Treadmill exercise for horses involves the use of a controlled mechanical platform to simulate various gaits and intensities of physical activity. This form of exercise allows for consistent and measurable training conditions, which can be used for rehabilitation, fitness assessment, and performance enhancement. Treadmill exercise facilitates the study of equine locomotion, respiratory function, and cardiovascular response under standardized conditions. It is also utilized in research to evaluate the effects of different training regimens and to investigate metabolic and physiological responses to exercise. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the methodology, applications, and implications of treadmill exercise in equine practice.
Kelmer G, Keegan KG, Kramer J, Wilson DA, Pai FP, Singh P.To characterize compensatory movements of the head and pelvis that resemble lameness in horses. Methods: 17 adult horses. Methods: Kinematic evaluations were performed while horses trotted on a treadmill before and after shoe-induced lameness. Lameness was quantified and the affected limb determined by algorithms that measured asymmetry in vertical movement of the head and pelvis. Induced primary lameness and compensatory movements resembling lameness were assessed by the Friedman test. Association between induced lameness and compensatory movements was examined by regression analysis. Results...
Collinder E, Nyberg F, Sanderson-Nydahl K, Gottlieb-Vedi M, Lindholm A.The opioid neuropeptide haemorphin-7 was measured, by immunoreactivity, in Standardbred horses during low-speed (7 m/s) and high-speed (10 m/s) endurance exercises, lasting 49-58 and 12-16 min respectively. In parallel, heart rate, muscle temperature and plasma lactate concentrations were measured. The profile of the low-speed exercise showed significantly increased heart rate after 10 min [154 beats per minute (bpm)]. After the exercise, muscle temperature (42.1 degrees C) and plasma lactate (4.8 mmol/l) were significantly increased. The profile of the high-speed exercise was comparatively ch...
Davies HM.To confirm that the midshaft dorsal cortex of the third metacarpal bone experienced higher compressive strains during fast exercise than the medial or lateral cortices, and that the strain peak occurred earlier in the hoof-down phase of the stride on the dorsal cortex than the medial or lateral cortices. Methods: Observations of a single horse. Methods: Strains were collected from a single, sound, 3-year-old Thoroughbred mare during treadmill exercise from rosette strain gauges implanted onto the medial, lateral and dorsal surfaces of the midshaft of the right cannon bone, simultaneously with ...
Vervuert I, Coenen M, Watermülder E.This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of oral tryptophan (Trp) supplementation on exercise capacity and metabolic responses in horses. Three horses had to perform an exercise test: a 15-min warm-up followed by a 60-min walk (1.7 m/s, W1), a 10-min trot (3.1 m/s, T1), a second 60-min walk (1.7 m/s, W2), a second 10-min trot (3.1 m/s, T2) and a final 30-min walk (1.7 m/s, W3) until the horses were unwilling to continue. The horses exercised on a treadmill at a 6% incline and with a constant draught load of 40 kg (0.44 kN). Two hours before exercise horses were given 50 g Trp (9.8-10.7...
Vervuert I, Coenen M, Zamhöfer J.This study was conducted to investigate the effects of draught load exercise on calcium (Ca) homeostasis in young horses. Five 2-year-old untrained Standardbred horses were studied in a 4-month training programme. All exercise workouts were performed on a treadmill at a 6% incline and with a constant draught load of 40 kg (0.44 kN). The training programme started with a standardized exercise test (SET 1; six incremental steps of 5 min duration each, first step 1.38 m/s, stepwise increase by 0.56 m/s). A training programme was then initiated which consisted of low-speed exercise sessions (LSE; ...
Curtis RA, Kusano K, Evans DL, Lovell NH, Hodgson DR.This study investigated the reliability of measurements with a new equine ergospirometer (Quadflow). Heart rate and blood lactate responses during exercise in horses wearing the Quadflow and an open flow mask were also compared. The mean percentage error of the oxygen uptake measurements was 8.2% (range 2.1-12.5%). Percent error for peak expiratory flow rates ranged from 6.1% to 9.4 %, and for minute ventilation from 2.5% to 7.4%. The coefficients of variation of the means of four measurements in two horses exercising continuously at 9.0 m/s were <5% for variables related to pulmonary venti...
Sánchez A, Couëtil LL, Ward MP, Clark SP.Inflammatory Airway Disease (IAD), exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH), and upper airway obstruction (UAO) are common respiratory tract diseases that can decrease performance. The purpose of this retrospective study was to compare bronchoalveolar lavage fluid cytology and arterial blood gas analysis during a treadmill test by poorly performing racehorses presented to Purdue University. One hundred thirty-two horses with a history of poor performance were included in this study. Ten horses with no history or diagnosis of EIPH, IAD, or UAO served as controls. Horses were evaluated by rh...
de Cocq P, van Weeren PR, Back W.Although the saddle is seen as one of the biggest causes of back pain, and weightbearing is seen as an important aetiological factor in 'kissing spine' syndrome (KSS), the effects of a saddle and weight on the back movements of the horse have never been studied. Objective: To determine the effects of pressure on the back, exerted by tack and weight, on movements of the horse. Objective: Weight has an extending effect on the horse's back and, as a compensatory mechanism to this extension, an alteration in pro- and retraction angles was expected. A similar but smaller effect was expected from a ...
Weishaupt MA, Wiestner T, Hogg HP, Jordan P, Auer JA.The compensatory mechanisms of horses with weightbearing hindlimb lameness are still not fully understood. Objective: That weightbearing, unilateral hindlimb lameness would not only alter stride characteristics to diminish structural stress in the affected limb but also induce compensatory load adjustments in the other supporting limbs. Objective: To document the load and time shifting mechanisms of horses with unilateral weightbearing hindlimb lameness. Methods: Reversible lameness was induced in 8 clinically sound horses by applying a solar pressure model. Three degrees of lameness (subtle, ...
Wickler SJ, Hoyt DF, Clayton HM, Mullineaux DR, Cogger EA, Sandoval E, McGuire R, Lopez C.It is well known that adding a load to a horse's back increases its energetic costs of locomotion, but the magnitude of increase obtained by loading the most distal portion of limb has not been measured. Objective: To measure oxygen consumption in horses with mass added to the back and hooves. Because such mass distribution alters inertial parameters of the limbs, kinematic measurements were made to quantify the magnitude of change in limb movement. Methods: Steady-state oxygen consumption was measured in 6 horses with a load of 2.4 kg. The load was either carried on the back or distributed eq...
Kicker CJ, Peham C, Girtler D, Licka T.Support boots are thought to reduce tension on the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDTF) of the horse and are frequently recommended for horses convalescing after tendonitis, but evidence of their effectiveness is conflicting. Objective: To document the effects of 4 different types of support boots on fetlock joint angle in comparison to the unprotected fetlock. Methods: In 26 horses, the kinematics of the forelimb fetlock joint angle was measured at walk and trot on a treadmill when wearing 3 different types of support boots and 1 protective boot, as well as without boots. As outcome param...
Keegan KG, Arafat S, Skubic M, Wilson DA, Kramer J, Messer NM, Johnson PJ, O'Brien DP, Johnson G.Subjective neurological evaluation in horses is prone to bias. An objective method of spinal ataxia detection is not subject to these limitations and could be of use in equine practice and research. Objective: Kinematic data in the walking horse can differentiate normal and spinal ataxic horses. Methods: Twelve normal and 12 spinal ataxic horses were evaluated by kinematic analysis walking on a treadmill. Each body position signal was reduced to a scalar measure of uncertainty then fuzzy clustered into normal or ataxic groups. Correct classification percentage (CCP) was then calculated using m...
Wennerstrand J, Johnston C, Roethlisberger-Holm K, Erichsen C, Eksell P, Drevemo S.Earlier studies have developed a clinical tool to evaluate objectively the function of the equine back. The ability to differentiate horses with back pain from asymptomatic, fully functioning horses using kinematic measures from this tool has not been evaluated. Objective: To compare the kinematics of the back at walk and trot in riding horses with back dysfunction to the same parameters in asymptomatic sport horses. Methods: The kinematics of the back in 12 horses with impaired performance and back pain were studied at walk and trot on a treadmill. Data were captured for 10 sees at 240 Hz. Ra...
Rhodin M, Johnston C, Holm KR, Wennerstrand J, Drevemo S.A common opinion among riders and in the literature is that the positioning of the head and neck influences the back of the horse, but this has not yet been measured objectively. Objective: To evaluate the effect of head and neck position on the kinematics of the back in riding horses. Methods: Eight Warmblood riding horses in regular work were studied on a treadmill at walk and trot with the head and neck in 3 different predetermined positions achieved by side reins attached to the bit and to an anticast roller. The 3-dimensional movement of the thoracolumbar spine was measured from the posit...
Chiaradia E, Gaiti A, Terracina L, Avellini L.Physical exercise induces a reduction of immune defences and an imbalance of red-ox status. In this study plasma levels of cysteine and homocysteine (Hcy) were determined in horses before and after submaximal treadmill exercise as well as the effect on horse lymphocyte proliferation. The exercise induced a significant increase in plasma Hcy levels, which remained high both after the 20 min recovery period and after 2 h of rest. Moreover, a reduction of lymphocyte responsiveness to the proliferative stimulus induced by Concanavalin A was observed. The effects of different Hcy concentrations on ...
Burn JF, Portus B, Brockington C.The equine carpus has a well-defined limit to joint extension at approximately 180 degrees . During locomotion however, the carpus hyperextends during stance phase. Hyperextension is resisted by the carpal bones and ligaments, and it has been proposed that large increased hyperextension might relate to potentially damaging stress levels in the carpus. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between peak hyperextension of the carpus (PCE) and speed during locomotion on the level and on an incline. Five Thoroughbred horses were exercised on a treadmill at speeds between 1.8 and...
Weishaupt MA, Wiestner T, Hogg HP, Jordan P, Auer JA.The study was performed to obtain a detailed insight into the load and time shifting mechanisms of horses with unilateral weight-bearing forelimb lameness. Reversible lameness was induced in 11 clinically sound horses by applying a solar pressure model. Three degrees of lameness (subtle, mild and moderate) were induced and compared with sound control measurements. Vertical ground reaction force-time histories of all four limbs were recorded simultaneously on an instrumented treadmill. Four compensatory mechanisms could be identified that served to reduce structural stress, i.e. peak vertical f...
Griffin TM, Kram R, Wickler SJ, Hoyt DF.We studied nine adult horses spanning an eightfold range in body mass (M(b)) (90-720 kg) and a twofold range in leg length (L) (0.7-1.4 m). We measured the horses' walk-trot transition speeds using step-wise speed increments as they locomoted on a motorized treadmill. We then measured their rates of oxygen consumption over a wide range of walking and trotting speeds. We interpreted the transition speed results using a simple inverted-pendulum model of walking in which gravity provides the centripetal force necessary to keep the leg in contact with the ground. By studying a large size range of ...
Weishaupt MA, Wiestner T, Hogg HP, Jordan P, Auer JA.The objective of this study was to establish representative treadmill ground reaction force (GRF) and interlimb co-ordination time data of clinically sound horses at the trot. It was anticipated that these normative standards would provide a reference data base against which lame horses could be compared. GRF-time histories were collected from 30 Warmblood riding horses with easy, wide natural gaits. Data were recorded of all four limbs simultaneously by the use of an instrumented treadmill. A total of 912 stride cycles per limb were analysed for force, time and spatial parameters and were ave...
Johnston C, Holm KR, Erichsen C, Eksell P, Drevemo S.Clinical history and examination are important features in diagnosis of equine back dysfunction. However, interpretation is subjective and therefore may vary substantially. Objective: To establish a clinical tool to objectively evaluate the function of the equine back, in the form of a database on the kinematics of the back at the walk and trot in fully functioning riding horses. Methods: Thirty-three fully functioning riding horses walked and trotted on a treadmill. Morphometrics and kinematics were tested for correlations to age, height, weight and stride length, and differences between gend...
Tan RH, Dowling BA, Dart AJ.The purpose of the study was to describe the prevalence of upper airway abnormalities and establish if any significant associations existed between study variables and the two most frequently identified disorders; axial deviation of the aryepiglottic folds and dorsal displacement of the soft palate. The clinical records and video-recordings of all horses referred for upper respiratory tract evaluation during high-speed treadmill videoendoscopy between November 1997 and September 2003 were reviewed. Of 291 horses included in the study, 265 underwent resting endoscopy and 42% (112/265) had a rec...
Kim JS, Hinchcliff KW, Yamaguchi M, Beard LA, Markert CD, Devor ST.Exercise training improves functional capacity in aged individuals. Whether such training reduces the severity of exercise-induced muscle damage is unknown. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of 10 wk of treadmill exercise training on skeletal muscle oxidative capacity and exercise-induced ultrastructural damage in six aged female Quarter horses (>23 yr of age). The magnitude of ultrastructural muscle damage induced by an incremental exercise test before and after training was determined by electron microscopic examination of samples of triceps, semimembranosus, an...
Gehlen H, Bubeck K, Stadler P.In 12 healthy warmblood horses and 10 horses with mitral valve insufficiencies (MVI) of various degrees heart rate and pulmonary artery wedge pressure (PWP) was measured at rest and during standardised exercise on a high speed treadmill. There was a significant increase in PWP with each change in speed of the treadmill (p < 0.01). The PWP of horses with mild mitral valve regurgitation under working conditions was not significantly different compared to the healthy horses. The horses with moderate mitral valve regurgitation showed a significant higher pulmonary artery wedge pressure at rest and...
Vervuert I, Coenen M, Bichmann M.The aim of this study was to compare the effects of two different carbohydrate sources (fructose and glucose) on the metabolic responses in resting and exercising horses. The following regimes were fed in randomized order to five trained horses at rest and immediately before or during exercise. The resting regime comprised 0.6 kg grass meal pellets (control) or 0.6 kg grass meal pellets supplemented with either 50% glucose or 50% fructose. The exercise regime comprised 0.3 kg grass meal (control) or 0.6 kg grass meal pellets supplemented with either 50% glucose or 50% fructose fed immediately ...
Kinnunen S, Hyyppä S, Lappalainen J, Oksala N, Venojärvi M, Nakao C, Hänninen O, Sen CK, Atalay M.Acute exercise induces oxidative stress and heat shock protein (HSP) expression. Information on the protection of stress proteins against oxidant insult and muscle damage during moderate exercise is scanty. We aimed to show how a single bout of moderate exercise affects the markers of oxidative stress and heat shock factor-1 (HSF1; the transcriptional regulator of HSP synthesis), and HSP70, HSP90 and glucose-regulated protein (GRP75) expression in horses. Eight clinically normal and regularly trained standardbred trotters were treadmill-exercised for 45 min at moderate intensity. Blood samples...
Keegan KG, Yonezawa Y, Pai PF, Wilson DA, Kramer J.To compare a sensor-based accelerometer-gyroscopic (A-G) system with a video-based motion analysis system (VMAS) technique for detection and quantification of lameness in horses. Methods: 8 adult horses. Methods: 2 horses were evaluated once, 2 had navicular disease and were evaluated before and after nerve blocks, and 4 had 2 levels of shoe-induced lameness, alternatively, in each of 4 limbs. Horses were instrumented with an accelerometer transducer on the head and pelvis, a gyroscopic transducer on the right forelimb and hind feet, and a receiver-transmitter. Signals from the A-G system were...
Malikides N, Hughes KJ, Hodgson DR, Hodgson JL.To determine whether diagnosis of airway inflammation, using cut-off percentages for neutrophils, differs when based on samples from tracheal aspirate (TA) and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) collected concomitantly from the same racehorse. Methods: Retrospective case series of 48 young Thoroughbred and Standardbred racehorses in race training, but showing poor performance. PROCEDURE TA and BAL samples were collected from all horses 1 to 2 h after high-speed treadmill exercise. Aliquots of the retrieved fluid were cytocentrifuged and smears stained with Diff-Quik. The mean percentage of neutrophi...
Licka TF, Peham C, Frey A.To use electromyography (EMG) to measure physiologic activity of the longissimus dorsi muscles of horses during trotting on a treadmill. Methods: 15 adult horses (5 to 20 years old that weighed 450 to 700 kg) that did not have clinical signs of back pain. Methods: Data were recorded for each horse during trotting on a treadmill at speeds of 2.6 to 4.4 m/s. Surface electromyography was recorded bilaterally from the longissimus dorsi muscles at the levels of T12, T16, and L3. Results: In each motion cycle, 2 EMG maxima were found at the end of the diagonal stance phases. The EMG activity peaked ...
Kavazis AN, Kivipelto J, Choe HS, Colahan PT, Ott EA.The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of ribose supplementation on blood ammonia-N, plasma lactic acid, plasma glucose, volume of oxygen consumption (VO2), heart rate, and performance in Thoroughbred geldings performing a maximal treadmill standardized exercise test (SET). The hypothesis tested was that ribose supplementation would decrease ammonia-N and lactic acid accumulation during exercise, and improve performance. Eight Thoroughbred geldings were assigned randomly to one of two groups: glucose or ribose. The glucose group received 0.15 g glucose/kg of BW, and the rib...
Tranquille C, Tacey J, Walker V, Mackechnie-Guire R, Ellis J, Nankervis K, Newton R, Murray R.Water treadmill (WT) exercise is frequently used for training/rehabilitation of horses. There is limited study into the effect of water depth on limb/back kinematics warranting investigation. The objective was to determine the effect of walking in different water depths, at the same speed, on limb/back kinematics measured simultaneously in a group of horses. Six horses (age:15 ± 6.5 years) completed a standardized WT exercise session (19 minutes duration; speed:1.6 m/s; water depths: 0.0/7.5/21.0/32.0/47.0 cm). Ten waterproof light-emitting-diode tea-light-markers and reflective-spheres were ...
Boffi FM, Cittar J, Balskus G, Muriel M, Desmaras E.Apoptosis or programmed cell death is a genetically controlled response of cells to commit suicide and is associated with DNA fragmentation or laddering. The common inducers of apoptosis include Ca2+i and oxygen free radicals/oxidative stress, which are also implicated in the pathogenesis of exercise-induced myopathies. To examine training-induced apoptosis, Thoroughbred horses were subjected to 3 months training programme on a treadmill. At the end of the training programme venous blood samples were taken for a creatine kinase (CK) assay. In addition, muscle biopsy samples were obtained for a...
Imboden I, Waldern NM, Wiestner T, Lischer CJ, Ueltschi G, Weishaupt MA.Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) is an accepted form of treatment for chronic cases of proximal suspensory desmitis (PSD). Subjective evaluation of horses shortly after being treated with ESWT has led clinicians to comment on an immediate reduction in lameness. This study aimed to evaluate the analgesic effect of ESWT on 16 horses with PSD or PSD-like pain in a fore- or hindlimb. To objectively assess lameness, gait analysis was performed on an instrumented treadmill before and 6, 24, 48 and 72h after ESWT of the origin of the suspensory ligament and the results compared to the effects...
Yamano S, Eto D, Hiraga A, Miyata H.To consider the optimal training programme for Thoroughbred horses, we examined the recruitment pattern of muscle fibres including hybrid muscle fibres in well-trained Thoroughbred horses. The horses performed exercise at three different intensities and durations; i.e., 100% VO2max for 4 min, 80% and 60% VO2max for 8 min on a treadmill with 10% incline. Muscle samples were obtained from the middle gluteal muscle before, during (4 min at 80% and 60% VO2max), and after exercise. Four muscle fibre types (types I, IIA, IIA/IIX, and IIX) were immunohistochemically identified, and optical density of...
Lo Feudo CM, Stucchi L, Cavicchioli P, Stancari G, Conturba B, Zucca E, Ferrucci F.To evaluate the association between the severity of dynamic upper airway obstruction (DUAO) and selected fitness parameters in Standardbred racehorses measured by treadmill test. 191 Standardbred racehorses that underwent a standardized diagnostic protocol for poor performance evaluation between 2002 and 2021 at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Milan. Horses underwent a diagnostic protocol including clinical examination, lameness evaluation, laboratory analyses, ECG, resting upper airway endoscopy, metabolic incremental treadmill test, high-speed treadmill endoscopy, postexercis...
Decloedt A, De Clercq D, Ven S, Vera L, van Loon G.The disproportionate rise of pulmonary artery pressure compared to systemic blood pressure during exercise can lead to detrimental right ventricular remodelling in endurance athletes. Horses may act as an extreme model of these athletic cardiovascular adaptations, as they show a three fold increase in pulmonary pressures during exercise. Right ventricular function was examined in ten healthy horses using post-exercise and pharmacological stress echocardiography in a randomised cross-over design. Exercise testing was performed on a treadmill while pharmacological testing was performed using an ...
Couroucé A, Geffroy O, Barrey E, Auvinet B, Rose RJ.Standardised exercise tests were performed at 2 different tracks and on an uninclined treadmill during the same week to determine the influence of exercise surface on different measured variables such as heart rate (HR), blood lactate concentration, packed cell volume, stride frequency, stride length, gait symmetry and regularity and on different derived physiological variables such as the speed at a HR of 200 beats/min (V200), the speed at a blood lactate concentration of 4 mmol/l (V4), the speed at a maximal HR (VHRmax). Five French Trotters, age 3 years, in training for 3 months prior to th...
Rivero JL, Sporleder HP, Quiroz-Rothe E, Vervuert I, Coenen M, Harmeyer J.The purpose of this study was to determine whether oral L-carnitine supplementation enhances the responses of skeletal muscle to training in seven 2-year-old Standardbreds. Four horses were supplemented with 10 g/day L-carnitine for 10 weeks and 3 horses served as controls. All horses were exercised regularly every second day on a treadmill for 5 weeks (training period) and housed in individual boxes for 5 additional weeks (detraining period). The training period consisted of 8 high- and 8 low-speed exercises carried out in alternating sequence. Gluteus medius muscle biopsies were taken at Wee...
Pösö AR, Essén-Gustavsson B, Persson SG.Plasma concentrations of lactate, amino acids, ammonia and products of purine catabolism were studied before, during and after a standardised incremental exercise test in 29 Standardbred trotters admitted to the clinic for exercise tolerance testing. According to their red cell volume the horses were divided into red cell normovolaemic and red cell hypervolaemic (polycythaemic) groups. The exercise-response curve for taurine differed significantly in the two groups, whereas all the other amino acids behaved similarly. The [branched-chain amino acid]/[alanine] ratio, a proposed indicator for th...
Art T, Serteyn D, Lekeux P.Pleural, tracheal, pharyngeal and mask pressures as well as airflow and tidal volume of five ponies on a treadmill (incline 8.3 degrees) were recorded simultaneously while resting, walking, trotting slowly, trotting fast, after standing for 30 secs and 5 mins after the end of the exercise. The curves obtained were used to calculate total pulmonary resistance (RL), lower airway resistance (RLA) and upper airway resistance (RUA). The latter was also divided into nasal resistance (Rnas) and laryngeal plus extrathoracic tracheal resistance (Retr + lar). Furthermore, the inspiratory and expiratory ...
Parks CM, Manohar M.Blood-gas tensions and acid-base status were examined in 8 healthy grade ponies at rest (heart rate = 55 +/- 3 beats/min) and during moderate (fast trot; heart rate = 155 +/- 3 beats/min) and severe (gallop; heart rate = 218 +/- 7 beats/min) exercise performed on a treadmill. Arterial oxygen tension and hemoglobin-oxygen saturation of exercising ponies did not change from the resting values. Arterial oxygen content increased markedly during exercise, as a consequence of increased hemoglobin concentration. The total oxygen content, as well as the saturation of hemoglobin with oxygen in the mixe...
Kayar SR, Hoppeler H, Jones JH, Longworth K, Armstrong RB, Laughlin MH, Lindstedt SL, Bicudo JE, Groebe K, Taylor CR.The mean minimal transit time for blood in muscle capillaries (tc) was estimated in six species, spanning two orders of magnitude in body mass and aerobic capacity: horse, steer, dog, goat, fox and agouti. Arterial (CaO2) and mixed venous (CvO2) blood O2 concentrations, blood hemoglobin concentrations ([Hb]) and oxygen uptake rates were measured while the animals ran on a treadmill at a speed that elicited the maximal oxygen consumption rate (VO2max) from each animal. Blood flow to the muscles (Qm) was assumed to be 85% of cardiac output, which was calculated using the Fick relationship. Total...
Hiraga A, Sugano S.After publication of the epic report on equine exercise physiology by Matsuba and Shimamura in 1933, papers on exercise physiology of the racehorse in Japan began appearing in scientific journals and increased in number. In 1944, respiration during exercise at a walk, trot, and canter was measured by recording expiratory sounds with a microphone attached near the nostril. Respiratory frequency during cantering was synchronized with stride frequency, and expiratory sounds were found to occur during the stance phase of the trailing forelimb. Development of a radiotelemetry system in 1964 for ele...
Holcombe SJ, Derksen FJ, Berney C, Becker AC, Horner NT.To determine the effect of desensitization of the laryngeal mucosal mechanoreceptors on upper airway mechanics in exercising horses. Methods: 6 Standardbreds. Methods: In study 1, videoendoscopic examinations were performed while horses ran on a treadmill with and without topical anesthesia of the laryngeal mucosa. In study 2, peak tracheal and nasopharyngeal pressures and airflows were obtained from horses during incremental treadmill exercise tests, with and without topical anesthesia of the laryngeal mucosa. A nasal occlusion test was performed on each horse while standing during an endosco...
Thomas DP, Fregin GF, Gerber NH, Ailes NB.The effects of 5- and 10-wk treadmill exercise training on cardiorespiratory function were evaluated in the horse. Cardiac output (Q), heart rate (HR), and stroke volume (SV), as well as left ventricular (LVP), aortic (AoP), and mean right atrial (RAP) pressures and the peak first time derivative of LVP (LV dP/dtmax), were measured at rest and at five different levels of exercise up to 90% of initial predicted maximal HR (HRmax). Oxygen uptake (VO2) and respiratory exchange ratio (R) were also obtained under the same conditions. At rest, although HR was no different after training, LV dP/dtmax...
Fair N, Blake S, Blake R.Water treadmill (WT) exercise is a popular modality for the training and rehabilitation of horses. However, evidence-based literature regarding the use of WT exercise, particularly using inclines, is lacking. Unassigned: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of recurring inclined WT sessions on equine epaxial muscle development. Unassigned: Six horses completed 24 sessions of 15 minutes of WT activity over four weeks. Horses walked with water at the midcannon level at a treadmill incline of 4%. Back traces were measured at three and seven centimetres ventral to the dorsal midline at...
Mueller PJ, Jones MT, Rawson RE, van Soest PJ, Hintz HF.Oxygen consumption (VO2) and concentration of venous blood metabolites were measured in donkeys trained to run and to pull loads on a treadmill. VO2 in two donkeys running at maximal speed on a 9.8% slope was 110 +/- 2 ml.min-1.kg-1, approximately 22 times preexercise VO2. Average heart rate at maximal VO2 (VO2max) was 223 +/- 2 beats/min, five times the preexercise heart rate. Blood lactate increased 14-fold, and blood glucose did not change (P > 0.05). Animals running up a 4% incline and incremental draft loading of five donkeys walking on the level were also studied. The total energy cost o...
Gerard MP, Hodgson DR, Rose RJ, Walsh WR.To determine whether recombinant equine growth hormone (rEGH) would alter the in vitro biomechanical properties of the forelimb superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) in exercising young Standardbred horses. Methods: Randomized complete block design. Methods: Twelve Standardbred yearlings. Methods: Horses were trained for 12 weeks on a high-speed treadmill (10% positive incline). rEGH was administered intramuscularly (IM) daily (10 microg/kg during week 4; 20 microg/kg for weeks 5-9) to 6 horses (treated group), whereas 6 horses (control group) were administered an equivalent daily volume of...
Tetens J, Derksen FJ, Stick JA, Lloyd JW, Robinson NE.To evaluate the efficacy of prosthetic laryngoplasty with and without bilateral ventriculocordectomy for treatment of experimentally induced left laryngeal hemiplegia (LLH). Methods: 15 adult Standardbreds. Methods: Horses were allotted to 3 equal groups. Sham operation (group 1), prosthetic laryngoplasty (group 2), or prosthetic laryngoplasty with bilateral ventriculocordectomy (group 3) was performed after induction of LLH. Upper airway function testing was performed prior to left recurrent laryngeal neurectomy (LRLN), 14 days after LRLN, and 60 and 180 days after surgical treatment. Measure...
Dart AJ, Dowling BA, Hodgson DR, Rose RJ.To evaluate high-speed treadmill videoendoscopy as a diagnostic technique and document the abnormalities found in Australian horses referred for poor performance associated with abnormal upper respiratory tract noise but where a definitive diagnosis could not be made at rest. Methods: A retrospective clinical study using client-owned horses. Methods: The clinical records and videorecordings of all horses referred to the University of Sydney for poor performance associated with abnormal upper respiratory tract noise during a 13-month period were examined. Only horses with a normal physical exam...
Valberg S, Gustavsson BE, Lindholm A, Persson SG.Eight standardbred horses trotted on a treadmill for 55 mins at a sub-maximal speed of 5m/sec and subsequently performed an exercise test consisting of 2 min intervals at increasing speed. Heart (HR) and respiratory (Rf) rates and venous blood samples were obtained before, during and for 5 mins after exercise. Gluteus medius muscle biopsies and rectal temperatures were taken before and after exercise. The mean HR was 132/min and the mean Rf was 156/min during the 5m/sec trotting. With 5m/sec exercise, plasma free fatty acids (FFA), glucose, creatinine and cortisol concentrations increased mark...
Seeherman HJ, Morris EA.Clinical exercise stress testing is an important diagnostic tool for evaluating exercise intolerance and degree of fitness in human athletes. The purpose of this paper was to describe the methodology necessary to perform a clinical exercise test and report the results of performance evaluations on 10 Thoroughbred racehorses using this test. The test utilised an open flow gas analysis system for ease of use with untrained horses and a fast time response lactate analyser for rapid data analysis. Exercise test measurements used to evaluate fitness included peak oxygen consumption (mean VO2peak = ...
Vengust M, Staempfli H, Viel L, Heigenhauser G.Horses develop high pulmonary pressures during exercise, which force fluid out of pulmonary capillaries. Specific airway diseases in horses, especially those associated with hypoxaemia, hypercapnoea and acidosis may influence pulmonary haemodynamics and pulmonary interstitial fluid equilibrium. Objective: This study was designed to determine fluid flux (J(V-A) l/min) across the lung in exercising horses treated chronically with acetazolamide. Methods: Six horses were exercised on a treadmill until fatigue without (Con) and with chronic carbonic anhydrase (CA) inhibition (AczTr) and associated ...
Fredricson I, Drevemo S, Dalin G, Hjertén G, Björne K, Rynde R, Franzen G.A treadmill for equine locomotion analysis is described and its potential considered for locomotive research and clinical investigation. The treadmill comprised an endless belt driven by a hydraulic motor at various speeds up to 14 m/sec and the direction of belt movement was reversible. The carrying side of the belt ran over a steel-concrete table which acted as a flat support. The belt itself consisted of a steel base on to which was glued a rubber belt and the surface was covered with a layer of coir matting which permitted some forward sliding of the landing hooves simulating the condition...
Harris P, Snow DH.To study the effect of short term high intensity exercise on plasma lactate, potassium, sodium and chloride concentrations, five Thoroughbred horses were galloped on a treadmill at a 5 degree incline. Following a standardised warm-up period, they were galloped at 8, 10, or 12 metres/sec for 2 mins. One horse also galloped at 14 metres/sec for 1.5 mins. Sequential arterial and/or venous blood samples were collected during exercise and recovery. At 12 metres/sec, the effect of different recovery modes, ie, standing, walking or trotting, on the electrolytes was also examined. There was a progress...
Zellner A, Bockstahler B, Peham C.The present study aimed to investigate the effects of Kinesio Taping on the trajectory of the forelimb and the muscle activity of the M. brachiocephalicus and the M. extensor carpi radialis in horses. 19 horses and ponies of different breeds (body weight: 496±117 kg), gender (8 mares, 10 geldings and 3 stallions) and ages (14.9±6.9 years old) were analysed without Kinesio Tape ("no tape"), with Kinesio Tape (muscle facilitation application on both muscles of both sides, "with tape") and immediately after Kinesio Taping ("post tape") through kinematic motion analysis and surface electromyogra...
Allen K, Franklin S.The effect of palatal instability (PI) on measures of ventilation and gas exchange is not well understood. Objective: To assess to what degree different severities of naturally occurring palatal dysfunction affect ventilation and gas exchange during strenuous exercise. Methods: A retrospective study was performed using data collected from 40 Thoroughbred racehorses diagnosed with naturally occurring dynamic palatal dysfunction during high speed treadmill exercise. Upper airway videoendoscopic recordings were made concurrently with measurements of ventilation and gas exchange. Three categories ...
Strobach A, Kotschwar A, Mayhew IG, Peham C, Licka T.Equine ataxia is routinely evaluated subjectively by clinicians; however, objective measurements of the movement and coordination of ataxic horses have not been reported. Objective: To document the movement pattern of ataxic horses and compare the results to the movement of neurologically sound horses with, and without, sedation. Methods: Seventeen ataxic horses were evaluated walking and trotting on a treadmill using a 3D high speed video system. From the horizontal movement of hoof markers the autocorrelation function (ACF) of the left forelimb and the cross correlation function (CCF) betwee...
Stanek KA, Nagle FJ, Bisgard GE, Byrnes WC.Published reports of oxygen consumption (VO2) during exercise in hyperoxia are equivocal. By and large, when measured at the lung using respiratory gas equations, VO2 is elevated in hyperoxia and, when measured at the blood-tissue level using the cardiovascular Fick (CVF) equation, it is unchanged. We sought to provide some insight into this problem by making through the use of both equations simultaneous determinations of VO2 during hyperoxia in exercising ponies. In normoxia, during treadmill exercise (115 m/min, 10% grade) of seven ponies, there was no difference in exercise VO2, whether it...
