Omneity® Pellets
All-In-One Vitamin & Mineral Pellet
Topic:Fitness
Fitness in horses refers to the physical condition and performance capability of equines, influenced by factors such as exercise, nutrition, and overall health management. It encompasses a range of physiological attributes, including cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, and metabolic efficiency. Evaluating equine fitness involves assessing parameters such as heart rate, respiratory rate, and recovery times post-exercise. These metrics are used to tailor training regimens and optimize performance for various equestrian disciplines. This page gathers peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the assessment, enhancement, and impact of fitness on equine performance and well-being.
Effects of training on resting and postexercise ECG in standardbred horses, using a standardized exercise test. Five healthy, mature, previously trained Standardbred horses were given no exercise (left in a stall) for 4 months, then jogged (slow exercise) for 3 weeks, and placed in a 6-week training period. Cardiac variables were measured at the beginning of training and after 14, 20, 35, and 42 days of training before and at 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 minutes after a 1.8-km (in 3:12 +/- 2 seconds) standard, submaximal exercise test on a deep 0.53-km track. There was no significant change during the 6-week conditioning period in the following variables at rest or at any of the times observed during recovery...
Percutaneous needle muscle biopsy in the horse. The use of the technique of percutaneous needle biopsy in obtaining skeletal muscle samples in the horse is described. The biochemical, ultrastructural and histochemical investigations that can be carried out on this biopsy specimen are outlined. Analyses performed on the specimen may be used to obtain information on racing potential and state of fitness. These studies on normal horses will provide information for future investigations into the structural and biochemical alterations in muscle disorders in the equine.
Effects of training on biochemical values in standardbred horses. Effects of training at a regular, fixed, standard exercise load on venous lactic acid, mixed venous and arterial blood gases and pH, and serum muscle enzymes were determined on previously unconditioned, healthy, adult, Standardbred horses. Arterial and mixed venous blood gases, pH, and serum muscle enzymes did not change in a consistent manner during training. Venous lactic acid concentrations did increase significantly with training and may be of value for the biochemical evaluation of fitness in horses.
The influence of exercise on serum enzyme levels in the horse. A group of clinically normal horses was subjected to controlled strenuous exercise. Elevated serum concentrations of lactic dehydrogenase, aldolase and creatine kinase were observed after exercise but no significant change in serum glutamic-oxalacetic transaminase was noted. These changes were reduced by repeated exposure to exercise suggesting that measurement of serum enzyme elevations, particularly creatine kinase, might be a useful index of fitness in the horse. Administration of prednisolone prior to exercise also reduced these changes. Since the serum enzyme concentrations had returned t...
