ridecamp@endurance.net: one more thing....(heart rates)

one more thing....(heart rates)

DreamWeaver (karen@chaton.gardnerville.nv.us)
Tue, 02 Dec 1997 19:46:58 -0800

...I may be lame, but I can still type... <g>

I completely forgot to mention something that I was quite intrigued about
at the recent ride. On Friday, I rode Weaver at the Silver State Ride (50
miles). btw, he didn't tie up, and I hadn't ridden him all week, and all
he ate was hay, and a pound of LMF endurance feed about 2 1/2 hours before
the start of the ride. ;^) He won't eat more grain than a pound or two,
but will eat so much hay that I can barely get him cinched up. (in fact,
on the trailer ride down he was so fat that I couldn't get the belly band
on his blanket buckled!)

What I noticed is that his heart rate averaged about 10-12 bpm lower than
normal on a ride like this. The only thing different? I have been taking
lessons on him since September and have been doing regular arena work with
him. (almost no trail work/conditioning rides--last ride was a 50 in
October) During the ride I concentrated more on getting him to carry
himself a little more round...obviously not going down the trail completely
collected, but rather...his back was up and rounded and he was working off
of his topline. His HR on this ride averaged 100-101, and at times went as
low as 88. We weren't going slow either, we did the ride in 4:37 (thanks
for the results, Peggie).

btw, another rider had a thermometer and that horses temp averaged 100
degrees - does anybody know what that would tell you, and why is it
important to know that? I can barely keep control of my HRM, I can't
imagine having to keep track of a thermometer as well.

So what does everybody think. Can not changing anything other than how a
horse carries himself (and possibly the rider too--I was trying really
hard)...have this type of effect? Or did something else possibly
contribute to the lower working heart rate on this ride? I know the
monitor works, because the readings on my other horse are definitely
different.

Happy trails,

Karen
in Gardnerville
& Weaver...1025 miles :-)...and so fat again that the belly band can't be
buckled...<sigh>

Home Events Groups Rider Directory Market RideCamp Stuff