> At the beginning of an endurance ride my horse is so psyched that I let her
> go at her own pace which generally gives me fairly high HM readings (170 to
> 180s). I'm reasoning that the lactic acid buildup is less likely at the
> beginning of a ride as I have another 45 miles to go to "work it out". Am
> I fooling myself?
It is most likely that the increase in her heart rate (is it that way
even before you start or are walking?) is due to excitement and the
anticipation of expected effort rather than effort itself. In which case
it is not cause by lack of oxygen perfusing to the tissues. Therefore,
it isn't caused by anaerobic metabolism at all, and therefore you would
have no lactic acid production.
The increased heart rate is not caused by oxygen deprivation, but rather
by her anticipation. SHe is getting "ready" for maximum output before it
it required.
E.g. If my stallion's heartrate spikes up to 200 (been known to happen)
when he is challenged by another stallion, he is still standing still.
This does not mean that anaerobic metabolism is going on, only that his
body is gearing up for a fight.
I presume, that as your horse settles into the ride, that hear heart rate
drops, even though she may still be going the same speed. I wouldn't
worry about it.
kat
Orange County, Calif.