Table 2.
Mean heart rate and heart rate variability of the three horses before, during and after participating in EAL exercise, Hand Grooming. Results are averaged over number of times each horse chose to interact with participants.
| Prissy (n = 54) | Baseline: | During: | Post: |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR (bpm) | 37.45 ± 5.47 (SD) | 37.53 ± 4.67 | 37.33 ± 3.96 |
| SDNN (ms) | 187.45 ± 57.55 | 219.57 *± 96.15 | 191.15 ± 50.61 |
| RMSSD (ms) | 97.25 ± 36.37 | 109.88 * ± 46.7 | 110.24 ± 51.23 |
| %VLF | 72.26 ± 20.42 | 75.14 ± 18.19 | 69.36 ± 20.94 |
| PNS | 4.27 ± 1.31 | 4.62 * ± 1.10 | 4.73 * ± 1.23 |
| SNS | −2.10 ± 0.48 | −2.23 * ± 0.34 | −2.24 * ± 0.29 |
| Herman (n = 28) | Baseline: | During: | Post: |
| HR (bpm) | 33.18 ± 2.50 | 35.11 ** ± 5.66 | 32.67 ± 1.66 |
| SDNN (ms) | 158.77 ± 84.28 | 162.57 ± 58.8 | 156.74 ± 58.63 |
| RMSSD (ms) | 94.81 ± 32.22 | 92.36 ± 27.40 | 100.15 ± 30.12 |
| %VLF | 70.38 ± 14.11 | 70.29 ± 16.58 | 66.56 ± 16.18 |
| PNS | 5.12 ± 1.16 | 4.84 ± 1.40 | 5.49 ± 0.93 |
| SNS | −2.61 ± 0.39 | −2.54 ± 0.54 | −2.76 ± 0.33 |
| Joe (n = 16) | Baseline: | During: | Post: |
| HR (bpm) | 38.13 ± 5.20 (SD) | 38.13 ± 3.22 | 37.67 ± 3.20 |
| SDNN (ms) | 95.86 ± 51.94 | 75.19 ± 43.22 | 87.61 ± 64.40 |
| RMSSD (ms) | 64.10 ± 41.46 | 44.10 ± 31.18 | 53.30 ± 44.67 |
| %VLF | 69.30 ± 22.46 | 77.23 ± 17.23 | 77.52 ± 13.62 |
| PNS | 3.48 ± 1.64 | 2.87 * ± 1.31 | 3.17 ± 1.68 |
| SNS | −1.98 ± 0.82 | −1.51 ± 0.88 | −1.57 ± 1.01 |
* Value significantly different from baseline (p < 0.05). ** Value significantly different from post (p < 0.05).