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Maximum Heart Rate
Maximum heart rate (HR
max
) is the highest number of heartbeats per minute (bpm) during
maximum physical exertion. It is individual and depends on age, hereditary factors, and
fitness level. It may also vary for different types of sports. HR
max
is used to express exercise
intensity.
Determining Maximum Heart Rate
Extract of : Equine Sport with Feeling and Know How
A GUIDELINE FOR HEALTH CHECK-UPS, EXERTION CONTROL AND CONTROLLED TRAINING BY C. HEIPERTZ-
HENGST
COPYRIGHT 2002 BY POLAR ELECTRO EUROPE BV ISBN 952-5048-71-3
Before explaining how HRmax is determined, let us mention some important facts concerning
it.
The maximum heart rate of any horse - as of any human being - is genetically determined as it
is a hereditary factor and cannot be altered with training.There are great differences between
breeds and from one horse to the other. In human beings, heart rate diminishes in old age,
more or less according to the formula: 220 minus age = maximum heart rate.
Such an easy rule of thumb does not exist for horses, at least not yet, but it is quite realistic to
count about 230 + - 10 bpm as a theoretical maximum. The maximum heart rate of a horse is
caused by physical effort and varies according to exercise, it is different for sprint training, for
hill work or swimming. Medication can also alter HRmax, overtraining and fatigue can lower
it. It is not connected with performance potential. It would be totally wrong to suppose a
better performance potential with an elevated maximum heart rate value, just as it would be
mistaken to believe that a low HRmax value is a sign of lesser performance potential.
Extreme endurance training may hinder reaching HRmax in speed testing.
Therefore maximum heart rate is not an absolute value but the individual highest number of
beats per minute under certain forms of strain and effort. For a healthy horse, reaching
maximum heart rate due to physical effort does not present a health hazard but rather indicates
full use of its natural performance potential. It allows us to establish a reference value, that is,
a value to control exertion and to measure the difficulties of exercises. At the beginning and
until you are sufficiently knowledgeable yourself, you should ask an experienced trainer or
veterinarian for advice. They will check your horse’s general state of health before
determining its HRmax. Then you can rest assured that your horse will run no health risk
through exercise and effort.
Test a):
Full use of performance potential over 1000 to 1600 meters: It is unlikely that such a distance
test will induce a horse to peak performance when under training, it needs a real race with real
competitive atmosphere. If you manage to monitor the heart rate during a race, or rather
during the 20 seconds when your horse is at its maximum speed, the top value will be its
maximum heart rate.
Test b):
Speed test with progressive increase: this test requires a slow step by step increase of the