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Topic:Treadmill Exercise
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.
Potassium and lactate uptake by noncontracting tissue during strenuous exercise. Efflux of potassium (K+) and lactate (lac-) from active skeletal muscle during high intensity exercise leads to increased plasma [K+] and [lac-] in venous and arterial blood. The exercise-induced increases in these ions in human athletes is ameliorated, in part, by uptake by noncontracting tissue, reflected by an increase in the arteriovenous difference across these tissues from rest to exercise. To test the hypothesis that these ions are taken up by noncontracting tissue in strenuously exercising horses, plasma [K+] and [lac-] were measured in blood samples collected simultaneously from the c...
Effects on exercise metabolism of varying dietary starch and sugar proportions. Studies of the effect of varying dietary carbohydrate compositions on exercise metabolism of horses are scarce. In the present study, the starch and sugar proportions were altered in the diet to 4 Standardbred horses. In a crossover experiment, the horses were offered a hay and oat diet, where the oats were substituted for barley syrup (BS) at 4 levels (BS 0, 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 kg). Each diet was consumed for 21 days and both an incremental treadmill exercise test (IE) and a 40 min submaximal exercise test (SE) were performed. During the IE there was a significant (P<0.05) increase in mean VO...
Effect of body incline on cardiac performance. Maximal cardiac performance is improved in man during upright compared to supine exercise. Whether cardiac performance in quadrupeds is dependent upon body position is unknown. Therefore, we undertook the present investigation to determine if peak cardiac output (Qpeak) would be influenced by body inclination in the Thoroughbred horse. To test the hypothesis, four Thoroughbred horses performed an incremental exercise protocol (speed increased by 1 m/s/min to fatigue) on both a level (L) and inclined (I: 6 degrees) treadmill. Specifically, we hypothesised that Qpeak would be increased on the in...
Effect of dorsal displacement of the soft palate on ventilation and airflow during high-intensity exercise. Dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP) is one of the most common obstructive conditions of the upper respiratory tract in the racehorse. The present study was conducted to determine the effects of intermittent dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP) on ventilation and respiratory airflow during high intensity exercise. Videoendoscopic recordings were made of the nasopharynx and larynx simultaneously with measurements of airflow and respiratory gas exchange, during high-speed treadmill exercise in 9 horses with confirmed intermittent DDSP admitted for clinical investigation of poor...
The effect of coat clipping on thermoregulation during intense exercise in trotters. The aim of this study was to study the physiological, especially thermoregulatory, responses during intense exercise in the clipped horse compared to the horse with winter coat. Six Standardbred trotters were studied before and after clipping. They performed an inclined incremental high intensity treadmill exercise test and were monitored during recovery. The clipped horse differed significantly (ANOVA) during exercise as compare to coated: less increase in central venous blood temperature, higher skin surface temperature, greater difference skin to ambient temperature and higher rate of nonev...
Oral L-carnitine combined with training promotes changes in skeletal muscle. 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...
Ribose supplementation in maximally exercising Thoroughbreds. A diverse group of studies, which are equine exclusive, indicate that ribose administered to myocardial and skeletal muscle tissue stimulates ATP production and recovery. This study investigated the effects of ribose supplementation on blood and muscle metabolites and performance in Thoroughbred geldings performing a maximal treadmill standardised exercise test (SET). In Experiment 1, 6 conditioned Thoroughbred geldings performed a baseline SET and horses were assigned to one of 2 experimental treatment groups, placebo or ribose, based on VO2max. The placebo treatment group received 0.07 g glu...
Gas exchange during intense exercise in Standardbreds with earlier Rhodococcus equi pneumonia. It is not known if pulmonary function and gas exchange during exercise are altered after pyogranulomatous pneumonia caused by Rhodococcus equi infection in the foal. The aim was to evaluate whether pulmonary gas exchange during high intensity exercise was altered in mature Standardbreds with a history of R. equi pneumonia as foals. In 7 foals, R. equi pneumonia was confirmed and treated. At age 3 years, when these horses were subjected to professional training, an inclined treadmill exercise test including 4 speeds was performed. Samples were collected when a steady state in VO2 was obtained. ...
Effect of sodium bicarbonate administration on metabolic responses to maximal exercise. Administration of bicarbonate has been shown to cause metabolic alkalosis both in man and in horses and is, therefore, thought to increase the buffering capacity of the body and thereby delay the onset of fatigue. However, results regarding the influence of sodium bicarbonate loading on performance both in human athletes and in horses are conflicting. The aim of this study was, therefore, to investigate the metabolic response to a standardised treadmill exercise test to fatigue, in horses given bicarbonate (0.6 g/kg bwt), in comparison to horses given placebo (water). Five Standardbred trotter...
Heart size estimated by echocardiography correlates with maximal oxygen uptake. Maximum oxygen uptake also appears to correlate to athletic performance in horses. In the Thoroughbred industry, there has long been an empirical theory that heart size is related to athletic performance, despite a lack of scientific evidence supporting this assertion. To investigate the relationship between peak oxygen consumption (VO2max) and cardiac size measured by echocardiography, guided M-mode and 2-dimensional echocardiography were performed in 17 conditioned Thoroughbreds with a range of VO2max from 126 to 217 ml/min/kg STPD (mean +/- s.d. 158 +/- 28 m/min/kg). Horses were age 2-10 ye...
Effects of different volumes of autologous blood instilled into the airways of horses on pulmonary function during treadmill exercise. Exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage has been associated with reduced performance in racing horses. However, it is unclear what volume of blood loss into the lungs impairs performance. The purpose of the present study was to determine the minimal volume of autologous Horses blood instilled into the airways that significantly affects performance and pulmonary function in exercising horses. Six Thoroughbred horses performed 2 exercise bouts on each of 4 treatment test days. Each exercise bout consisted of a 2 min warm-up at 4 m/s followed by running at a speed equivalent to 115% VO2max, until ...
The effect of treadmill incline on maximal oxygen uptake, gas exchange and the metabolic response to exercise in the horse. 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...
Longitudinal development of kinematics in shetland ponies and the influence of feeding and training regimes. Nowadays, ponies are used more and more for competitive equine sports, driving and racing. The locomotor performance of ponies, however, has been evaluated in only a few kinematic and kinetic studies. To compare the longitudinal development of locomotor characteristics in the pony to the same process in the horse, the kinematics of 23 Shetland ponies were recorded at the trot on a treadmill (3 m/s) at ages 4 and 30 months using a modified CODA-3 apparatus. Furthermore, the influence of specific feeding and training regimes on this development was evaluated. It appeared that stride and stance d...
Effects of cool and hot humid environmental conditions on neuroendocrine responses of horses to treadmill exercise. To determine the effects of exercise, high heat and humidity and acclimation on plasma adrenaline, noradrenaline, beta-endorphin and cortisol concentrations, five horses performed a competition exercise test (CET; designed to simulate the speed and endurance test of a three-day event) in cool dry (CD) (20 degrees C/40% RH) and hot humid (30 degrees C/80% RH) conditions before (pre-acclimation) and after (post-acclimation) a 15 day period of humid heat acclimation. Plasma adrenaline and noradrenaline concentrations pre-acclimation were significantly increased compared with exercise in the CD tr...
Endothelin response during and after exercise in horses. The objective of the present study was to measure plasma endothelin-1 (ET-1) at rest and during exercise in the horse. Six healthy, Standardbred and Thoroughbred mares (5.3+/-0.8 years; 445.2+/-13.1 kg) which were unfit, but otherwise accustomed to running on the treadmill, were used in the study. Plasma ET-1 concentrations were measured using a commercially available radioimmunoassay kit. Horses performed three trials: a standing control (CON) trial where blood was collected from the jugular vein every minute for 5 min; a graded exercise test (GXT) where blood samples were collected at the en...
Effect of commercially available nasal strips on airway resistance in exercising horses. To determine the effect of a commercially available nasal strip on airway mechanics in exercising horses. Methods: 6 horses (5 Standardbreds and 1 Thoroughbred). Methods: Horses exercised on a treadmill at speeds corresponding to 100 and 120% of maximal heart rate with and without application of a commercially available nasal strip. Concurrently, tracheal pressures, airflow, and heart rate were measured. Peak inspiratory and expiratory tracheal pressures, airflow, respiratory frequency, and tidal volume were recorded. Inspiratory and expiratory airway resistances were calculated by dividing pe...
Comparison of VHS video recording system with apple Macintosh-based image analysis and modified CODA-3 systems in equine motion analysis. A VHS video--computer-based image analysis combination is described as a low sampling rate motion analysis system. Video recordings were taken indoor without any artificial illumination at 25 fps sampling rate. The horse studied was running on a high-speed treadmill and observed at 1.6, 4 and 7 m/s velocities at walk, trot and canter, respectively. Left forelimb and hindlimb were recorded separately from lateral view. For comparison, parallel CODA-3 recordings were taken at the same time from the same position. Joint angles were expressed and compared in angle-time diagrams. Sampling of both s...
The effect of intra-articular methylprednisolone acetate and exercise on equine carpal subchondral and cancellous bone microhardness. Dorsal carpal osteochondral injury is a major cause of lameness in horses undergoing high intensity training. Intra-articular corticosteroid treatment is used commonly to manage exercise-associated articular pain, but its use remains highly controversial in the equine athlete. This project, therefore, aimed to compare the mechanical properties of intra-articular MPA and diluent-treated middle carpal subchondral and cancellous bone in horses undergoing a short-term treadmill exercise programme. It was hypothesised that subchondral and cancellous bone mechanical properties are influenced by intr...
Repeatability of back kinematics in horses during treadmill locomotion. We tested the hypothesis that repeatability of a standardised protocol for quantifying back kinematics is sufficiently high not to prevent its use in the clinical evaluation of horses with back problems. We investigated the extent to which differences between laboratories may affect the results when a standardised protocol is used. As a clinical tool, movement analysis techniques are helpful for the objective and quantitative assessment of kinematics. Knowledge about the repeatability of the kinematic data is very important. The present study investigates the repeatability of back kinematics i...
Effect of flunixin meglumine on selected physiologic and performance parameters of athletically conditioned thoroughbred horses subjected to an incremental exercise stress test. Twelve clinically sound, healthy, athletically conditioned Thoroughbred horses were subjected to an incremental exercise stress test to determine the effects and period of detection of a single dose of flunixin meglumine (1.1 mg/kg by intravenous injection) in serum and urine by ELISA. Flunixin concentrations, performance, and hematologic and clinical chemical parameters were measured. All horses were rotated through four treatment groups of a Latin-square design providing for each horse to serve as its own control. Flunixin meglumine reduced prostaglandin F(1alpha) and thromboxane concentrati...
Exercise-induced changes in atrial peptides in relation to neuroendocrine responses and fluid balance in the horse. Previous data show that, in horses, plasma atrial natriuretic peptides (ANP and NT-ANP) remain elevated for a long time after exercise. To study whether exercise-induced changes in hormonal and fluid balance explain this, we measured plasma concentrations of COOH- and NH2-terminal atrial natriuretic peptides (ANP(99-129) and NT-ANP(1-98) together with arginine vasopressin (AVP), adrenocorticotrophin (ACTH), beta-endorphin, cortisol, catecholamines, and indicators of fluid balance in six Finnhorses after a graded submaximal exercise test on a treadmill. After exercise, AVP and catecholamines di...
Effects of aqua-treadmill exercise on selected blood parameters and on heart-rate variability of horses. The objectives of the present study were to investigate the effects of Aquatraining of horses (aqua-treadmill exercise; treadmill manufactured by Equitech - L.u.S. Equipment, Warendorf, Germany) on selected blood parameters [lactic acid concentration (mmol/l), haemoglobin content (g/l)] and on heart-rate variability (HRV) [heart rate (beats per min; b.p.m.), standard deviation of all NN-intervals (SDNN; ms), normalized power of the low and high frequency band (LFnorm, Hfnorm; au), % recurrence, % determinism and ratio(corr)]. Seven horses performed six exercise tests with different work loads ...
Instrumented treadmill for measuring vertical ground reaction forces in horses. To develop and validate a novel instrumented treadmill capable of determining vertical ground reaction forces of all 4 limbs simultaneously in horses. Methods: Data obtained while a horse was walking and trotting on the treadmill. Methods: 18 piezo-electric force transducers were mounted between the treadmill frame and supporting steel platform to measure the actual forces at the corresponding bearing points. Each of the 18 sensor forces is equal to the sum of the unknown hoof forces weighted with the transfer coefficients of the corresponding force application points. The 4 force traces were ...
Water intake and fluid shifts in horses: effects of hydration status during two exercise tests. In the present study, the main objective was to study factors affecting postexercise voluntary water intake in horses. Four Standardbred horses (mean +/- s.e. bwt 500 +/- 8 kg) were used to study water intake and effects of altering hydration status before an incremental exercise test (INCR) and a 40 min constant velocity exercise test (CONST) on a treadmill. Exercise was performed during normohydration (N), after dehydration for 24 h (DEH) and after hyperhydration with 12 l water 30 min before exercise (HH). DEH resulted in a bodyweight loss of 3% and there were signs of some fluid uptake pri...
Mechanistic basis for the gas exchange threshold in Thoroughbred horses. The exercising Thoroughbred horse (TB) is capable of exceptional cardiopulmonary performance. However, because the ventilatory equivalent for O2 (VE/VO2) does not increase above the gas exchange threshold (Tge), hypercapnia and hypoxemia accompany intense exercise in the TB compared with humans, in whom VE/VO2 increases during supra-Tge work, which both removes the CO2 produced by the HCO buffering of lactic acid and prevents arterial partial pressure of CO2 (PaCO2) from rising. We used breath-by-breath techniques to analyze the relationship between CO2 output (VCO2) and VO2 [V-slope lactate t...
Clinical evaluation of the effects of immobilization followed by remobilization and exercise on the metacarpophalangeal joint in horses. To evaluate clinical effects of immobilization followed by remobilization and exercise on the metacarpophalangeal joint (MPJ) in horses. Methods: 5 healthy horses. Methods: After lameness, radiographic, and force plate examinations to determine musculoskeletal health, 1 forelimb of each horse was immobilized in a fiberglass cast for 7 weeks, followed by cast removal and increasing amounts of exercise, beginning with hand-walking and ending with treadmill exercise. Lameness examination, arthrocentesis of both MPJ, single-emulsion radiographic examination, nuclear scintigraphic examination, grou...
Computerized detection of supporting forelimb lameness in the horse using an artificial neural network. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether artificial neural networks could be used to determine equine lameness by computational means only. The integral parts of our approach were the combination of automated signal tracking of horses on a treadmill and the computational power of artificial neural networks (ANN). The motion of 175 horses trotting on a treadmill was recorded using the SELSPOT II system for motion analysis. Two cameras traced infrared (IR) markers on the head and on the left forehoof. The motion of the head was Fourier-transformed and further processed by a multilaye...
Glycemic index of a meal fed before exercise alters substrate use and glucose flux in exercising horses. In a randomized, balanced, crossover study each of six fit, adult horses ran on a treadmill at 50% of maximal rate of oxygen consumption for 60 min after being denied access to food for 18 h and then 1) fed corn (51.4 kJ/kg digestible energy), or 2) fed an isocaloric amount of alfalfa 2-3 h before exercise, or 3) not fed before exercise. Feeding corn, compared with fasting, resulted in higher plasma glucose and serum insulin and lower serum nonesterified fatty acid concentrations before exercise (P < 0.05) and in lower plasma glucose, serum glycerol, and serum nonesterified fatty acid conce...
A method to determine mechanical energy conservation and efficiency in equine gait: a preliminary study. Metabolic and mechanical energy costs of locomotion can be combined to calculate locomotor efficiency, which is the quotient of the mechanical energy and metabolic costs. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the mechanical and metabolic energy costs of locomotion at a range of 7 trotting speeds (2.5 to 6.2 m/s) on a level treadmill. A single, sound Thoroughbred horse was modelled as a system of 15 linked segments incorporating all 4 limbs, head, neck and trunk. The horse performed a continuous incremental exercise test at increasing trotting speeds while VO2 was recorded using a bre...
Assessment of gait irregularities in the horse: eye vs. gait analysis. The purpose of this study was to verify the sensitivity of 2 gait analysis methods in detecting subtle lameness and to compare the results to the traditional orthopaedic evaluation. Twenty-two horses were evaluated (1) subjectively by 3 different experienced clinicians and (2) objectively with synchronised ground reaction force and accelerometric gait measurements on a treadmill. The horses were assigned for each of the 3 methods independently to one of 3 groups (GR): sound, lameness front limb, lameness hindlimb. Additionally, for each horse, the affected limb (AL) and degree of lameness (DL)...
