For the first time ever, our Seaver girth guard has been approved for use in an FEI international competition. We are very proud that, Marie-Charlotte Fuss, used it on the cross-country of the 2* Royal Jump de Bertichères. For those who don't know her, she is the reigning 2016 European Young Riders Champion.

After a majestic cross-country run with Anabolia, they took ^9th place in the CIC** out of 50 starters!

We decided to share with you the data that the Seaver equipment collected following its cross-country run. The workout was launched 10 minutes before the start of her relaxation. It lasted 55 minutes, during which the Anabolia mare burned almost 8,000 calories.
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Heart rate

Before the start of the relaxation, the mare's heart rate was around 35 bpm. This is a normal rhythm for a well-trained horse at rest. The weather was particularly hot on that first Sunday in June. Her cardio rate then rose progressively during the relaxation.

On the cross-country run, we can see that the curve rises into the red, and that the mare's heart rate reaches and stabilizes at around 200 beats per minute: a very correct rate for such an effort, especially given the heat. In terms of recovery, Anabolia will have taken between 7 and 8 minutes to get her heart rate back up to 80 bpm.

Heart rate, speed and energy expenditure

It's very interesting to study the speed curve in relation to heart rate. Here, Marie-Charlotte ran cross-country at an average speed of 550 m/min, peaking at 600 m/min. Note also the evolution of the calories burned curve, which follows that of heart rate.
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Flat data

Here are some data on the flat, including Anabolia's bounce at the canter, her percentage of symmetry (symmetry is calculated at a straight trot), and the distribution of gaits over the 55 minutes of this "training" session.
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Jump analysis

Finally, the girth guard recorded 49 jumps, corresponding to the 27 cross-country efforts in the 2* and the 22 jumps in the relaxation. The average height of the jumps was 1m28, and the maximum height jumped was 1m92! These figures may seem surprisingly high... In fact, this is because we measure the height of the horse's girth at the highest point of its jumping trajectory, and not the actual height of the jump, which can be useful for knowing the exact margin your horse puts over its jumps.

We also provide the height and angle of each jump. Below are the data for the first obstacle jumped by Anabolia during relaxation.
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And finally, here's the condition of our girth guard after this superb ride. It came out a little dirty, but intact: it's obviously shock- and water-resistant!

A big thank you to Marie-Charlotte Fuss for allowing us to follow this great performance up close... 😉

If you too would like to be able to analyse in detail your cso, cross-country, endurance or dressage courses, get our connected girth guard or girth strap here!