Measuring heart rate variability in horses to investigate the autonomic nervous system activity – Pros and cons of different methods

Power spectrum analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) may provide insight into the mental state of the animal held in restricted specific experimental conditions. Determining inter-beat-interval (IBI) variations is one way to measure changes in autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity in horses. An imbalance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system can indicate pain or […]