Cardiac monitoring during exercise tests in the horse. 2. Heart rate responses to exercise.

The research investigated how a horse’s heart rate responds to exercise, measuring both resting and active heart rates, as well as changes in heart rate before an exercise, during work of varying speeds, and upon recovery. A key finding of the study was a linear correlation between heart rate and working speed within a specific speed range. Notably, horses with considered irregular ECG showed significantly heightened heart rates compared to those with normal ECG readings.

Study Methodology

• Heart rates of horses were studied under different conditions such as resting, pre-exercise, during varying degrees of physical exertion, and recovery.
• Observations were also recorded on the varying heart rate responses of the horses on different working days classified as slow or fast.
• Horses with both normal and abnormal resting ECGs were studied to compare their respective heart rate responses to varying exercise intensities.

Key Findings

• A linear relationship was found between a horse’s heart rate and its working speed within a specific speed range of 400-800 meters per minute.
• Horses recognized as having abnormal resting ECGs displayed significantly higher heart rates during exercise compared to those with normal ECGs.
• Interestingly, the horses considered to have abnormal ECGs had lower heart rates during exercise than a small group classified as borderline.

Implications

• The results validate the importance of continual heart rate monitoring in equine health and performance assessment.
• The findings also shed light on the possible disparity in cardiac performance among horses with normal and abnormal ECGs.
• The study indicates the requirement for additional research to make more precise evaluations about the relationship between ECG abnormalities and exercise performance in horses.