heart rate

[Jerald Thiessen <thiesj@tdbank.ca>]

I was having a discussion the other day on a training ride with a friend
and we started talking about stress on a horses legs and cardiovascular
systems. I  believe that trotting puts more stress on the legs but was
easier on the cardiovascular system.My friend disagreed with me and
raised a very good point. If trotting is easier on the cardiovascular
system then why  does the heart rate go up when I pull the horse from a
canter(120bpm) to  a trot (140bpm) and vice a versus when trotting if
we go to a canter the heart rate drops.

This implies that cantering  should be easier to maintain yet my horses
can trot for ever ( I wish) and yet they play out at a canter much
quicker.
I understand the lenght of time a horse can maintain a speed is the
difference between aerobic vs. anaerobic work but that does not explain
the heart rate difference at the same speed doing different gaits.

Jerald

Sandhaven Saddlebreds