Need to know about.....

[Lynette Helgeson <helgeson@lansford.ndak.net>]

Hand Held Heart Rate Monitors.
My opinion of these handy little devices is they are a waste of
money and they have no right being part of a P/R on any ride,
let alone a competitive ride. They have a tendency to read
higher pulses and I have got to wonder if they pick up all of
the other little sounds that you hear when you put a stethoscope
on a horses sides as part of the heart rate. I am not sure about
that, just a guess, but what I am sure about is we had some
instances where the hand held registered a heart rate on a horse
that said 60 where the pulse taken by stethoscope said 40. And
where the hand held registered 76 and the pulse taken by a vet
with a stethoscope said the horses pulse was 52 and the pulse
taken by hand was a 50. I was also told by other people that all
of the BIG rides are going to the hand held heart rate monitors
at their rides. 

So I wanted to know from everyone, first of all what your
experiences have been with the hand held heart rate transmitters
and if the ride managers are all using them now, and if they
are, what they think of them. Also, I would like to know what
the vets think of them. I would really appreciate some input on
this issue, since it is getting to be a common practice at the
rides in this area, and is making me uneasy about the results. 

Thanks,
Lynette in ND


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