Why measure the heart rate of our horses?

Today, like the rider, the horse has the status of an athlete. More and more facilities are being created to provide them with comfort: balneotherapy, spa, etc. Numerous professions around the horse are also appearing: shiatsu practitioner, masseur, algotherapist... Everything is done to help the horse lead a good life. In particular to facilitate his recovery, like any other sportsman.

All athletes are stress tested and everything is monitored. From their sleep to their breathing rate, the teams around the athlete monitor their entire environment. This maximises the chances of performance.

But then, knowing that the horse is an athlete, why don't we do the same?

The Seaver team used this as a starting point to develop a heart rate monitor that is practical and easy to use in everyday life for riders. This sensor makes it possible to accurately measure your horse's heart rate. It will be of great help to you because it says a lot when you learn to read it. We have done an article on the subject right here which summarises the heart rate features in detail!

How to develop such a tool?

Based on the sensors for human heart rates, we simply put this technology on the horse.

After developing our first prototypes, we had to test the reliability of our measurements heart rate measurements with the connected sensor. After harvesting, we compared these measurements with those of the sensor Polar.

We put 15 horses of about 8 years of age, trained daily and running on 125 to 145 cm classes, to the study.
After collecting their data, we could see that they were very close to the data that the Polar had collected.

This is how we came to the conclusion that our sensor was ready!

In addition, the CEEFIT Pulse & ECG has two electrodes: one placed near the horse's withers and the other near his sternum. These are the devices that allow the heart rate to be measured. The belt is made of breathable mesh fabric. It is easy to care for and very comfortable for the horse.

How to use it in everyday life?

Your horse's heart rate gives you a lot of information about his current condition. It will help you determine if your horse is tired or stressed, even if it does not show any signs to the naked eye. It can also tell you if your horse is showing signs of pain.

In training, this data will tell you if the session has been more intense than you thought it would for your horse. This makes it an excellent asset for your horse. take it easy This makes it an excellent asset for your horse or, on the contrary, to push him a little more if your training tends to be very soft. As balance is the key to any good workout, the sensor will prove to be an ally in maintaining your horse's well-being.

This tool is also very interesting for endurance and eventing riders. It allows you to keep an eye on your horse during long gallops and training with a focus on cardioIt allows you to monitor your horse during long gallops and eventing, so that you don't put him in the red, which is counterproductive. It will also tell you a lot about your horse's recovery time of your horse.

So who wants to measure their horse's heart rate?