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Danielle Anderson

Mrs. Stevens & Mrs. Radcliffe

Physical Science

13 January 2017

There are many interesting things about a horses heart. They, like ours, are a very big

factor to surviving. One time a horse had been conditioned very much and you could see a little

bump on their neck going to the same beat as their heartbeat! A horses heart rate has many

many interesting things to learn about them. If I measure all the horses heart rate in a similar

environment, then a saddle will make the horses heart rate slow down.

How Do Different Things Affect a Horses Heart Rate?

How are Horses Heart Rates Similar and Different to Human Heart Rates?

Horse and human heart rates are surprisingly similar. Both hearts have four different

valves and chambers. Horse hearts actually have heart type B, and humans have heart type A

( Byars ). Horses generally have a heart beat of thirty two to thirty six beats per minute. Human

heart generally beat sixty to eighty times a minute. Adult hearts weigh anywhere from seven to

nine pounds ( Heart ).

What Should a Horse's Resting Heart Rate Be?

A horses resting heart rate is on average thirty two to thirty six beats per minute.

Although, some horses rate may be higher or lower depending on the horse( Heart ). There are

many factors that can contribute to a horses heart rate being slower or faster. Such as weather,

excitement, conditioning, nervousness, etc. When you check a horses heart rate, it should be in a
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calm quiet environment, that is somewhat familiar to them. That will help you get the most

accurate heart rate because there is less of a chance that something around them is affecting the

heart rate. A horses heart rate will be different if the horse was being conditioned ( Geor ).

When and Why Did People Start Using Saddles?

Saddles were around for longer than you think. They were invented more than

four thousand years ago, and was no more than a piece of cloth ( Saddle ). People started using

saddles after a family called The Moors invaded Spain in the seven hundreds. They were

originally used for war and battle. In the eighteen hundreds they were not made of leather like

today. There were made out of tree bark and animal skin.

How Does Age Affect a Horse's Heart Rate?

As a horse ages, his heart will affect a horses ability to work. Horses surprisingly dont

get heart attacks or get artery disease. Somethings will begin to slow the horse down as it ages.

Some horses get leaky heart valves but this usually doesn't affect them majorly, especially not if

they are pushed physically in old age ( Thomas ). Horses become calmer as they age, so this

may cause the heart rate to slow down because they are not as energetic and nervous

( Briggs 27 ).

What Factors are Known to Cause Heart Rate Changes in Horses?

Just like humans, heart rates can change do to exercise. Anticipation and excitement can

also cause a horses heart rate to change. That is why you would want to check their heart rate

when they are in a calm familiar place ( Geor ). Some breeds have larger or smaller hearts. Fear

and excitement may cause the horses heart rate to change. A new place or environment may

cause a horses heart rate to shoot upwards. ( From 25 )

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How Do you Check a Horses Heart Rate?

You can take a horses heart rate without a stethoscope, but a stethoscope make your job

a lot easier. You can take a horses heart rate from the facial artery. Which is on the bottom left

jaw, where you will find a shallow groove. Once you find a steady pace, set a timer for fifteen

seconds then multiply than number by four to get you bpm, beats per minute. If a stethoscope is

available listen to the heart beat on the left side of the chest, just behind the elbow. Then take a

time for fifteen seconds and multiply that was four. Then you will get the beats per minute.(

Check )

If I measure all the horses heart rate in a similar environment, then the heart rate will

rise with the saddle on. There are many things to learn about a horses heart. It does many things

and is a big factor to many things. My prediction was correct for only about half the horses. So

all horses are very different as far as this goes. The purpose of this project is to find more out

about the horse heart.

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Works Cited

Byars, Doug. "Comparing Humans and Horses." TheHorse.com. The Horse Media Group LLC.,

8 Oct. 2008. Web. 01 Nov. 2016.

<http://www.thehorse.com/articles/22103/comparing-humans-and-horses>.

Briggs, Karen. "The Aging Equine." TheHorse.com. The Horse Media Group LLC., 27 Nov.

2011. Web. 03 Nov. 2016. <http://www.thehorse.com/articles/10529/the-aging-equine>.

Bridges, Devon. "How Do Different Things Affect a Horse's Heart Rate?" Personal interview. 18

Nov. 2016.

EXtention. "How to Check Your Horse's Heart Rate." EXtension. EXtention, 23 July 2003. Web. 06 Jan.

2017. <http://articles.extension.org/pages/22023/how-to-check-your-horses-heart-rate>.
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Geor,, Ray. "Peak Fitness." TheHorse.com. The Horse Media Group LLC., 1 Mar. 2000. Web.

01 Nov. 2016. <http://www.thehorse.com/articles/10142/peak-fitness>.

Geor, Ray. "Peak Fitness." TheHorse.com. The Horse Media Group LLC., 1 Mar. 2000. Web. 02

Nov. 2016. <http://www.thehorse.com/articles/10142/peak-fitness>

"Heart of a Horse." Kent Feeds. Kent Nutrition Group, Inc., 1 Mar. 2011. Web. 01 Nov. 2016.

<https://kentfeeds.com/kent-articles/heart-of-a-horse>

Kentucky Equine Research Staff. "From the Heart." Equinews. Kentucky Equine Research, 03

Jan. 2012. Web. 06 Jan. 2017. <http://www.equinews.com/article/from-the-heart>

Sutor, Cheryl. "Equusite.com - Vital Signs in Horses: Temperature, Pulse, Respiration, Gut

Sounds, Dehydration, Capillary Refill Time, Mucous Membranes." Equusite.com - Vital

Signs in Horses: Temperature, Pulse, Respiration, Gut Sounds, Dehydration, Capillary

Refill Time, Mucous Membranes. N.p., 1977. Web. 03 Nov. 2016.

<http://www.equusite.com/articles/health/healthVitalSigns.shtml>

T. "The History of the Western Saddle." History of the Western Saddle History. N.p., n.d. Web.

07 Nov. 2016. <http://www.western-saddle-guide.com/western-saddle-history.html>

"The Saddle Evolves." The History of Saddles. Cruz Bay Publishing, 25 Mar. 2002. Web. 03

Nov. 2016. <http://www.equisearch.com/article/eqsaddleev619>.

Thomas, Heather RSmith. "The Aging Horse." TheHorse.com. The Horse Media Group LLC., 1

Aug. 2011. Web. 01 Nov. 2016.

<http://www.thehorse.com/articles/27725/the-aging-horse>
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