Well, this kind of depends on a couple of things. First what do you mean by decent gear? If he was under 5000 hp with cleric buffs, I would say more along the lines of "Modestly geared".
Second, did you have a slower? and was he slowing? A level 61 pally, in average gear, would be chewed up fast by an unslowed poV mob.
Third, have you learned to adjust the point you start casting CH, for PoP zones? You cannot wait til 40% HP to START casting CH in PoP zones, if you have the average pickup tank. I usually START casting my first CH per mob, at 75% HP, unless the slower has already called the mob slowed. Once slow hits, I wil start casting Ch the first time HP drop below 55%, unless I know the tank is well equipped. From there, I adjust my CH cast pointas up or down, as the tank's equipment requires.
I will also note, as a 65 cleric, with HoV, I had a 62 paladin tank in PoS once, who ONLY had 4500 hp, WITH HoV. Its entirely possible your tank had really bad gear as well. Its easy enough to tell, look at % when CH hits, and the number of HP healed. Easy to figure from there what their full hp is. In the case of this tank, I gave up trying to Ch him at all, as even with the mob slowed, and chain casting CH (as soon as the previous hit, and I could recast), I lost him once.