<< This is in response to Julie Suhr's comments re heart rate, etc. Not
>that Julie (or anyone else for that matter) needs MY approval, I just
>think she's made a really good point that there are alot of things to
>consider in a horse besides the heart rate and that it is possible (and
>maybe even advisable in many cases?) to do well without venturing too
>far into the Land of Lactates.
This is correct, but heartrate is an accurate reflection of efficiency. You
will find that your horse "cruises" at a certain heartrate and will fail at
one just ten points higher on the average. I'd advise very close attention to
working heartrates--but not for lactate purposes.
>Julie also commented how amazing it is that a horse's heart can beat at
>230 bpms plus when we can't even open and close a hand that fast. So,
>in the interest of Useless Bits of Trivia With Which to Amaze Your
>Friends and Family, I looked up some resting bpm ranges for some other
>species (I know, I really do need to get a life...):->
>Man 58-104
>Bat 100-970
>Camel 25-32
>Elephant 22-53
>Guinea pig 260-400
>Mouse 324-858
>Hummingbird 1200-2400
>I also remember reading somewhere once that a fin whale has a "resting"
>heart rate of 8 (don't ask me how they discovered THAT) and when diving
>can slow their heart down to 1 beat per two minutes. I guess that's
>what happens when you have a heart the size of a Volkswagen...
And there is an antelope that can cover more than 50 miles at a time at a
speed in excess of 40 MPH. Why? Mitochondria density--just what you're
looking for in your horse. How do you get it? I'll let somebody else answer
that.
ti
Later.
Susan Evans >>