Polar H10 Heart Rate Sensor for Equine with Handle Unisex Adults, Black, One Size

Product Information

The range of the heart rate sensor is over 10 m. Therefore, you can monitor your horse’s heart rate also when lungeing. The Seaver connected girth sleeve measures your horse’s heart rate, recovery time and calories burned. As well as giving insights into your horse’s health and fitness it’s a valuable training tool, measuring speed, distance covered, number of strides, left/right lead and jumping height and effort, with the option to replay your jumping courses on the app.

To help you sort through the options and decide which—if any—device is right for your horse, we’ve gone to the equine heart monitoring experts. In this article you’ll see not only how these devices work but also what information they might give you. Pulse Readers Handy for owners and trainers, and proving particularly useful in racing, the EquinITY app allows you to livestream your horse’s speed, heart rate, stride and split interval timings while he is working from anywhere in the world, with the ability to monitor multiple horses at once. The monitor is integrated into a girth sleeve with single-button operation, and provides heart rate averages and maximums as well as recovery time. The data can be transmitted to the rider via a Bluetooth-enabled headset, and can also be analysed and replayed in detail. There is about the most simple thing you can do to monitor your horse’s health. When your horse is at rest, his heart rate should be between 24 and 40 beats per minute (bpm), although most horses are between 32 and 36 beats per minute.

Look for trends

Logically, as your horse is exercising, his respirations will go up as well. Some racehorses have been recorded with respirations as high as 180 breaths per minute, which I can only imagine is highly uncomfortable! A more reasonable exercise induced rate would be somewhere in the ball park of 80 to 120 breaths. You might also notice that your horse’s level of fitness declines over time. Is he approaching retirement where this seems appropriate, or is your horse hurting somewhere and that is affecting his fitness. The information you collect is a starting point – nothing more.

The heart rate monitoring over the course of a workout also allows you to see how hard your horse is working and how easily he recovers while still exercising. This is a new horse market, and you have a few options. There’s a device that your horse can wear on his girth – which is ideal for when you are riding. The CEEFIT System includes a strap for you to wear in addition to the horse monitoring sensor on the girth. Similar brands out there, such as V-Max and Polar Equine, offer similar products.As you are measuring your horse’s heart rate after exercise, also jot down his respirations to see how easily they return to a resting state. An equine heart rate monitor (HRM) is a device that monitors your horse’s heart during exercise. They range from simple minimal buttons to extravagant GPS systems, and come in hand-held, girth belt and electrode models, all equipped with an electronic training record. They give riders a scientific look at their horses. As with any device, equine heart monitors are only as useful as the person using them. Knowing what a heart rate monitor is most effective for is vital for getting the most out of it.

The sharpening phase used by trainers makes use of interval training techniques with serial sprints, interspersed with relief periods to increase the horse's physiological response to exercise. During these interval sprints, the horse's heart rate can be expected to go well above 170 to 190 beats per minute. Heart monitors are especially important at this level of conditioning. Between sprints, the horse's heart rate should drop below 120 beats per minute. The exercise should be discontinued if the heart rate does not come down to 130 to 140 beats per minute within two minutes. If this occurs, the horse should be warmed down and monitored for signs of continuing fatigue. As the horse becomes more fit, you will be able to increase the number of sprints and the distance. Attach the belt to the girth/harness on the right side of the horse using the other strap. The belt should stay under the girth/harness.

Your Horse’s Fitness Level and Heart Rate

Your horse’s vital signs are a great place to start when you are getting an idea of your horse’s fitness. This starts with learning your horse’s baseline vitals – his temperature, pulse, and respiration at rest. You may want to do this in the morning and evening when your horse is chilled out.