“We’ve been using Arioneo for two or three years now. We ensure we’re getting accurate heart rate data. Fundamentally, it helps quantify what you observe in the mornings with your eyes, providing a bit more perspective.

Prydwen is a peculiar horse because he doesn’t produce very good data. He defies all the data trends. He has a very short, choppy stride, which he turns over very quickly, suggesting that he would perform better at shorter distances than he does. He’s an outlier based on what we’ve seen. We focus mainly on his recovery to ensure he’s in the right mental state. He’s a very easy horse to train and read. We’re also still learning a lot about the data.

Every day is a learning experience. We believe it’s vital to have a bank of data for making comparisons. Some people go about their daily lives with a higher heart rate and more energy but still perform at the same level, while others are more relaxed. We try to compare a horse’s performance when it is in a good headspace and has run well with fresh data to see how it compares. 

The data comes into its own when you’re away from the horses and can’t see them train daily. We’ve had some brilliant people working with the horses over the winter, but at the end of the day, having the data, split times, and recovery metrics in front of you allows you to truly assess how the horse is training overall.

We used Equimetre extensively in Bahrain, and it was a massive aid to us out there. If a horse’s resting heart rate is significantly higher, or if he’s not recovering as quickly as it would at home when fit, it raises concern. Alarm bells might ring, but you need a baseline of data to make comparisons. Now, we have a good baseline of data for each horse we intend to travel with.

It gives us an idea of how they’ve traveled, how they’ve taken it, and how they’re training day to day.”

Keywords: Recovery, Isle of Jura, George Scott, Heart Rate, Newmarket, Horseracing, racing, horse, data, Equimetre, Arioneo