Ridecamp: Re: [RC] Saga of the Heart Monitor

Howard,

What you are probably seeing is plain old adrenaline - nothing more and 
not much to worry about. And Dance does tend to be a bit hyper remember 
when I first got mind and was riding the mare she would be 150 standing 
waiting for the start. I just turned it off the first loop until she had 
a chance to find her brain. If this is the case it is not a valid 
reading and nothing to worry about.

You will also notice if you are riding along and they are approaching a 
spook, boom it's up to 180 - a good old adrenaline surge again.

There is also the distinct possibility that you haven't found the "sweet 
spot" for the electrode (particularly on the girth) for old Dance. On a  
lot of horses - particularly those built like Dance - you have problems 
with erratic readings because of this. I tend to have this problem with 
my horse.

So play with it, have fun but DON'T PANIC - the sky is not falling.

Truman

Howard Bramhall wrote:

> OK, I promise not to flood ya'll with data; not just yet, anyway.  
> But, I gotta tell ya, if you have a few bucks laying around (yea 
> right, who the heck has that?) you really should consider buying one 
> of these things.  I didn't think it was any big deal when I first 
> bought it for the wife on her birthday (if it's the wife's gift, what 
> the heck are you doing using it?)until I started using it on all of my 
> horses.  And guess what it told me?  It told me that Dance Line, my 
> beloved 17 hand American Saddlebred, has the most rapidly fluctuating 
> heart beat of any other animal on the planet and has hit numbers like 
> 168 just while warming his butt up, in the trot, around the arena.  If 
> I would have known this two years ago, I would never have done those 
> 50 mile endurance rides on him.  Ever.  I'm afraid my buddy's 
> endurance days are over; I doubt if I'll go back to doing even a LD 
> ride on him.  Those numbers are thru the roof!
>
>  
>
> Now, I know some of you are gonna start in on me, like why didn't you 
> know this sooner?  Well, from what I can tell, his heart rate goes 
> down so quickly, I would not have known this, and never did, by 
> stopping, getting off the horse and using a stethoscope.  This is one 
> of those things that you can only see while riding with a heart 
> monitor.  And, yes, the numbers may be a false reading, but for some 
> reason, I don't think that they are.  I've been getting really good 
> readings from my other horses and, whew, the three of them are in 
> excellent shape, but Dance Line.  Man, I had no idea.  No wonder he 
> was so erratic when I went thru a vet check, even the pre ride check.  
> He sees a fly, his heart rate rises faster than Spider Man climbing a 
> tall building.  And the rate seems to come down just as fast as it 
> went up.
>
>  
>
> So, the point of this is, if you are a newbie, and you aren't sure 
> whether or not your horse is ready to do an endurance ride or even a 
> LD, I highly suggest you get one of these things and use it while 
> training.  And, ask Roger, I'm not endorsing or getting paid by anyone 
> to say this.  I'm just saying this will tell you if your horse is 
> ready.  And, most important, let you know if he isn't.
>
>  
>
> I'm in love with the darn thing and have even learned to glance down 
> at the reading on the watch and miss that tree branch simultaneously, 
> while riding.  Just don't ask me a question, if you ride with me, 
> cause I can't talk while doing the other two operations.  And, yea, I 
> don't chew gum while riding with the watch either.  My brain seems to 
> be able to only handle so many functions at a time, the fewer the better.
>
>  
>
> Anyway, if you're training a new horse, especially a non-Arabian, 
> and you really want to do a ride, but, are having doubts, get this 
> monitor.  The numbers do tell the story.  I'm convinced.
>
>  
>
> Now granted, I had sort of laid Dance Line off from riding for awhile, 
> but I don't think he has lost that much of his athleticism from where 
> I had him when we did do endurance together.  I do love to ride this 
> horse and it's why I did attempt to combine my favorite horse with my 
> favorite sport.  We even completed a couple of 50's.  But, I think 
> this heart monitor thing has told me something I did not want to 
> hear.  Dance Line, as tall and gorgeous as he is, might be completely 
> wrong for this kind of distance. (Duh, Howard, we tried to tell you 
> that a long time ago).  Not even an LD.  Upsetting to me?  You bet, 
> but I'm glad I found out.
>
>  
>
> cya,
>
> Howard (still kind of freaked out with this new toy)




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