Impact of a 100-km race on the heart rate and speed of endurance horses in Bulgaria
Radka Vlaeva
, Zhanina Ivanova
Abstract: The main purpose of the study was to determine the changes that occurred in the heart rate and speed of movement of horses competing in endurance races at a distance of 100 km in Bulgaria. Two races were included in the study, which were conducted during the racing seasons of 2022 and 2023. The total number of horses competing in both races was 23 representing different breeds. The pre-race heart rate of successful horses during 2022 race was on average 46±9.38 bpm and post-race 60.66±2.73 bpm and the eliminated horses during that race had a mean heart rate of 74±19.79 post-race. The average speed during the stages varied from 12.82±1.07 km/h to 14.23±0.98 km/h, as the lower speed was observed during the last loop of the competition for successful horses. A similar speed range was observed in the group of eliminated horses. During the 2023 race, successful horses had a pre-ride pulse of 42.44±3.57 bpm and 58.22±2.86 post-race. The speed of movement ranged from 13.60±1.16 km/h to 15.01±0.43 km/h, again the lowest speed was performed during the last stage of the race.
Keywords: endurance; heart rate; horses; speed
Citation: Vlaeva, R. & Ivanova, Z. (2025). Impact of a 100-km race on the heart rate and speed of endurance horses in Bulgaria. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 31(2), 386–389.
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| Date published: 2025-04-28
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