Heartbeat meter for horses

[Ajda]

Hi!

I'm from Slovenia and I'm interested in heartbeat meter for horses.I can only but it from Polar but is very expensive. Do you know any other brandwith horse hartbeat meters? And if it's posible to buy it online? Or if you can tell me their web adresse.

Thank you very much!!

Ajda

[Flashing Red]

I always take mine when they come in off the track, with a trusty old stethoscope. I don't trust heart rate monitors because they aren't always accurate (and I know this because I have "checked" them with my stethescope and they're always out! If they're batteries are getting slow you'll get some funky readings too!).
Polar is a pretty good brand however. There is that old adage you get what you pay for :)

But seriously... a stethescope after trackwork is almost as good as a monitor during trackwork IMHO :)

[Ajda]

Thank you for your opinion. I must say that you have wright. So I will buy stethescope :)
Thank you ;)

[Flashing Red]

Just take the heart rate at the same time every time - ie 5 minutes after trackwork, or 10 minutes. If you take it at the same time, you will begin to get a good guide on their fitness levels, if you have worked them too hard or not enough etc... :) If you take it at different times etc you can never get a good guide - its almost pointless. You need to take it at the same time in order to compare. Good luck :)

[Don Corleone]

Hi Ajda,
I agree with Flashing. If you don't have a stethoscope yet, use your hand to monitor heart rate. It's what we used to use before stethoscopes! Good Luck.

[Flashing Red]

I second the hand using - except for horses coming back from a spell, young horses, or any horses in big condition. I don't know about you Don, but I can never seem to feel their heartbeat with my hand if they have a good covering over their barrel! Slightly ribby, racing horses are no problem! Spellers and young horses - I can't seem to feel a thing!! :-o

[Don Corleone]

Yeah I agree Flashing. Unfit/fat horses can be difficult. I remember when I was a stable boy (many years ago!) my boss asked me to check the heart rate of a certain horse that had just done its work. I couldn't find a thing!

[smithy]

get yourself a lactic acid reader as well, without it a heart rate is pointless

[Flashing Red]

get yourself a lactic acid reader as well, without it a heart rate is pointless

I disagree. Plenty of top trainers use the latter only? I've never heard of a lactic acid reader but have seen marked improvements in most horses with the addition of a stethoscope. While I am happy to stand corrected, I would expect that an abnormal presence of lactic acid would manifest in some way within a blood(work).

[smithy]

its used bigtime in cycling flash, well worth some research into if you like some science in your training, it works along side the heart rate monitor to give a more accurate reading of how a hard/good they are working, mainly because heart rates are so variable between individuals (especially the top out rate of an individuals heart rate)...

[Flashing Red]

Thanks, I will look into it! :)