and is making me uneasy about the results.
>
> Thanks,
> Lynette in ND
>
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=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.    
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp   
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=