Heart rate monitors for horses: how to use training zones

Why heart rate tells you more than pace

Two horses trotting side by side can have a heart rate difference of up to 40 beats per minute. One horse is working calmly at 120 bpm in the recovery zone, while the other is already at 160 bpm and training deep in the aerobic zone. Pace or stride length therefore says little about physiological load. A heart rate monitor makes that load visible. You can see immediately whether your horse is working in the desired zone, or whether you need to adjust the pace. This is especially valuable during recovery from injury, when bringing on a new sport horse, or when you start competing more seriously.

The five heart rate zones for horses

The zones are based on a percentage of maximum heart rate (HRmax). For most riding horses, HRmax falls between 200 and 220 bpm. An average of 210 bpm is a practical starting point if you do not yet know your horse's true maximum heart rate.

• Zone 1 – Recovery (< 50% HRmax, ~< 105 bpm): walking, cooling down, loosening up.
• Zone 2 – Aerobic base (50-70% HRmax, ~105-147 bpm): light trot, long hacks, endurance training.
• Zone 3 – Aerobic development (70-80% HRmax, ~147-168 bpm): active trot and canter, most dressage exercises.
• Zone 4 – Threshold (80-90% HRmax, ~168-189 bpm): intensive canter work, jumping, cross-country sections.
• Zone 5 – Maximum (> 90% HRmax, ~> 189 bpm): short sprint efforts, for well-trained horses only.

How to determine your horse's HRmax

The most reliable method is a controlled exercise test: warm your horse up for 10 minutes, then canter at maximum speed on a flat course for 3 minutes. The peak recorded by the monitor is a good approximation of HRmax. Repeat this after a few weeks of rest to confirm. Save the result in your horse's EquiSight horse profile so that your zones are always accurate when creating new training plans.

Training practically with heart rate zones

A typical training week for an all-round sport horse might look like this:

• Monday – active recovery day: 30 min walk (zone 1), deliberately keeping heart rate below 100 bpm.
• Tuesday – endurance training: 40 min trot on varied terrain, target 120-140 bpm (zone 2).
• Wednesday – technique day: dressage exercises, allowing the heart rate to make brief peaks up to 160 bpm (zone 3).
• Friday – intensity training: 4 × 3 min canter with 5 min recovery in between, target 165-180 bpm (zones 3-4).
• Saturday – long ride: 60-90 min hack, predominantly zone 2, recovery check afterwards below 80 bpm within 10 min.

Recovery rate: the underrated metric

After exercise, a fit horse's heart rate should drop below 60-70 bpm within 10 minutes. If it has not fallen below 80 bpm after 15 minutes, that is a signal of fatigue, heat or early-stage illness. Record the recovery rate after every intensive training session. EquiSight lets you view trends over weeks via the horse profile, so you can spot a decline in fitness early — before your horse actually breaks down.

Linking heart rate data to EquiSight

Many modern heart rate monitors for horses — such as those from Polar Equine or Equisense — export data via Bluetooth or CSV. You can save that session data in the horse profile and link it to training notes. EquiCoach analyses patterns in your training history and provides concrete suggestions: for example, when your horse shows zone-4 peaks three weeks in a row without sufficient zone-2 recovery days, or when the average heart rate for the same effort actually drops — a sign that fitness is improving. This turns raw heart rate data into something truly useful.