How Grooming Affects a Horse's Heart Rate
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Decreased Heart Rate
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Grooming tends to be a relaxing experience for a horse. Because of this, a grooming session typically lowers the horse's horse rate. A University of Southern California project confirmed this by comparing the heart rate of horses that were groomed after several minutes of exercise with the rate for horses that were exercised but not groomed. The heart dropped more rapidly in horses that were groom than in the animals who did not receive any grooming.
Increased Heart Rate
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Some horses are nervous about being grooming. This leads to an increased heart rate during the grooming process due to the horse's anxiety. If the groomer knows that the horse tends to be nervous, his own heart rate might increase while handling the animal. A Swedish study showed that this increase in the handler's heart rate can cause the horse's to rise. This can compound the increase caused by the grooming itself.
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No Change
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Some horses don't relax during grooming, and they do not feel anxious during the process. These horses typically don't show any change in heart rate during grooming. The grooming process doesn't effect them positively or negatively, so there is nothing to trigger a heart rate change.
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References
- Photo Credit Photo: Barb Nefer
