Science: Health: Horse
Equine Heart Rate Monitor   (+2)  [vote for, against]
monitor the horse's heartrate while they swim

OK. I fully expect to bake this within the next six months and I know the technology is out there, it just hasn't been put together in the way that I want it.

Things that exist:
1) Heart rate monitor for use while galloping a horse, not recommended for use under water, and is read by the rider as they are working the horses.
2) Heart rate monitor for horses that are running on a treadmill but it is hooked directly into a machine which is separate from the horse.

What I need:
A small, water-proof, heart rate monitor that I can attach to a surcingle around the horses girth area that the horse can wear while swimming--- must be very durable. The monitor will (wireless) transmit the heart rate up to a "scoreboard" panel (about 3'x2') that the handler can easily read to monitor the horse's heart rate.

Put it into the oven....start baking......
-- Susen, May 17 2001

Dermabond http://www.jnj.com/...s/in_dermabond.html
May solve lead placement difficulty. [reensure, May 17 2001]

Lead placement on marine mammals http://www.tamug.ta...ents/Attachment.htm
Probably VHF [reensure, May 17 2001]

I'm told dogs aren't physically designed to jump. Are horses physically designed to swim?
-- reensure, May 17 2001


Horses weren't "designed" to swim, but they *can* do it, just not very well or efficiently.
-- snarfyguy, May 17 2001


Actually, horses swim very well. The record holder in my pool is a mare that swims for 35 minutes. Peter, great link....I knew I could count on you to get me started! I looked for about 20 minutes this morning and didn't find much that I thought I could apply to horses. This helps. Thanks.
-- Susen, May 17 2001


everybody sing:

You tell me that you have everything
And your horse can swim
But you don't have me

etc. etc.
-- globaltourniquet, May 17 2001


[concern about horses swimming]: Not only do they swim well but the low-impact exercise would, I imagine, be very good for elderly horses or animals recovering from injury. I once saw a teenager swimming a horse in a small river; he dropped the reins, which were tied together, and the horse got a foreleg caught in the loop. It pulled the horse's nose underwater every time he straightened that foreleg, and he almost drowned--luckily he thrashed his way to shallow water and was saved. Very unpleasant to watch an animal in such distress, but also very dangerous to swim out and attempt a rescue in deep water...
-- Dog Ed, May 17 2001


YAY
-- thumbwax, May 17 2001


Susen: Is it rare that a mare holds her water past 30 minutes? <grin>
-- reensure, May 18 2001


Dog Ed, rest assured, we are very careful in how we swim horses. (you can see a picture of me swimming a horse on my website on the swimming page). The handler walks along the outside of the pool with a long pole or lead attached to the horses halter. When we *teach* a horse to swim, we use multiple handlers and multiple lines to "drag" the horse out if we get into trouble. While I've come close <grin>, I haven't managed to kill one yet. Unless you count that one that somehow had cement blocks tied to its legs (I know, bad joke ----the animal rights people will be after me now for sure). It is low impact exercise for horses, especially those recovering from leg injuries or post-surgical.

reensure --- I'm not sure what to *do* with your link.....we've used dermabond for years on injuries...just did the side of a dog's face with it last week. I plan on attaching the heart monitor to a neoprene surcingle around the horse's girth.
-- Susen, May 18 2001


No swimsuit edition on the current website....maybe I'll add one to the new site I'm working on. I do have 5 female employees...... ;-)

Mephista, about two months ago a race horse in Australia was being galloped on the beach and dumped his rider....he headed out to sea and swam for over an hour with boats chasing him before they finally got him back to land. It made all of the racing news wires.

UnaBubba, I can't find anything for humans that actually transmits the heartrate up to a scoreboard that I could use for horses. I did talk to vets at three colleges that do equine research and they are trying to find me a company to build me what I want.
-- Susen, May 18 2001


Susen- I think I now own one of your old horses....
-- Luvagoodjoke, Nov 26 2006



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