

“Indeed, horses have the hearts of warriors and often carry us into and out of fields of personal battles. Those who know them understand how fully a horse can hold a human heart.” – Lauren Davis Baker
By Debbie MacRae
Italian race horse breeder, Frederico Tesio once said, “A horse gallops with his lungs, perseveres with his heart, and wins with his character.”
Renowned horse trainer and mentor Pat Parelli instructed, “A horse doesn’t care how much you know until he knows how much you care. Put your hand on your horse and your heart in your hand.”
Literally and anatomically defined, the heart is “a hollow muscular organ of vertebrate animals that by its rhythmic contraction, acts as a force pump maintaining the circulation of the blood…” as defined by the Webster Dictionary.
The horse heart is not dissimilar. It functions in a similar manner on a larger scale. Both are four chambered, located in the between the lungs and ribs and above the diaphragm, and both have two main functions: to pump oxygen and nutrients into the bloodstream and through the body.
Interestingly, in contrast to its size, the adult equine heart beats 30-40 beats per minute, while the smaller human heart beats about 60 times per minute. The equine heart is more efficient, and it’s equine “power-train” increases rapidly to an imposing 240 beats per minute when galloping. The efficiency is also remarkable, returning to its resting rate very quickly. Strenuous exercise creates the ability to deliver high volumes of blood for extended periods of time – as much as seven times that of the human heart.
Physiologically speaking, the equine heart has evolved to support intense and varied levels of athleticism, and it is often said that a horse has more than one heart. Like other mammals, a horse has only one physical heart – however, speaking in terms of cardiovascular efficiencies, the frog in each hoof pumps the blood back up to the heart from its lower legs, with every step taken. A grounded hoof expands and fills with blood, and as it leaves the ground, it contracts, sending the blood back to the heart. It is estimated that as a horse walks, it pumps a litre of blood through its body approximately every 20 meters or so, figuratively supporting the concept of more than one heart.
Yet, there is more to the equine heart than just that. Many horses have the physiological characteristics to win and to persevere. Secretariat and Phar Lap are two examples of exceptional race horses with hearts that were larger than the normal, (Secretariat’s weighed 22 lbs., while Phar Lap’s weighed 14 lbs.) Then there are the horses who succeed by sheer will and determination. This definition of “heart,” although intended to describe a very real characteristic in the horse, is immeasurable. Take Canada’s Big Ben for example; he survived two colic surgeries, a car accident, competed three times in the Olympics and won more then 40 Grand Prix titles with his rider, Ian Miller.
In this next series of blogs, we’ll share some other stories of many remarkable equines who due, either to the bond formed with their person or their exceptional courage, are in a league of their own because of their hearts.