Polar CS600X user manual m Time Per min, Test c hill test

galloping speed, for instance every 400 m over a period of time of 2 - 3 minutes, until exhaustion. The following table is a representative example but it must be remembered that the speeds and distances chosen by you depend on

the type and fitness of your own horse! Untrained horses will start relatively slowly! All the same, don’t start too low, otherwise the test will last a long time before reaching maximum speed. Horses used to more training and thoroughbreds start straight away at a higher departure speed of 500 - 700 metres per minute. The first tests serve to establish the appropriate steps when to increase speed, and to set down your individually adapted test requirements.

Only the last three steps should really be strenuous, and peak performance should only be maintained for 5 to 10 seconds. In our example below highest performance lasts for 6.5 secs. Maximum heart rate is reached at the last step which lasts only for a few seconds before the end of the test.

TABLE 5: Speed test: example of a continuous progressive speed test, increased in 6 steps of 400 m each:

Step	Speed	Speed	time to cover	Accumulated	heart rate
	m./min.	min/km	400 m	time	per min.
1	500 m/min.	2.00 min/km	48.00 s	48.00 s	174
2	550 m/min	1.50 min/km	43.50 s	91.50 s	188
3	600 m/min	1.40 min/km	40.00 s	131.50 s	193
4	650 m/min	1.32 min/km	37.00 s	168.50 s	201
5	700m/min	1.26 min/km	34.00 s	202.50 s	210

Test c): hill test

In hilly country it is often difficult to find a suitable flat track, so a different test may be helpful. However, the horse must be used to training in hilly environment before using such a track for a test. Easy, regular climbs call for longer test tracks, steep climbs necessitate shorter stretches. Preferably, you should reach the hill at a good basic speed which will be gradually increased until you reach the top, or until your horse gets tired. It would be ideal if the top value of the horse’s performance would coincide with reaching the top of the hill. The heart rate at the end of the climb indicates HRmax.

It does not matter whether you decide to use one or the other test possibilities - it is much more important to follow the following indications: To achieve standardization, rules concerning warm-up and cool-down (see next chapter) must be kept to and the feeding routine maintained, that is, the last feed should consist in the usual food and be given 3 to 5 hours prior to testing.

Only well-rested horses are able to reach their maximum heart rate. On the day before the test, exercises should be easy; if your horse worked hard for one or two days before the test, or if it even ran a race, there is little hope to establish the correct maximum heart rate value.

If you have any doubts about the result, or if you want to be absolutely sure about your horse’s Max HR, repeat the test under the same conditions some days later to double-check the data.