25th Annual Student Research Conference
Exploring the Use Of Equine Heart Rate Monitors in Research, Teaching, and Training
Megan R. LaFollette*, Sarah N. Pahl, and Anne E. Harrel
Dr. Abdo Alghamdi, Faculty Mentor
The equine heart is important to maintain blood flow to muscles during exercise. Heart rate (HR) monitors provide objective assessment to control workload, assess fitness changes, and detect illness and/or injury. Polar Equine RS300X HR monitors were placed on four horses with different levels of fitness for a series of two workouts each. Average HR data were collected at short intervals and correlated with horse gait. These data were translated into graphical representations for each workout over time for four different gaits to show the effects of fitness level, gait, and other factors on HR. A system for obtaining and translating equine HR data was designed to facilitate future use of this device for research, teaching, and training. There is great potential for increasing the use of HR monitors in equine training to further conditioning and therefore performance.
Keywords: Equine heart rate monitor, Equine heart rate, Equine Exercise, Equine Fitness, Equine Management, Cardiovascular System, Exercise Physiology
Topic(s):Agricultural Science
Biology
Exercise Science
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: 100-3
Location: Georgian Room - SUB
Time: 3:30