Ridecamp: [RC] Heartrate monitors for newbies?

It's been mentioned more than once recently that a heartrate monitor is a
"must have" item for training. Call me silly, definitely call me a newbie
(450+ CTR miles, 25 LD miles, woo hoo!), but I see less of a need for an HRM
for a newbie than I do simply getting in tune with the horse you're riding
and recognizing signs of stress.

When I was getting my start bringing my young horse along 3+ years ago, I
was told that bones take years to condition, tendons take slightly less than
that, muscles take slightly less than that and aerobic capacity takes mere
weeks. Seems to me that if a team is doing a progressively more difficult
training or competition schedule concentrating on the bones, tendons and
muscles, that aerobic capacity will take care of itself.

Now, a little about why CTR is relevant to this discussion... in CTR, we are
obsessive about heart rate. Anything above a 40 or 44 (depending on the
sanctioning org.) are point deductions. Those minute pulse deductions can
mean the difference between Grand Champ. or 5th place in your weight
division. With close to 300 CTR miles on this 7YO horse, I don't use an
on-board HRM, never have, maybe never will. I have yet to have a problem
with heart rates. I don't worry about them. My concern is my horse's
soundness, her impulsion scores (tells me about her muscle fitness), her
back (the weakest link), her metabolics -- and putting those things first
has not hurt me one bit in the pulse department. (We have always easily met
a 60 parameter.) My gut feeling is that my priority arrangement will serve
me well in years to come. Only time will tell if I have done right by this
horse.

I think HRM's are an advanced training tool. Using one as a newbie provides
info to help prevent a metabolic crash, but it isn't likely to do much to
prevent soundness problems. I can see where using one down the line helps
put the icing on the cake to bring a horse to peak fitness.

So for all you newbies out there, don't let yourself be talked into an
on-board HRM as a "must have" item.

Deanna (Ohio)
M30478
and Salina (the always energized, part Saddlebred with good HR scores who
has earned lots of pretty ribbons and no pulls -- owner knocking furiously
on wood)




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