> the season. That's in March for us in the UK. My question is, in
> the past I've managed with common sense to get my horse to the
> required fitness level, however with a young inexperience horse,
> that's still green I wonder if a heart rate monitor would help in a
> fitness program,
I would say, with a young horse, the need for a heart rate monitor is
less as you don't want to push the horse to its fullest cardiovascular
capacity anyway. If you do, the legs won't hold up to the work. If you
work your young, inexperienced horse concentrating on developing his
bones, joints, ligaments, then the heart, wind and muscle will develop
along with it.
If you concentrate on developing the heart and the wind, then the muscle
will develop along with it and the bones, joints, and ligaments will be
over stressed.
Later, when you are sure that his skeletal system will hold up to the
work, then you can effectively "push the envelope" on the cardiovascular
system. That's when a heart rate monitor is a big help.
kat
Orange County, Calif.