Horse training involves the systematic process of teaching horses specific behaviors and skills to enhance their performance and manageability. This process encompasses a variety of techniques and methods tailored to the individual horse's temperament, age, and intended use, such as riding, racing, or working. Training regimens aim to develop desired traits such as obedience, agility, and endurance while ensuring the horse's physical and mental well-being. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore various aspects of horse training, including methodologies, behavioral outcomes, and the impact on equine welfare and performance.
Arai T, Takahashi M, Araki K, Washizu T.The activities of the enzymes related to the malate-aspartate shuttle, which convert cytosolic NADH into mitochondrial NADH, were measured in red and white blood cells from thoroughbred horses undergoing continuous training (race horses) and compared with those in blood cells from riding horses. The activities of malate dehydrogenase (MDH), a rate-limiting enzyme for the malate-aspartate shuttle, were significantly elevated in the white blood cells (WBC) from race horses compared with those from riding horses. There were no significant differences in the activities of the enzymes in the red bl...
Hernandez J, Hawkins DL.To compare financial returns between pinhooked yearling horses (ie, bought and trained for approximately 5 months with the goal of selling the horse at "2-year-olds in training" sales) that had mild or severe training failure and horses that had planned versus nonplanned training failure. Methods: 40 Thoroughbred pinhooked yearling horses. Methods: During the period from September 1998 through and April 1999, 20 horses had mild training failure (1 to 11 days lost), and 20 horses had severe training failure (13 to 108 days lost). Horses were assigned to these 2 groups on the basis of frequency ...
Robert C, Valette JP, Denoix JM.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of speed and slope on the activity of trunk muscles. The electromyographic (EMG) activity of the splenius (Sp), longissimus dorsi (LD) and rectus abdominis (RA) muscles was recorded with surface electrodes during treadmill locomotion at trot for different combinations of speed (3.5 to 6 m/s) and slope (0 to 6%). Raw EMG signals were processed to determine activity duration, onset and end and integrated EMG (IEMG). For the 3 muscles investigated, onset and end of activity were obtained earlier in the stride cycle when speed increased. A long...
Davenport CL, Tulleners EP, Parente EJ.To investigate the effects of recurrent laryngeal neurectomy (RLN) in combination with laryngoplasty and ventriculocordectomy on the postoperative performance of Thoroughbred racehorses treated for grade III left laryngeal hemiparesis (LLH). Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: Fifty-five Thoroughbred racehorses. Methods: Medical records for Thoroughbred racehorses treated surgically by laryngoplasty and laser ventriculocordectomy with or without RLN between June 1993 and December 1996 were reviewed. Outcome was evaluated subjectively by assessment of performance obtained from telephone inte...
Hillyer MH, Taylor FG, French NP.The aim of this study was to estimate the incidence of colic in horses in Thoroughbred training premises in 1997 in the British Isles. The seasonal pattern and outcome of colic episodes were also investigated, together with any association between premises level variables and colic. Data were collected by a postal questionnaire. The results showed a colic incidence density of 7.19/100 horse years (s.e. 0.42) and a cumulative incidence of colic of 5.80% (s.e. 0.30). Premises were grouped according to whether they had more Flat than National Hunt horses (Flat premises) or more National Hunt than...
Funkquist P, Sandhagen B, Persson SG, Hedenstierna G, Essén-Gustavsson B, Nyman G.Five Standardbred trotters with red cell hypervolaemia (RCHV) were compared before and after removal of approximately 22% (36 ml/kg bwt) of the total blood volume in order to evaluate the haemodynamic responses, haemorheological alterations and oxygen transport during exercise to fatigue. Data were recorded during submaximal exercise at 4 different speeds on a treadmill and then during continued running at the highest speed step until fatigue. Oxygen uptake (VO2), pulmonary artery pressure (PAP), systemic artery pressure (SAP), heart rate (HR), haematocrit and haemoglobin concentrations (Hb) w...
McBride SD, Long L.A telephone survey was conducted of 100 racing stables, 100 riding schools and 100 competition establishments (8,427 horses in total) to determine what management practices were being applied to horses showing stereotypic behaviour, and to determine the underlying reasons for them by assessing the perceptions and opinions of the people working with the horses. The results indicated that horse owners are concerned about stereotypic behaviour, first, because it reduces the performance of the animal (31, 30 and 27 per cent of the owners of racing stables, riding schools and competition establishm...
Brama PA, Bank RA, Tekoppele JM, Van Weeren PR.Subchondral bone provides structural support to the overlying articular cartilage and plays an important role in osteochondral diseases. There is growing insight that the mechanical features of bone are related to the biochemistry of the collagen network. In this study the effect of exercise on water, calcium and the collagen network (total collagen, lysyl-hydroxylation, hydroxylysylpyridinoline, and lysylpyridinoline crosslinks) of subchondral bone at two differently loaded sites (site 1: intermittently loaded; site 2: constantly loaded) is investigated in foals. Exercise influenced calcium c...
Väihkönen LK, Heinonen OJ, Hyyppä S, Nieminen M, Pösö AR.In red blood cells (RBC) of horses, both lactate-transport activity and lactate accumulation during races vary interindividually. To study whether similar variation in lactate transport is apparent also in RBCs of other racing species, blood samples were collected from 21 reindeer, 40 horses, 31 humans, and 38 dogs. Total lactate-transport activity was measured at 10 and 30 mM concentrations, and the roles of the monocarboxylate-transporter (MCT) and the inorganic anion-exchange transporter (band-3 protein) were studied with inhibitors. In the reindeer and in one-third of the horses, lactate t...
Queiroz-Neto A, Zamur G, Carregaro AB, Mataqueiro MI, Salvadori MC, Azevedo CP, Harkins JD, Tobin T.Caffeine is the legal stimulant consumed most extensively by the human world population and may be found eventually in the urine and/or blood of race horses. The fact that caffeine is in foods led us to determine the highest no-effect dose (HNED) of caffeine on the spontaneous locomotor activity of horses and then to quantify this substance in urine until it disappeared. We built two behavioural stalls equipped with juxtaposed photoelectric sensors that emit infrared beams that divide the stall into nine sectors in a 'tic-tac-toe' fashion. Each time a beam was interrupted by a leg of the horse...
Goetz TE, Manohar M, Hassan AS, Baker GJ.The present study was carried out to examine whether nasal strip application would improve the exercise-induced arterial hypoxemia and hypercapnia, diminish anaerobic metabolism, and modify the incidence of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) in horses. Two sets of experiments, control and nasal strip experiments, were carried out on seven healthy, sound, exercise-trained Thoroughbred horses in random order, 7 days apart. Simultaneous measurements of core temperature, arterial and mixed venous blood gases/pH, and blood lactate and ammonia concentrations were made at rest, during subma...
Raidal SL, Rose RJ, Love DN.In this study, the effects of prolonged, high intensity training on aspects of peripheral blood and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL)-derived leucocyte function were evaluated in 8 horses. All horses undertook a 7 week endurance training programme, followed by 5 weeks of high intensity training (HIT). Thereafter, horses were divided into control (C) and overtraining (OT) groups. The frequency and intensity of training were increased more substantially for horses in the OT group. Training was terminated in week 32 when horses in the OT group demonstrated a significant performance reduction. Peripher...
Suwannachot P, Verkleij CB, Kocsis S, van Weeren PR, Evertst ME.The purpose of the present study was to determine whether training and detraining affect the Na+,K+-ATPase concentration in horse skeletal muscles, and whether these effects are specific for the muscles involved in the training programme. Twenty-four Dutch Warmblood foals age 7 days were assigned randomly to 3 groups: Box (box-rest without training), Training (box-rest with training: short-sprint) and Pasture (pasture without training). Exercise regimens were carried out for 5 months and were followed by 6 months of detraining. Five of the foals in each group were subjected to euthanasia at ag...
Hill AE, Stover SM, Gardner IA, Kane AJ, Whitcomb MB, Emerson AG.To evaluate effects of toe grabs, exercise intensity, and distance traveled as risk factors for subclinical to mild suspensory apparatus injury (SMSAI) in Thoroughbred racehorses and to compare incidence of severe musculoskeletal injury (MSI) in horses with and without SMSAI. Methods: Nested case-control study. Methods: 219 Thoroughbred racehorses racing or in race training. Methods: Racehorses were examined weekly for 90 days to determine incidence of suspensory ligament injury and monitor horseshoe characteristics. Every horse's exercise speeds and distances were recorded daily. Conditional ...
Odberg FO, Bouissou MF.Many saddle horses are slaughtered at a young age which could be indicative of a welfare problem. Bad riding is probably an underestimated source of poor welfare. Widespread knowledge of 'academic' riding should be encouraged and should be beneficial to all horses, at all schooling levels, for all purposes. In particular, 18th century principles tend to be forgotten and in this article the authors illustrate some differences to modern dressage. Various suggestions are made in order to improve welfare.
Goodwin D.Domestication has provided the horse with food, shelter, veterinary care and protection, allowing individuals an increased chance of survival. However, the restriction of movement, limited breeding opportunities and a requirement to expend energy, for the benefit of another species, conflict with the evolutionary processes which shaped the behaviour of its predecessors. The behaviour of the horse is defined by its niche as a social prey species but many of the traits which ensured the survival of its ancestors are difficult to accommodate in the domestic environment. There has been a long asso...
Korhonen PA, Lilius EM, Hyyppä S, Räsänen LA, Pösö AR.Six trained Standardbred trotters exercised on a racetrack on 2 days with a 3-day interval. On both exercise days the horses trotted three different exercise bouts with increasing intensity with 60-min intervals. Exercise-induced stress was manifested as leucocytosis, an increase in the neutrophil:lymphocyte (N:L) ratio, and increased capacity to produce reactive oxygen species in the peripheral blood as indicated by an increase in whole blood chemiluminescence. The leucocytosis was mainly due to neutrophilia, which lasted for 6 h. Production of reactive oxygen species per single neutrophil sh...
Christley RM, Hodgson DR, Rose RJ, Hodgson JL, Wood JL, Reid SW.A matched case-control study was made of 100 thoroughbred horses which were coughing and 148 control horses which were free of clinical signs of respiratory tract disease. The variables identified by multivariable conditional logistic regression as being significantly associated with coughing included age (the risk decreased with age), the stage of training (horses in early training were at greatest risk), the time since the last race (horses that had never raced were at greatest risk) and the time since they were last transported (horses transported more than 14 days previously were more like...
Elsaesser F, Klobasa F, Ellendorff F.Previous work (Marc et al., 2000) suggested that plasma cortisol responses to treadmill exercise or ACTH injection are a reliable marker for performance evaluation in warmblood horses. For practical purposes blood sample collections and treadmill exercise tests are somewhat troublesome and time consuming. The goal of this study was thus to evaluate the use of saliva for cortisol determination (by direct EIA) as a marker for performance and to investigate the reliability and repeatability of plasma cortisol responses to a single i.v. injection of ACTH (50 micrograms or 250 micrograms). Furtherm...
Axelsson M, Björnsdottir S, Eksell P, Häggström J, Sigurdsson H, Carlsten J.The aim of this study was to evaluate potential risk factors associated with hindlimb lameness and radiographic signs of degenerative joint disease (DJD) in the distal tarsus in Icelandic horses. The material consisted of riding horses (n = 420) age 6-12 years sired by 17 selected sires representing all major breeding lines, and of riding horses (n = 194) in the same age range sired by other sires. The examination protocol included the following: interview with owners/trainers, assessment of conformation, motion evaluation and radiographic examination. At the interview, data related to factors...
Brama PA, Karssenberg D, Barneveld A, van Weeren PR.The objective of this study was to map topographically contact areas and pressure distributions on the proximal articular surface (PAS) of the proximal phalanx (PI) under various clinically relevant loading conditions. Left and right forelimbs of 13 mature horses were transected halfway down the radius and loaded in a position mimicking the weightbearing attitude close to the midstance phase. Five loads were used which corresponded with loads that can be expected in different gaits or during athletic performance (stance: 1800 N, walk: 3600 N, trot: 5400 N, gallop: 10,500 N and jumping: 12,000 ...
Judy CE, Galuppo LD, Snyder JR, Willits NH.To develop an objective, accurate method for quantifying forelimb ground reaction forces in horses by adapting a human in-shoe pressure measurement system and determine the reliability of the system for shod and unshod horses. Methods: 6 adult Thoroughbreds. Methods: Horses were instrumented with a human in-shoe pressure measurement system and evaluated at a trot (3 m/s) on a motorized treadmill. Maximum force, stance time, and peak contact area were evaluated for shod and unshod horses. Three trials were performed for shod and unshod horses, and differences in the measured values were examine...
Santschi EM, Slone DE, Embertson RM, Clayton MK, Markel MD.The purpose of our study was to determine the types of lesions that cause colic in juvenile Thoroughbreds, factors associated with these lesions and the subsequent survival and athletic performance of the juveniles. The age of juvenile Thoroughbreds requiring surgical exploration for abdominal pain has an influence on the type of lesion causing colic. The short-term survival rate (discharge from the hospital) after colic surgery for foals was 85% and was strongly influenced by the lesion causing colic. Thirteen percent of juveniles recovered from the first surgery experienced another severe co...
Serrano AL, Quiroz-Rothe E, Rivero JL.Twenty-four 4-year-old Andalusian (Spanish breed) stallions were used to examine the plasticity of myosin heavy chain (MHC) phenotype and the metabolic profile in horse skeletal muscle with long-term endurance-exercise training and detraining. Sixteen horses underwent a training programme based on aerobic exercises for 8 months. Afterwards, they were kept in paddocks for 3 months. The remaining eight horses were used as controls. Three gluteus medius muscle biopsy samples were removed at depths of 20, 40 and 60 mm from each horse before (month 0), during (month 3) and after (month 8) training,...
White A, Estrada M, Walker K, Wisnia P, Filgueira G, Valdés F, Araneda O, Behn C, Martínez R.During exercise, the oxygen consumption and the production of free radicals increase and can lead to oxidative stress with a deleterious effect on cellular structures involved in physical activity. To evaluate the oxidative stress produced by exercise and the role of ascorbate as an antioxidant, venous blood samples were obtained from 44 thoroughbred racehorses, before and after a 1000+/-200-m race at maximum velocity. Fourteen of these horses were treated intravenously with 5 g of ascorbate before running. Antioxidant capacity (PAOC), endogenous and exogenous ascorbate concentration, total an...
Mizobe F, Nomura M, Kato T, Nambo Y, Yamada K.Problems associated with the proximal metacarpal region, such as an osseous injury associated with tearing of Sharpey's fibers or an avulsion fracture of the origin of the suspensory ligament (OISL), are important causes of lameness in racehorses. In the present study, four Thoroughbred racehorses (age range, 2-4 years) were diagnosed as having forelimb OISL and assessed over time by using standing magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI). At the first sMRI examination, all horses had 3 characteristic findings, including low signal intensity within the trabecular bone of the third metacarpus on T1-we...
McDonough P, Kindig CA, Ramsel C, Poole DC, Erickson HH.In healthy man, conditions that change muscle O2 delivery affect the achievable maximum rate of O2 uptake as well as the metabolic (e.g. lactate threshold, LT) and gas exchange (e.g. gas exchange threshold, Tge) responses to incremental exercise. Inclined (I) compared to level (L) running increases locomotory muscle EMG at a given speed in the horse, indicative of elevated metabolic demand. To our knowledge, the effect of treadmill incline on VO2,max, LT and Tge has not been addressed in the exercising quadruped. We used blood sampling and breath-by-breath expired gas analysis to test the hypo...
Davern AJ, Peloso JG, Hawkins JF, Moore GE, Morehead JP.OBJECTIVE To evaluate 2- and 3-year-old and career race performance of Thoroughbred racehorse prospects with and without osteochondral fragmentation of the accessory carpal bone (ACB) identified on yearling presale radiographs. DESIGN Retrospective, matched cohort study. ANIMALS 47 nonlame Thoroughbreds with (exposed cohort) and 94 nonlame Thoroughbreds without (unexposed cohort) osteochondral fragmentation of ACB facture identified on yearling sales repository radiographs. PROCEDURES Repository radiographic interpretation reports for September yearling sales of a large Kentucky auction house ...
Hall C, Liley C, Murphy J, Crundall D.Individuals develop visual skills whilst participating in sport. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of reported riding expertise on the recall of visual information relating to show-jumps. Relevant (F1) and irrelevant (F2) points of focus were identified in 22 photographs of show-jumps. Participants were students (n=40) with varying levels of horse-riding ability. After viewing each photograph for 4s, the task was to identify F1s or F2s from four alternatives viewed for 10s. F1s were recalled significantly more than F2s (P<0.001). Riding expertise did not affect overall recall but ...
Karatt TK, Sathiq MA, Laya S, Karakka Kal AK, Subhahar MB, M P MA, Philip M, Graiban FM, Caveney MR.Since 2010, there has been an increasing number of adverse analytical findings related to selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) in competitive sports. It emphasizes the importance of comprehensive doping control analytical procedures that are capable of detecting SARM misuse. Methods: In this study, it is described how LY2452473, a SARM, was metabolized in thoroughbred horses after a single-dose oral administration and in vitro with equine liver microsome preparations. An investigation of the metabolism of LY2452473 in horses' urine, plasma, and hair matrices was carried out during th...
Walker AM, Martin A, Pfau T, Sparkes EL, Wilson AM, Witte TH.Race jockey training is demanding and technical. Increased horse care costs and demands on time have led to greater availability and use of racehorse simulators during training. Little is known about the accuracy of the simulated movement and therefore how effective they are for developing the desired technique. We quantified and compared sacral rotation and displacement vectors for a racehorse simulator and a real galloping horse. A single inertial measurement unit was placed on the sacrum of six horses (horse) during a training gallop along an all-weather seven furlong gallop and on the high...
Misumi K, Hirakawa A, Sakamoto H, Shimizu R.To investigate whether the running exercise fitness of individual horses could be assessed by a standardized swimming exercise test, the results of multivariate analysis of the exercise parameters measured during incremental running and swimming tests were compared. Ten thoroughbred horses were subjected to different types of exercise tests on a track or in a pool, and the maximum heart rate during and the blood lactate concentration immediately after the exercise were examined. Serial exercise parameters (VLA2, VLA4, LA0, V150, V200, HRS, HRLA2, HRLA4) referred to as the indices related to th...
Stack A, Derksen FJ, Sordillo LM, Williams KJ, Stick JA, Brandenberger C, Steibel JP, Robinson NE.To determine the effects of 2 weeks of intense exercise on expression of markers of pulmonary venous remodeling in the caudodorsal and cranioventral regions of the lungs of horses. Methods: 6 horses. Methods: Tissue samples of the caudodorsal and cranioventral regions of lungs were obtained before and after conditioning and 2 weeks of intense exercise. Pulmonary veins were isolated, and a quantitative real-time PCR assay was used to determine mRNA expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 and -2, collagen type I, tenascin-C, endothelin-1, platelet...
Matlina ESh, Bobylev IF, Skorupski K, Pukhova GS.The content of adrenaline, noradrenaline, ACTH, cortisol and insulin in the blood and excretion of catecholamines with urine were studied in horses after physical and emotional exposures. The highest degree of the sympathoadrenal system (SAS) and hypophysioadrenal system (HAS) activation followed by the insulin content decrease was observed after training. The known emotional exposure (the noise of hyppodrome) astivated both parts of SAS and HAS. The unknown emotional experience (electronic music) produced a strong adrenal medullar reaction. Analysis of the correlations showed that the initial...
Gross DK, Stover SM, Hill AE, Gardner IA.To describe forelimb horseshoe characteristics of horses racing on dirt surfaces and determine whether these characteristics vary with region of California, season, horse characteristics, and race-related factors. Methods: 5,730 Thoroughbred racehorses. Methods: From June 17, 2000, to June 16, 2001, the characteristics of 1 forelimb horseshoe of horses that raced on dirt surfaces at 5 major racetracks in California were recorded. These characteristics included shoe type; toe grab height; and presence of a rim, pad, and heel traction devices (jar caulks, heel stickers, heel blocks, and special ...
Soma LR, Uboh CE, Rudy J, Fegely J.The effects of the intravenous (i.v.) administration of 1.1 mg/kg of flunixin meglumine on thromboxane B2 (TxB2) concentrations were studied in sedentary and 2-year-old horses in training. The baseline TxB2 serum concentrations generated during clotting were 2.89 +/- 0.81, 2.19 +/- 0.25 and 0.88 +/- 0.12 ng/ml for the 2-year-old Thoroughbreds in training, sedentary horses under 10 and over 10 years old, respectively. There was a significant difference in baseline TxB2 concentrations between older and younger horses (P less than 0.005). Significant reduction in TxB2 production from baseline wer...
Taylor P, Scarth JP, Hillyer LL.Within equine drug surveillance, there is significant interest in analyzing intact phase II conjugates of drugs in urine, but progress has been limited by a lack of reference material. Methods: In this study, in vitro techniques using equine liver fractions were employed to produce glucuronide and sulfate conjugates of stanozolol, 16β-hydroxystanozolol and nandrolone, the glucuronide conjugate of morphine and the glutathione metabolite of chlordinitrobenzene for the first time in equine sports drug surveillance. Results: The glucuronide conjugate of the synthetic progestagen altrenogest was a...
Ross MW, Martin BB.Seven Standardbred horses, all pacers, with a mean age of 2.9 years (range, 2 to 4 years), had dorsomedial articular fracture of the proximal aspect of the third metacarpal bone. Fracture caused acute, unilateral, severe lameness after training or racing. Lameness was abolished by midcarpal joint anesthesia in 4 horses. Six horses had a palpable bony swelling, which caused signs of pain. Radiography revealed a nondisplaced, articular, oblique fracture extending distad toward the dorsomedial cortex for a mean distance of 28 mm (range, 15 to 40 mm). In all horses, chronic periosteal proliferativ...
Takahashi Y, Takahashi T, Mukai K, Ebisuda Y, Ohmura H.Given that Thoroughbred horses' canter is an asymmetric gait, not only speed but also leading or trailing limbs could affect muscle activities. However, the muscle activity during a canter remains poorly understood. Hence, we aimed to investigate speed and lead-side (leading or trailing) effects on surface electromyography (sEMG) during a canter. The sEMG data were recorded from left Musculus brachiocephalicus (Br), M. infraspinatus (Inf), long head of M. triceps brachii (TB), M. gluteus medius (GM), M. semitendinosus (ST), and M. flexor digitorum longus of seven Thoroughbreds with hoof-strain...
Jean D, Picandet V, Céleste C, Macieira S, Cesarini C, Morisset S, Rossier Y, Marcoux M.This retrospective study evaluated the efficacy and side effects of palatal sclerotherapy in standardbred racehorses suspected to have intermittent dorsal displacement of the soft palate (IDDSP). Fifty-one horses were treated with multiple endoscopically guided injections of 3% sodium tetradecyl sulfate in the soft palate. Two groups were identified: those that had respiratory noises during exercise (n = 27) and those that did not (n = 24). Treatment was well-tolerated. Furthermore, horses significantly reduced their racing times for the last 400 m compared with their times before treatment an...
Caron JP, Peters TL, Hauptman JG, Eberhart SW, Orth MW.To determine the effects of orally administered glucosamine on concentrations of markers of bone and cartilage metabolism in Standardbred horses during race training. Methods: Twenty 16- to 20-month-old Standardbreds beginning race training. Methods: Horses were randomly assigned to 2 groups. One group received glucosamine hydrochloride (4 g, PO, q 12 h), and the second (control) group received glucose (4 g, PO, q 12 h). Serum samples were obtained prior to onset of the study (baseline) and at regular intervals for 48 weeks for determination of concentrations of keratan sulfate (KS), osteocalc...
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...
Crawford WH, Leach DH.A survey of a western Canadian racetrack determined the superelevation and transition curves to be less than the cited design standards. High-speed cinematography was used to film seven Standardbred pacers as they proceeded around one curve of the track at racing speed and for each horse 19 temporal stride parameters were obtained from these films using a film analyzer system. Average velocities were calculated and the mean stride length was found to vary from 5.08 m to 5.77 m. In all frames analyzed the hind foot was observed to contact the track surface prior to the ipsilateral forefoot and ...
Guhl A, Lindner A, von Wittke P.Eight thoroughbred horses, trained for racing competition, were subjected to a standardised incremental speed test to determine the relationship between their blood lactate concentrations and running speed. Between 14 days before and 14 days after completing the standardised exercise test, the horses were timed for runs of 2000 to 6000 m. The blood lactate concentration after each run was measured and compared with the blood lactate concentration predicted from the individual horse's blood lactate-running speed relationship curve determined from the standardised exercise test. The relationship...
Lloyd DR, Evans DL, Hodgson DR, Suann CJ, Rose RJ.We examined the effects of sodium bicarbonate in 6 Thoroughbred horses during submaximal and maximal treadmill exercise. Cardiorespiratory function was assessed together with the effect on exercise capacity by determining the run time to fatigue at maximal intensities. To discriminate between sodium bicarbonate's alkalinising effects and the fluid shifts that could result from the high osmotic load, we administered an equimolar solution of sodium chloride as a control. The horses were given sodium bicarbonate (1 g/kg bwt) or an equivalent number of moles of sodium chloride by nasogastric tube....
Stewart GA, Fulton LJ, McKellar CD.Atrial fibrillation is described in a champion pacer which earlier had been named Australian Harness Horse of the Year as a 3-year-old in 1986-87. Prior to conversion atrial fibrillation had been present for at least 6 weeks, during which the horse had not raced. Successful treatment was achieved with two 10g doses of quinidine sulphate per oesophageal tube, after slow digitalisation with intravenous digoxin over 4d. Four hours after commencement of quinidine therapy the arrhythmia had regressed to atrial flutter and converted to sinus rhythm 10 min later. Considering his age, standard of raci...
Littlejohn A, Bowles F.Radiometer Blood Micro-system 2 was used in studies designed to, (a) compare the mean blood gas and acid-base values of 38 normal horses and 20 horses with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), (b) determine the means and standard deviations of blood gas and acid-base values of Thoroughbred horses in training, and (c) investigate the relationships between clinical data, blood gas values, intracardiac and pulmonary arterial pressures in subjects with COPD. There were significant differences between the mean values for partial pressure of arterial oxygen (PaO2), arterial carbon dioxide (...
Hill AE, Carpenter TE, Gardner IA, Stover SM.To evaluate a Markov-chain model for the development of forelimb injuries in Thoroughbreds and to use the model to determine effects of reducing sprint distance on incidence of metacarpal condylar fracture (CDY) and severe suspensory apparatus injury (SSAI). Methods: Weekly exercise and injury data for 122 Thoroughbreds during racing or training. Methods: Weekly data were used to construct a Markov-chain model with 5 states (uninjured [UNINJ], palpable suspensory apparatus injury [PSAII, SSAI, CDY, and lost to follow-up [LOST]). Transition probabilities between UNINJ and PSAI were estimated as...
Rigby BR, Papadakis Z, Bane AA, Park JK, Grandjean PW.The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of cardiorespiratory and pelvic kinematic responses to simulated horseback riding (SHBR) and to characterize responses to SHBR relative to walking in apparently healthy children. Methods: Fifteen healthy children (M(age) = 9.5 ± 2.6 years) completed SHBR on a commercially available simulator at low intensity (0.27 Hz) and high intensity (0.65 Hz) during 3 sessions on different occasions. Heart rate (HR), blood pressure, and respiratory gases were measured at rest and during steady-state exercise at both intensities. Pelvic displacemen...
Powers P.Sagittal plane SVHS video recordings (50 Hz) were made of horses jumping the wall at an international Puissance competition. Video sequences were manually digitized and six kinematic variables at take-off were analyzed. Nine horses started the competition with the fence height at 1.80 m, and two horses attempted the fence in the fifth and final round with the fence height at 2.27 m. For successful performances, fence height was correlated with the following take-off variables: vertical velocity of the centre of mass (r = 0.45, p = 0.03); height of centre of mass (r = 0.44, p = 0.04); distance ...
Dąbek J, Koczy B, Piotrkowicz J.Horse riding becoming increasingly common and popular form of recreation and leisure activities. However, enforced, proper posture while riding a horse, may contribute to decrease mobility of spine and lead to occurrence back pain. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the systematic training of horse riding on the global mobility of the spine and back pain prevalence in-training horse riders professionally and recreational. Methods: The study included 70 horse riders. The subjects were divided into two groups: 1) professional horse riders (n=50; 71.43%) or 2) a group of...
Legg KA, Bolwell CF, Gee EK, Gibson MJ, Rogers CW.This study aimed to determine the incidence of, and risk factors for race-day horse falls in Thoroughbred jumps (hurdle and steeplechase) racing in New Zealand. Incidence rates for race-day horse falls in jumps races from 2005/6 - 2018/19 racing seasons (n = 13,648 race day starts) were calculated per 1000 starts. Univariable and multivariable analyses of race-, horse- and jockey-level risk factors for horse falls were conducted using Poisson regression in a generalised linear mixed model. The incidence rate of horse falls in jumps races was 42 (95 % confidence intervals [CI], 39 - 45) per 1...
Marqués FJ, Waldner C, Reed S, Autet F, Corbeil L, Campbell J.The primary objective of this study was to investigate whether rider experience influences the assessment and grading of lameness in horses based on under-saddle gait analysis. Thirteen adult sports horses in active training were included in the study. After a baseline lameness and neurologic examination by the principal investigators, horses were videotaped while being ridden by an experienced and a less experienced rider. A 3-minute video was made for each horse and rider and 26 videos were randomly ordered and compiled on a DVD. Veterinarians with different levels of experience in evaluatin...
Weller D, Franklin S, White P, Shea G, Fenner K, Wilson B, Wilkins C, McGreevy P.This article reports on the results of a survey of racehorse trainers (n = 112) outlining the reasons for tongue-tie (TT) and noseband (NB) use by Thoroughbred trainers (TBTs) (n = 72) and Standardbred trainers (SBTs) (n = 40). The study also investigated the reported effectiveness of TTs and possible complications arising from their use. Tongue-tie use was reported by 62.5% (n = 70) of racehorse trainers. The reasons for TT use varied between TBTs and SBTs. For TBTs, the most common reason for TT use was to prevent or reduce airway obstruction (72.3%, n = 34), followed closely by to prevent o...
McKenzie J, Fenner K, Hyde M, Anzulewicz A, Burattini B, Romness N, Wilson B, McGreevy P.It is logical to assume that horses with multiple riders encounter variation in application of training cues. When training cues are inconsistent, we expect to see a decrease in trained responses or an increase in conflict behaviours. This study investigated the relationship between the number of people that regularly ride or handle a horse and the horse's response to operant cues. Data on 1819 equids were obtained from the Equine Behavior Assessment and Research Questionnaire (E-BARQ), an online global survey of horse owners and caregivers. Three mutually independent indices (acceleration, de...
