Howard, What you are probably seeing is plain old adrenaline - nothing more and not much to worry about. And Dance does tend to be a bit hyper remember when I first got mind and was riding the mare she would be 150 standing waiting for the start. I just turned it off the first loop until she had a chance to find her brain. If this is the case it is not a valid reading and nothing to worry about.
You will also notice if you are riding along and they are approaching a spook, boom it's up to 180 - a good old adrenaline surge again. There is also the distinct possibility that you haven't found the "sweet spot" for the electrode (particularly on the girth) for old Dance. On a lot of horses - particularly those built like Dance - you have problems with erratic readings because of this. I tend to have this problem with my horse. So play with it, have fun but DON'T PANIC - the sky is not falling. Truman Howard Bramhall wrote: > OK, I promise not to flood ya'll with data; not just yet, anyway. > But, I gotta tell ya, if you have a few bucks laying around (yea > right, who the heck has that?) you really should consider buying one > of these things. I didn't think it was any big deal when I first > bought it for the wife on her birthday (if it's the wife's gift, what > the heck are you doing using it?)until I started using it on all of my > horses. And guess what it told me? It told me that Dance Line, my > beloved 17 hand American Saddlebred, has the most rapidly fluctuating > heart beat of any other animal on the planet and has hit numbers like > 168 just while warming his butt up, in the trot, around the arena. If > I would have known this two years ago, I would never have done those > 50 mile endurance rides on him. Ever. I'm afraid my buddy's > endurance days are over; I doubt if I'll go back to doing even a LD > ride on him. Those numbers are thru the roof! > > > > Now, I know some of you are gonna start in on me, like why didn't you > know this sooner? Well, from what I can tell, his heart rate goes > down so quickly, I would not have known this, and never did, by > stopping, getting off the horse and using a stethoscope. This is one > of those things that you can only see while riding with a heart > monitor. And, yes, the numbers may be a false reading, but for some > reason, I don't think that they are. I've been getting really good > readings from my other horses and, whew, the three of them are in > excellent shape, but Dance Line. Man, I had no idea. No wonder he > was so erratic when I went thru a vet check, even the pre ride check. > He sees a fly, his heart rate rises faster than Spider Man climbing a > tall building. And the rate seems to come down just as fast as it > went up. > > > > So, the point of this is, if you are a newbie, and you aren't sure > whether or not your horse is ready to do an endurance ride or even a > LD, I highly suggest you get one of these things and use it while > training. And, ask Roger, I'm not endorsing or getting paid by anyone > to say this. I'm just saying this will tell you if your horse is > ready. And, most important, let you know if he isn't. > > > > I'm in love with the darn thing and have even learned to glance down > at the reading on the watch and miss that tree branch simultaneously, > while riding. Just don't ask me a question, if you ride with me, > cause I can't talk while doing the other two operations. And, yea, I > don't chew gum while riding with the watch either. My brain seems to > be able to only handle so many functions at a time, the fewer the better. > > > > Anyway, if you're training a new horse, especially a non-Arabian, > and you really want to do a ride, but, are having doubts, get this > monitor. The numbers do tell the story. I'm convinced. > > > > Now granted, I had sort of laid Dance Line off from riding for awhile, > but I don't think he has lost that much of his athleticism from where > I had him when we did do endurance together. I do love to ride this > horse and it's why I did attempt to combine my favorite horse with my > favorite sport. We even completed a couple of 50's. But, I think > this heart monitor thing has told me something I did not want to > hear. Dance Line, as tall and gorgeous as he is, might be completely > wrong for this kind of distance. (Duh, Howard, we tried to tell you > that a long time ago). Not even an LD. Upsetting to me? You bet, > but I'm glad I found out. > > > > cya, > > Howard (still kind of freaked out with this new toy) > =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
