you state ---Susan Evans
I just wanted to add in my .02 that while you're exercising and watching
heart rates, anything below about 158 bpm is considered aerobic---
that is, the body is able to supply sufficient oxygen to maintain
that level of work more or less indefinitely, (until some other form
of fatigue sets in, like you've run out of glycogen). The 158 threshold
is consistent for all horses regardless of their level of fitness, breed,
age or whatever. What will change according to fitness is the SPEED the horse
can travel at 158 bpm---some fit horses can gallop on the flat and never come close
to 158, for some unfit pasture potatoes, 158 bpms may be a slow trot!
**** from the physical fittness guidelines for people - i thought the aerobic
to anaerobic bpm transition was a function of age, fitness, etc. are you
saying that horses are different - or perhaps i am wrong for people too?
i believe that there are formulas that are used to calculate this aerobic
level that involve age, resting heartbeat etc for people in training programs.
it is not intuitive to me that this should be a fixed bpm in horses either.
i understand that for the same level of activity - the bpm will certainly be
different - that is intuitive.
can you give me some way of understanding why it seems a constant of the animal
rather than a function of other things like age, types of muscle fiber, etc
and i had heard the transition was lower - more on the order of 140 bpm.
at least that's what i had been using as my criteria to slow down.
mike maul
mmaul@micro.ti.com
houston, tx