Exercise in horses encompasses the physical activities that horses engage in, either through natural behaviors or structured training programs. These activities impact a horse's musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems, influencing overall health and performance. Exercise can vary in intensity, duration, and frequency, and its effects are studied to understand conditioning, endurance, and recovery processes in equines. Research in this field often focuses on the physiological adaptations to different types of exercise, the prevention of exercise-related injuries, and the optimization of training regimens for various equestrian disciplines. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the physiological, biomechanical, and health-related aspects of exercise in horses.
Assunção P, Barbosa T, Yonezawa L, Barbosa L, Watanabe M, Kohayagawa A, Schmidt E.High-intensity exercise can be associated with the occurrence of muscle injury, as well as the induction of an acute-phase response (APR). The present study aims to investigate the synthesis and profile of serum proteins in horses before and after participating in 2 different exercise protocols and to relate this profile to the presence or absence of muscular injury caused by exercise. Ten purebred Arabian (n = 5) and Criollo (n = 5) horses were subjected to 2 different tests on a treadmill, one consisting of short-duration and rapid-acceleration training (TRA) that was mostly anerobic and the...
Johnson S, Symons J.Equine athletes can incur musculoskeletal injuries due to repetitive loading during training and competition. Prior to signs of lameness, horse trainers and veterinarians may observe swelling in the distal limbs, where injuries most frequently occur. Early observations may guide modulation of training to manage physiological stress and mitigate risk of injury. However, these observations of changing limb volume can be subjective and imprecise. The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy and applicability of a tablet-mounted, 3D scanner to measure and record distal limb volumes of horses b...
Zavistanaviciute P, Poskiene I, Lele V, Antanaitis R, Kantautaite J, Bartkiene E.The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of the newly isolated Lactobacillus plantarum LUHS135 and Lactobacillus paracasei LUHS244 strains grown in potato juice (with a cell count of 8.0-9.0 log10 CFU/ml) on the blood and faeces parameters of exercising horses. The horses were classified into four different groups: a control group (which received no probiotics); the first group (which received 200 ml of L. plantarum culture in potato juice); the second group (which received 200 ml of L. paracasei culture in potato juice); and the third group (which received an L. plantarum and L. pa...
Velie BD, Smith PM, Fjordbakk CT, Solé M, Jäderkvist Fegraeus K, Rosengren MK, Røed KH, Ihler CF, Lindgren G, Strand E.Dynamic laryngeal collapse (DLC) associated with poll flexion is the most common disorder of the upper respiratory tract (URT) in the Norwegian-Swedish Coldblooded Trotter (NSCT). The disorder, which has also been diagnosed in other breeds of trotters and gaited horses, appears to be related to anatomic phenotypes and only occurs during poll flexion when the horse is exercised 'on the bit'. Objective: Identify genomic regions associated with DLC in the NSCT by combining a rigorous phenotyping protocol with genomic data from a high-density equine genotyping array. Methods: Prospective case/cont...
Bull J, Bas F, Silva-Guzmán M, Wentzel HH, Keim JP, Gandarillas M.The aim of this study was to characterize the routine care, training, feeding, and nutritional management of Chilean corralero horses that participated in the rodeos of the Chilean Rodeo Federation. Forty-nine horse farms between the Metropolitan (33°26'16″ south (S) 70°39'01″ west (W)) and Los Lagos Regions (41°28'18″ S 72°56'12″ W), were visited and a survey was conducted on the management and feeding of the Chilean horse. Of the horses which participated in at least one official rodeo in the 2014-2015 season, 275 horses were included in the study. The survey consisted of five qu...
Greco-Otto P, Baggaley M, Edwards WB, Léguillette R.Equine water treadmills (WTs) are growing in popularity because they are believed to allow for high resistance, low impact exercise. However, little is known about the effect of water height on limb loading. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of water height and speed on segmental acceleration and impact attenuation during WT exercise in horses. Three uniaxial accelerometers (sampling rate: 2500 Hz) were secured on the left forelimb (hoof, mid-cannon, mid-radius). Horses walked at two speeds (S1: 0.83 m/s, S2: 1.39 m/s) and three water heights (mid-cannon, carpus, stifle), ...
Murray R, Mackechnie-Guire R, Fisher M, Fairfax V.Back pain is frequently recognized in racehorses, but saddle fit and design are rarely assessed. In sport horses, relationships between horse-saddle interaction, back pain, and altered kinematics are established, but few studies investigating horse-saddle interaction in racehorses exist. We hypothesized that reducing pressures under saddles at thoracic (T) vertebrae 10-13 in galloping racehorses is associated with improved limb and lumbosacral kinematics. The objectives of the study were to (1) determine pressure magnitude/distribution under 3 frequently used race-exercise saddles and a saddle...
Greco-Otto P, Bond S, Sides R, Bayly W, Leguillette R.Equine water treadmills (WT) were initially designed for rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries, but are also commonly used for conditioning sport horses, however the effects are not well documented. The purpose of this study was to test the effect of an 18-day WT conditioning programme on peak oxygen consumption (V̇O2peak). Nine unfit Thoroughbreds were used in a randomised controlled trial. Six horses worked daily for 18 days in stifle-height water (WT group), while 3 control horses worked without water (dry treadmill group (DT)). Preconditioning and postconditioning maximal exercise ra...
Tarancón I, Armengou L, Melendez-Lazo A, Pastor J, Ríos J, Jose-Cunilleras E.To assess the prevalence of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) among elite endurance horses after competition in a long-distance race. 20 endurance horses and 12 nonexercised or minimally exercised age-, breed-, and trainer-matched horses from the same environment (control horses). Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples collected from endurance horses at 3 to 8 days (sample A) and 36 to 38 days (sample B) after the race (100 km in 1 day [n = 3], 70 km/d for 2 days [12], or 100 km/d for 2 days [5]) were cytologically examined for the presence of hemosiderophages. Samples from control ho...
Morrice-West AV, Hitchens PL, Walmsley EA, Stevenson MA, Whitton RC.Musculoskeletal injuries (MSI) in racehorses are commonly due to bone fatigue, a function of the number of cycles (strides) and the magnitude of load applied to the limb. These parameters can be estimated using speed and distance, with greater than 6000 m/month at a gallop (>14 m/s), in combination with canter distances greater than 44,000 m/month, reported to increase fracture risk. Despite their importance, there are limited data on the distances and speeds horses are exposed to during training. Objective: Estimate training volume at different speeds undertaken by Australian Thoroughbr...
Masko M, Krajewska A, Zdrojkowski L, Domino M, Gajewski Z.Leisure riding is a popular way of using horses however, unlike sport or racing horses, those are mostly not associated with one rider with high skills. Constant overload of equine musculoskeletal system causes pathologies, which are affecting horse mobility and decreases the horse-rider communication. The aim was to propose the new scoring system of thermograph analysis as an aspect of differences in heat distributions on horseback before and after leisure ridings. The study was conducted on sixteen Polish warmblood horses, scanned with a non-contact thermographic camera. Heat pattern of t...
Witkowska-Piłaszewicz O, Bąska P, Czopowicz M, Żmigrodzka M, Szarska E, Szczepaniak J, Nowak Z, Winnicka A, Cywińska A.Development of an anti-inflammatory state during physical training has been postulated in both human and equine athletes, but it is not completely understood. The aim of this study was to investigate whether endurance training changes pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine profiles within a 20-week training season in young inexperienced endurance horses. Nine Arabian horses were examined in this prospective 20-week follow-up study. Blood samples were analysed 5 times monthly, at rest and after training sessions. Routine haematological examinations were performed. Cytokine patterns including IL-1...
Legg KA, Weston JF, Gee EK, Bolwell CF, Bridges JP, Rogers CW.The welfare of horses in endurance competitions has been the focus of recent media attention. Epidemiological studies have examined the sport at the international (FEI) level. However, much of the participation in the sport occurs at a national level in preparation for FEI level competition. The aims of this study were to describe participation in, and risk factors for elimination, from New Zealand endurance competitions. Data were collated from all endurance competitions (≥40 km) held in New Zealand during the 2010/11-2015/16 competition seasons. There were 6885 starts (n = 775 horses, n = ...
Soroko M, Zaborski D, Dudek K, Yarnell K, Górniak W, Vardasca R.The impact of a rider's and saddle's mass on saddle thermal pattern distribution was evaluated using infrared thermography (IRT). Eighteen racehorses were ridden by four riders with their own saddle. Images of the saddle panels were captured at each of six thermographic examinations. On each image, six regions of interest (ROIs) were marked on the saddle panels. The mean temperature for each ROI was extracted. To evaluate the influence of load on saddle fit, 4 indicators were used: ΔTmax (difference between the mean temperature of the warmest and coolest ROI); standard deviation of the mean t...
Self Davies ZT, Spence AJ, Wilson AM.The horse has evolved to gallop economically at high speed. Limb force increases with speed but direct measures of limb ground reaction forces (GRFs) at gallop are sparse. This study reports GRFs for multiple limbs, using force plates, across seven Thoroughbred racehorses during ridden galloping. The results show peak vertical GRF values of 13.6 N kg (non-lead hindlimb), 12.3 N kg (lead hindlimb), 14.0 N kg (non-lead forelimb) and 13.6 N kg (lead forelimb) at 11.4 m s and recorded values are consistent with those predicted from duty factor. The distribution of body weight b...
Vera L, Campos Arias D, Muylle S, Stergiopulos N, Segers P, van Loon G.Arterial rupture in horses has been observed during exercise, after phenylephrine administration or during parturition (uterine artery). In human pathophysiological research, the use of computer models for studying arterial hemodynamics and understanding normal and abnormal characteristics of arterial pressure and flow waveforms is very common. The objective of this research was to develop a computer model of the equine arterial circulation, in order to study local intra-arterial pressures and flow dynamics in horses. Morphologically, large differences exist between human and equine aortic arc...
Stefaniuk-Szmukier M, Szmatoła T, Łątka J, Długosz B, Ropka-Molik K.Horse musculature has been shaped through evolution by environmental and human factors, which has resulted in several extraordinary adaptations to physical effort. Skeletal muscle plasticity results from the response to mechanical stimulation causing hypertrophy, where sarcomeres increase the muscle's cross-sectional area under the influence of contractile forces. The aim of the present study was the evaluation of transcript abundance of the telethonin () gene, which is a part of the sarcomere macromolecular mechanosensory complex in the gluteus medius muscle, and the whole blood of Arabian ho...
Persson-Sjodin E, Hernlund E, Pfau T, Haubro Andersen P, Holm Forsström K, Rhodin M.Quantitative gait analysis has revealed that a large proportion of horses in training, perceived as free from lameness by their owners, show movement asymmetries of equal magnitude to horses with mild clinical lameness. Whether these movement asymmetries are related to orthopaedic pain and/or pathology has yet to be further investigated. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine whether movement asymmetries in riding horses in training are affected by anti-inflammatory treatment with meloxicam. In a crossover design, horses were treated with meloxicam or placebo for four days res...
Bayly W, Lopez C, Sides R, Bergsma G, Bergsma J, Gold J, Sellon D.Public pressure exists in the United States to eliminate race-day furosemide administration despite its efficacy in decreasing the severity of equine exercise pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH). No effective alternative prophylaxis strategies have been identified. Objective: To investigate alternative protocols to race-day furosemide that might mitigate EIPH. Methods: Seven fit Thoroughbreds with recent EIPH. Methods: Double-blinded placebo-controlled Latin square crossover using a treadmill followed by a blinded placebo-controlled crossover study at a racetrack. First, horses exercised supramaximall...
Villarino NF, Lopez CM, Sams RA, Bayly WM.The primary objective of this study was to assess the disposition of furosemide in Thoroughbred horses treated intravenously with 1 mg/kg of furosemide 4 and 24 h before supramaximal treadmill exercise without and with controlled access to water, respectively. Another objective was to determine whether furosemide was detectable in the plasma of horses after exposure to supramaximal treadmill exercise. Thoroughbred horses (n = 4-6) were administered single intravenous doses of 1 mg/kg of furosemide at 4 and 24 h before supramaximal exercise on a high-speed treadmill, with controlled ...
Daden R, Zarhouni FZ, Chakir J, Piro M, Achaâban MR, Ouassat M, El Allali K.To evaluate the effect of plasmapheresis on clinical, hematological, and biochemical parameters after exercise, a plasmapheresis session was realized on six jumping horses (plasmapheresis group) that underwent three consecutive days of physical graded exercise. The control group (n = 6) went through the same exercise but not subjected to the plasmapheresis session. Seventeen milliliters of plasma/kg of body weight was harvested from each horse. The procedure was well tolerated by the horses. The plasmapheresis leads to a significant increase of the hemoglobin, hematocrit, red blood cell, whit...
Parkes RSV, Weller R, Pfau T, Witte TH.Objective gait monitoring is increasingly accessible to trainers. A more comprehensive understanding of 'normal' gait adaptations is required. Forty two-year-old thoroughbred racehorses were recruited when entering training and followed for 22 months. Gait analysis was performed by equipping each horse with an inertial measurement unit with inbuilt GPS (GPS-IMU) mounted on the dorsum. Horses were exercised as per their regular training regimen. Data were analysed using a linear mixed model. For two-year-old horses, there was a non-linear pattern of stride duration (SD) over time ( < 0.001) ...
Banse HE, Andrews FM.Equine glandular gastric disease (EGGD) is an increasingly recognized disease of the glandular mucosa of the equine stomach. Diagnosis is confirmed by gastric endoscopy and scored based upon one of several different endoscopic scoring systems. Prevalence appears to be variable, depending upon breed and discipline. Primary identified risk factors include exercise frequency, and stress; therefore, management strategies are focused on reducing exercise and stress. Limiting grain intake and increasing pasture turnout may also be helpful preventative measures. Pharmacologic treatment consists prima...
Greco-Otto P, Léguillette R.Horses competing in pulling competitions often undergo rapid weight change to enter lower weight categories. The aim of this study was to assess weight change and the associated changes of body water compartments in pulling horses. Weight change was attributed primarily to body water losses; however, losses from other sources were also indicated. . Les chevaux participant à des compétitions de trait subissent souvent des changements de poids rapides pour s’inscrire à des catégories de poids inférieurs. Le but de cette étude consistait à évaluer le changement de poids et les changemen...
White-Lewis S, Johnson R, Ye S, Russell C.To compare equine-assisted therapy to exercise education on pain, range of motion, and quality of life in adults and older adults with arthritis. Quality of life for adults and older adults is negatively impacted by arthritis pain, stiffness, and decreased function. Equine-assisted therapy provides unique movements to the rider's joints and muscles improving pain, range of motion, and quality of life and has improved outcomes in balance, gait, strength, functional mobility, and spasticity for older adults, stroke, spinal cord injury, and multiple sclerosis patients. No research has investigate...
Gehlen H, Schlaga A.Several studies have shown the effect of training on myocardial deformation parameters in human athletes. The aim of this prospective, longitudinal study was echocardiographic evaluation of myocardial velocities and deformation in horses during the first year of training. Twelve Standardbred yearlings were examined using tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) and two-dimensional speckle tracking (2D-ST) during the first year of race training (short axis of left and right ventricle). The first examination was performed before the beginning of training (n = 12). At the last time point, horses were fully ...
Kędzierski W, Cywińska A, Wawak T, Janczarek I, Wilk I, Kowalik S.Physical effort is one of the key aspects of keeping horses in good condition. The condition of the animal is reflected by multiple blood parameters. The newly discovered cytokine-apelin can pose one of them, however, so far, has not been studied in the horse population. Apelin is produced by adipocytes and myocytes and plays an important role in the energy metabolism of the body through the influence, for example, on the process of adipogenesis and lipolysis. The aim of this study was to investigate if physical effort of various intensity affects the plasma concentration of apelin in horses. ...
Di Filippo PA, Dias Meireles MA, Ribeiro LMF, de Lannes ST, Meireles NFT, Viana IS, Hokamura HK.In this study, the effect of early exercise, age, body weight (BW), and growth on the articular cartilage and subchondral bones of the tarsocrural joints was evaluated in 40 young Mangalarga Marchador horses allowed free choice exercise in pasture. Twenty of the horses had additional controlled exercise 3 days per week from a mean age of 30 ± 20 days until 36 months. The training program consisted of an increasing number of 15-minute gallop sprints in an oval paddock with a concrete floor covered by a thick layer of sand. BW, withers height (WH), and neck circumference were measured and bo...
Vezzosi T, Vitale V, Sgorbini M, Tognetti R, Bonelli F.Continuous electrocardiography (ECG) monitoring is the gold standard for diagnosing arrhythmias that occur intermittently or under exercise. The aim of this study was to compare two different methods for 24-hour Holter monitoring in horses, a 7-electrode system (7-ES) versus a 4-electrode system (4-ES), assessing the recording performance at rest and during exercise. Six standardbred horses were included in the present prospective study. Two different methods for 24-hour Holter monitoring were used in each horse with a washout period of one week between each recording method. In the first 15 ...
Katzman SA, Spriet MP, Beck BR, Barrett MF, Hendrickson DA.A 6-year-old Quarter Horse gelding used for barrel racing was evaluated for acute onset of non-weight-bearing lameness of the left hind limb following strenuous exercise. Nuclear scintigraphic imaging revealed focal increased radiopharmaceutical uptake centrally within the left talus. Subsequent standard radiographic and ultrasonographic examinations of the tarsus failed to identify the cause of the increased radiopharmaceutical uptake; however, the lameness was definitively localized to the tarsocrural joint by intra-articular anesthesia. Subsequent MRI sequences of the left tarsus revealed a...
Ecker GL, Lindinger MI.Loss of total body water and ions during prolonged exercise can predispose the horse to health and performance problems. This study examined total body water (TBW) losses and extracellular (ECF) ion losses during the cross-country (XC) phase of Preliminary, Intermediate and Advanced Horse Trials and CCI level 3-day-events. Jugular venous blood samples and body mass (BM) were collected on 49 horses at rest, Pre-XC, Post-XC and following 30 min of recovery. Plasma was separated from blood cells within 10 min of collection. Plasma was analysed for [Na+], [K+], [Cl-], ionised [Ca+2], [glucose], [l...
Cappelli K, Felicetti M, Capomaccio S, Pieramati C, Silvestrelli M, Verini-Supplizi A.The stress response is a critical factor in the training of equine athletes; it is important for performance and for protection of the animal against physio-pathological disorders.In this study, the molecular mechanisms involved in the response to acute and strenuous exercise were investigated using peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Results: Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to detect modifications in transcription levels of the genes for matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and interleukin 8 (IL-8), which were derived from previous genome-wide expression analysis. Signific...
Wilson G, Martin D, Morton JP, Close GL.Despite consistent reports of poor bone health in male jockeys, it is not yet known if this is a consequence of low energy availability or lack of an osteogenic stimulus. Given the rationale that low energy availability is a contributing factor in low bone health, we tested the hypothesis that both hip and lumbar bone mineral density (BMD) should progressively worsen in accordance with the years of riding. In a cross-sectional design, male apprentice (n = 17) and senior (n = 14) jockeys (matched for body mass and fat-free mass) were assessed for hip and lumbar spine BMD, as well as bot...
Piccione G, Grasso F, Fazio F, Giudice E.The goal of this study was to investigate the influence of physical activity on the daily rhythm of platelet aggregation and body temperature in horses. Blood samples from 12 Thoroughbred horses, six sedentary animals and six athletes (studied both before and after a period of inactivity) were collected at 4h intervals for 48h via an intravenous cannula inserted into the jugular vein. Body temperature was recorded every 4h for 48h with a rectal probe. Platelet aggregation was measured with an aggregometer. Collagen was used to test the aggregation of the plasma samples. Statistical analysis of...
Firth EC, Rogers CW, Perkins NR, Anderson BH, Grace ND.This is the first in a series of papers reporting studies in 2-year-old Thoroughbred racehorses that aimed to determine the response of musculoskeletal tissues to early training on grass and sand racetracks. In this paper, the experimental set-up of the whole study is described, and nutritional, workload, and clinical, radiographic and pathological outcomes are reported, including semi-quantitative assessment of macroscopic changes in articular cartilage. Methods: The study group comprised 14 two-year-old Thoroughbred fillies reared entirely at pasture. Of these, seven were selected by a licen...
Thu VT, Kim HK, Han J.Numerous animal cardiac exercise models using animal subjects have been established to uncover the cardiovascular physiological mechanism of exercise or to determine the effects of exercise on cardiovascular health and disease. In most cases, animal-based cardiovascular exercise modalities include treadmill running, swimming, and voluntary wheel running with a series of intensities, times, and durations. Those used animals include small rodents (e.g., mice and rats) and large animals (e.g., rabbits, dogs, goats, sheep, pigs, and horses). Depending on the research goal, each experimental protoc...
Hopkins SR, Bayly WM, Slocombe RF, Wagner H, Wagner PD.During short-term maximal exercise, horses have impaired pulmonary gas exchange, manifested by diffusion limitation and arterial hypoxemia, without marked ventilation-perfusion (VA/Q) inequality. Whether gas exchange deteriorates progressively during prolonged submaximal exercise has not been investigated. Six thoroughbred horses performed treadmill exercise at approximately 60% of maximal oxygen uptake until exhaustion (28-39 min). Multiple inert gas, blood-gas, hemodynamic, metabolic rate, and ventilatory data were obtained at rest and 5-min intervals during exercise. Oxygen uptake, cardiac ...
Epp TS, McDonough P, Padilla DJ, Gentile JM, Edwards KL, Erickson HH, Poole DC.Maximally exercising horses achieve mean pulmonary artery pressures (Ppa(mean)) that exceed the minimum threshold (75 mmHg) estimated for pulmonary capillary rupture and exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH). EIPH is not expected to occur during moderate submaximal exercise (i.e. 40-60% VO2max) since Ppa(mean) remains well below this threshold. Objective: Prolonged submaximal exercise (trotting) would precipitate locomotory respiratory uncoupling and cause EIPH. This would be present as a result of the most negative intrapleural pressures (as estimated by the minimum oesophageal pressu...
Hobo S, Yoshida K, Yoshihara T.Equine respiratory patterns during swimming were examined in five normal horses. The experiment included a preliminary warming-up stage and 6 circuits of swimming around an annular pool of a 50-meter-circumference. The horses were examined for respiratory rates, intratracheal pressures, inspiratory time (TI), expiratory time (TE), respiratory cycle (T; TI + TE), heart rates, blood lactate concentrations, hematocrit and blood gases. The respiratory rates were maintained around 25/min. Blood gas values changed significantly during swimming. The intratracheal pressures during expiration and inspi...
Giers J, Bartel A, Kirsch K, Müller SF, Horstmann S, Gehlen H.Horses competing in cross-country tests are subjected to high physical demands. Within the scope of this prospective longitudinal study, blood values of 20 elite eventing horses were examined before and after two- to four-star cross-country rides. The aim was to find out whether blood-based markers for skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle function change after cross-country exercise. Parameters that provide information about fluid balance, muscle enzymes, metabolites and cardiac muscle-specific markers were investigated. We developed an approach to eliminate the concentration changes caused by r...
Jones JH, Carlson GP.The metabolic power required for sustained exercise in the horse is proportional to running speed. Moderately fast speeds require substantial energy expenditure and result in the generation of a massive metabolic heat load. Quantitative estimates of energy expenditure and heat production of horses at various running speeds were developed using empirically derived data from treadmill studies. Total metabolic power represents the sum of aerobic power indicated by the rate of oxygen consumption and net anaerobic power indicated by the rate of plasma lactate accumulation. These data were applied t...
Tsuzuki N, Endo Y, Kikkawa L, Korosue K, Kaneko Y, Kitauchi A, Katamoto H, Hidaka Y, Hagio M, Torisu S.The performance of horses undergoing regular intense exercise is adversely affected by oxidative stress. Thus, it is important to increase antioxidant production in horses in order to reduce oxidative stress. Ozonated autohemotherapy (OAHT) reportedly promotes antioxidant production. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of OAHT on antioxidant capacity. Ten Thoroughbred horses were used in this study. After the OAHT, we collected serum samples and measured biological antioxidant potential (BAP). We found that BAP began to increase after the OAHT and was significantly higher in the OAHT grou...
Greve L, Dyson S.Animals can minimise the risk of falling by leaning into a curve. The aims of this study were: (1) to quantify the difference between observed (measured by an inertial measurement unit, IMU) and predicted body lean angle (calculated as a cyclist when turning) in horses; and (2) to compare circles versus straight lines ridden versus in-hand and trot with canter, and investigate the influence of age, rein and ridden work quality in trot (Fédération Equestre Internationale grading scale 1-10) in horses. Thirteen non-lame horses were assessed prospectively in a non-random, cross-sectional survey...
Affolter VK.Chronic progressive lymphedema is a disorder of many draft horse breeds that presents with progressive swelling of the distal portions of the legs. This is associated with scaling, marked dermal fibrosis, and the development of skin folds and nodules. There seems to be a genetic predisposition to altered elastin metabolism and impaired function of the lymphatic system in the distal extremities. Management is palliative and involves keeping the feathers clipped short, treating secondary infections, daily exercise and skin care, hydrotherapy, manual lymph drainage and compression bandaging.
Rollinson EA, White G.Compound BW759 (9-[2-hydroxy-1-(hydroxymethyl)ethoxymethyl]guanine) was shown to be about 230 times more active than acyclovir (9-[2-hydroxyethoxymethyl]guanine) (ACV) against Equid herpesvirus type 1 infection in Syrian hamsters and was more effective against Aujeszky's disease in mice. The therapeutic superiority of BW759 over ACV was greater than expected from quantitative inhibitory results in tissue culture with these viruses. When administered to hamsters at dose rates sufficient to prevent any Equid herpesvirus type 1-induced mortality (100 mg of ACV per kg per day; 3 mg of BW759 per kg...
Peroni JF, Moore JN, Noschka E, Grafton ME, Aceves-Avila M, Lewis SJ, Robertson TP.Equine laminitis is a crippling condition associated with a variety of systemic diseases. Although it is apparent that the prodromal stages of laminitis involve microvascular dysfunction, little is known regarding the physiology of this vasculature. The aim of the present study was to determine the relative responses of equine laminar arteries and veins to the vasoconstrictor agonists phenylephrine (1 nM-10 microM), 5-HT (1 nM-10 microM), PGF2alpha (1 nM-100 microM), and endothelin-1 (1 pM-1 microM). We have determined that laminar veins were more sensitive, with respect to the concentration o...
Richard EA, Pitel PH, Christmann U, Lekeux P, Fortier G, Pronost S.Surfactant protein D (SP-D), mainly synthesised by alveolar type II cells and nonciliated bronchiolar cells, is one important component of innate pulmonary immunity. In man, circulating concentrations of SP-D are routinely used as biomarkers for pulmonary injury. To date, serum SP-D levels have only been investigated in horses in an experimental model of bacterial airway infection. Objective: To compare serum SP-D concentrations at rest and after exercise in horses with and without inflammatory airway disease (IAD). Methods: Venous blood samples were collected from 42 Standardbred racehorses a...
Hodgson DR, Rose RJ, Kelso TB, McCutcheon LJ, Bayly WM, Gollnick PD.Thoroughbred horses were exercised to fatigue on a treadmill at 62% and 100% of their VO2max. Hypoxemia occurred at the onset of exercise under both exercise conditions. This hypoxemia persisted to fatigue during the heavy exercise but progressively diminished as the exercise continued and had disappeared by the end of exercise at the lighter load. As a result of the hypoxemia the oxygen content of arterial blood during exercise at VO2max was 17% below its carrying capacity. However, under both experimental conditions the CaO2 still exceeded that of rest owing to an elevation in hemoglobin con...
Brocklehurst C, Weller R, Pfau T.Turning is commonly used as a diagnostic aid in equine lameness examinations. Forces experienced on the circle differ from those in a straight line, necessitating an inward lean of the body and asymmetric head/pelvic excursion, which are important parameters for lameness investigations. To better understand gait adaptations to lungeing in normal horses, the effect of turn direction on body lean in trot and in canter warrants further investigation. In this study, it was hypothesised that, on average and independent of gait, the observed body lean angle would be consistent with the ratio between...
Firshman AM, Valberg SJ, Bender JB, Finno CJ.To characterize onset and clinical signs of polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) in a well-defined population of affected Quarter Horses, identify risk factors for PSSM, determine compliance of owners to dietary and exercise recommendations, and evaluate the efficacy of dietary and exercise recommendations. Methods: 40 Quarter Horses with PSSM and 37 unaffected control horses. Methods: Owners of horses with PSSM completed a retrospective questionnaire concerning their horse's condition. Results: Between horses with PSSM and control horses, no significant differences were found in sex distrib...
Homnick DN, Henning KM, Swain CV, Homnick TD.Falls are an important cause of morbidity in older adults. Equine-assisted activities including therapeutic riding (TR) benefit balance and neuromuscular control in patients with neurological disabilities but have not been systematically studied in older adults at greater risk for falls due to balance deficits. The effect of an 8-week TR program on measures of balance and quality of life in community-dwelling older adults with established balance deficits was evaluated. Methods: This was a pretest-post-test single-group trial of a TR program on measures of balance and quality of life. Methods:...
van Loon G, Fonteyne W, Rottiers H, Tavernier R, Deprez P.A five-year-old gelding suffered syncope at the end of a period of exercise. A 24-hour electrocardiogram recording revealed intermittent pauses in the sinus rhythm of up to 10 seconds, indicating sinus node disease; the pauses occurred repeatedly, particularly after exercise. A dual-chamber, rate-adaptive pacemaker was successfully implanted, which prevented excessive postexercise bradycardia and syncope, and allowed the horse to return to work.
Smith RK, Goodship AE.Horses as equine athletes must be conditioned and trained to optimize the whole animal for the particular type of athletic activity. An extremely high proportion of all injuries in the equine athlete in general, and in the racehorse in particular, are associated with the skeletal system, many of which are believed to arise from a mismatch between the prevailing exercise levels and adaptation. To maximize performance, yet minimize injury, it is important to understand and apply the principles of functional adaptation of the component tissues of the skeletal system (bone, cartilage, tendons, and...
Jones JH, Taylor CR, Lindholm A, Straub R, Longworth KE, Karas RH.This study assessed the degree to which correcting blood gas measurements to rectal temperature (Tre) rather than to the temperatures at which gas exchange occurs [pulmonary arterial (Tpa) or intramuscular (Tm)] introduces errors into blood gas analysis of exercising mammals. Horses and steers weighing 450 kg were run on a treadmill at speeds up to those eliciting maximal rates of O2 consumption (VO2max), and temperatures were measured in various body compartments. In both species Tpa rose faster than Tre during the run, the degree of dissociation being a function of exercise intensity and dur...
Freestone JF, Carlson GR.Case records of horses with muscle disorders presenting to the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital of the University of California, Davis, over a nine year period were evaluated. The objectives of the review were to identify the common myogenic muscle problems and their clinical features. Muscle disease of idiopathic aetiology following exercise was by far the most common condition noted. Other causes of myogenic muscle disorders included congenital, infectious, immune-mediated and nutritional factors.
Bergero D, Assenza A, Schiavone A, Piccione G, Perona G, Caola G.The aim of this work was to evaluate the changes in the concentrations, after two rides different for distance covered, of different amino acids in endurance horses. Blood samples have been collected from horses just before the start, at the top of a steep slope (819 m difference in height) and just at the end of a 32-km endurance ride. A second group, competing in a 72 km endurance ride, has also been sampled immediately before and after the race. In serum samples, the concentrations of alanine, arginine, asparagine, glycine, isoleucine, histidine, leucine, lysine, methionine, ornithine, phen...
Elmeua González M, Šarabon N.Equestrian sports have been a source of numerous studies throughout the past two decades, however, few scientists have focused on the biomechanical effects, including muscle activation, that the horse has on the rider. Because equitation is a sport of two (the horse-human dyad), we believe there is a need to fill in the knowledge gap in human biomechanics during riding. To investigate the differences between novice and advanced riders at a neuromuscular level we characterized the motor output of a set of riders' key muscles during horse riding. Six recreational riders (24 ± 7 years) and nine ...
Freestone JF, Wolfsheimer KJ, Kamerling SG, Church G, Hamra J, Bagwell C.Nine Thoroughbred horses were assessed to determine the normal response of insulin, glucose, cortisol, plasma potassium (K) and erythrocyte K through conditioning and to exercise over 400 and 1,000 m. In addition, adrenaline, noradrenaline, cortisol, plasma K, erythrocyte K and L-lactate concentrations were evaluated in response to maximal exercise with and without the administration of acepromazine. Conditioning caused no obvious trends in plasma K, erythrocyte K, insulin or glucose concentration. Serum cortisol increased (P less than 0.05) from the initial sample at Week 1 to Weeks 4 and 5 (...
Chanda M, Srikuea R, Cherdchutam W, Chairoungdua A, Piyachaturawat P.The match play patterns in equestrian polo are unique and require specific training programs to ensure sport performance. The effect of commonly used exercise training regimens on the adaptation of skeletal muscle is unclear. The present study investigated the modulating effects of the classic training regimen, comprised of aerobic exercise training with increasing exercise intensities and varying duration combined with match play, on the properties of muscle in polo ponies. Nine healthy adult female polo ponies were subjected to four consecutive subsets of 1 year classic training regimen incl...
Lee HG, Choi JY, Park JW, Park TS, Song KD, Shin D, Cho BW.To examine the regulatory effects of exercise on myokine expression in horse skeletal muscle cells, we compared the expression of several myokine genes (interleukin 6 [IL-6], IL-8, chemokine [C-X-C motif] ligand 2 [CXCL2], and chemokine [C-C motif] ligand 4 [CCL4]) after a single bout of exercise in horses. Furthermore, to establish in vitro systems for the validation of exercise effects, we cultured horse skeletal muscle cells and confirmed the expression of these genes after treatment with hydrogen peroxide. Methods: The mRNA expression of IL-6, IL-8, CXCL2, and CCL4 after exercise in skelet...
