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.
Peham C, Licka T, Girtler D, Scheidl M.The aim of this study was to compare supporting forelimb lameness determined by a motion analysis system with the subjective grading of a trained equine orthopaedic surgeon. Trotting on a treadmill, 29 individuals with a supporting forelimb lameness were measured with the SELSPOT II system and judged by the clinician. The vertical motion of the head was measured, analysed using Fourier transform, and the percentages of symmetry determined. The veterinarian evaluated the lameness and graded it according to a clinical routine. Veterinarian and system for motion analysis assigned the lameness to ...
Peham C, Scheidl M, Licka T.The stance phase is used for the determination of many parameters in motion analysis. In this technical note the authors present a new kinematical method for determination of stance phase. From the high-speed video data, the speed distribution of the horizontal motion of the distal limb is calculated. The speed with the maximum occurrence within the motion cycle defines the stance phase, and this speed is used as threshold for beginning and end of the stance phase. In seven horses the results obtained with the presented method were compared to synchronous stance phase determination using a for...
Perkins G, Ainsworth DM, Yeager A.This report documents the successful conservative medical management of hemothorax in 2 horses. Hemothorax occurred after a lung biopsy procedure (horse 1) and strenuous exercise on a treadmill (horse 2). The horses had tachypnea, tachycardia, nostril flaring, hemoptysis, and pawing. Hemothorax was suspected based upon absence of auscultable ventral lung sounds; development of cool extremities and pale, tacky mucous membranes; the ultrasonographic appearance of moderate to severe amounts of pleural fluid; and a concurrent decrease in hematocrit and total plasma protein. Both horses were treate...
Minetti AE, ArdigO LP, Reinach E, Saibene F.Three-dimensional motion capture and metabolic assessment were performed on four standardbred horses while walking, trotting and galloping on a motorized treadmill at different speeds. The mechanical work was partitioned into the internal work (W(INT)), due to the speed changes of body segments with respect to the body centre of mass, and the external work (W(EXT)), due to the position and speed changes of the body centre of mass with respect to the environment. The estimated total mechanical work (W(TOT)=W(INT)+W(EXT)) increased with speed, while metabolic work (C) remained rather constant. A...
Gottlieb-Vedi M, Essén-Gustavsson B, Thornell LE, Lindholm A.The aim of this study was to determine whether the metabolic response and ultrastructure of muscle differed when horses performed intense exercise at different ambient temperatures. Four Standardbred geldings performed treadmill exercise, including an intensive trot of 2600 m on two different occasions, either at a high ambient temperature of 35 degrees C or at a temperature of 20 degrees C. The horses had a warm-up period of 23.5 min of submaximal exercise, followed by 2 h of box rest before the intensive exercise. Muscle biopsy data of adenine nucleotides, creatine phosphate, lactate and gly...
Rankin DC, Greene SA, Keegan RD, Weil AB, Schneider RK, Bayly WM.To evaluate effects of strenuous exercise in adult horses immediately before anesthesia and to determine whether prior exercise affects anesthesia induction, recovery, or both. Methods: 6 healthy Thoroughbreds in good condition and trained to run on a treadmill, each horse serving as its own control. Methods: Horses ran on a treadmill until fatigued, then were sedated immediately with detomidine hydrochloride and anesthetized with a zolazepam hydrochloride-tiletamine combination. Anesthesia was maintained with isoflurane in oxygen for another 90 minutes. Blood samples were taken before, during...
Firth EC, Delahunt J, Wichtel JW, Birch HL, Goodship AE.This study was performed to test the hypothesis that a localised bone hypertrophy could occur within the subchondral cancellous architecture of the third and radial carpal bones. Using 2 levels of controlled and defined exercise, it was observed that a high intensity treadmill exercise protocol resulted in functional adaptation of the carpal bones. The increase in trabecular thickening and density was seen to be localised to those regions underlying common sites of cartilage degradation, the interface of the thickened trabeculae with the normal architecture in the third carpal bone was coincid...
Langsetmo I, Poole DC.At the onset of exercise, horses exhibit O2 uptake (VO2) kinetics that are qualitatively similar to those of humans. In humans, there is a marked dissymmetry between on- and off-kinetics for VO2. This investigation sought to formally characterize the off-transient (recovery) VO2 kinetics in the horse within the moderate (M), heavy (H), and severe (S) exercise domains. Six horses were run on a high-speed treadmill at M, H, and S exercise intensities (i.e., that speed which yielded approximately 50, 85, 100% peak VO2, respectively, on the maximal incremental test). The time courses for the recov...
Martin BB, Beech J, Parente EJ.To evaluate results of cytologic examination of specimens obtained by means of tracheal washes (TW) in 42 horses with a history of poor performance. Methods: Cross-sectional case series. Methods: 42 horses with a history of poor performance. Methods: A TW was performed via endoscopy before and after horses exercised on a high-speed treadmill, and specimens were evaluated microscopically and graded. Results: Ten (24%) horses were considered to be clinically normal before and after exercise. Pulmonary hemorrhage was diagnosed in 8 (19%) horses. One horse had evidence of exercise-induced pulmonar...
Willemen MA, Savelberg HH, Barneveld A.This study quantifies both the intended effect of orthopaedic shoeing to decrease the load on the navicular bone and the eventual undesired effects on gait performance. The compressive force exerted by the deep digital flexor tendon on the navicular bone and on the quality of the trot and redistribution of forces over the flexor tendons and the suspensory ligament were studied as a function of orthopaedic shoeing in 12 sound Dutch Warmblood horses. A modified CODA-3 gait analysis system and a force plate were used to quantify objectively the load on the lower limb. The quality of the trot was ...
Duvivier DH, Bayly WM, Votion D, Vandenput S, Art T, Farnir F, Lekeux P.The present study evaluated ventilatory, cardiovascular and metabolic parameters during recovery from strenuous exercise in horses suffering from a crisis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and to determine whether ipratropium dry powder inhalation (DPI) before exercise has an effect on these parameters. When 6 saddle horses, affected with COPD, developed airway obstruction, they inhaled placebo and ipratropium (2400 microg/horse), the order being randomly chosen. Pulmonary function tests were then recorded 15 min after inhalation. Following these tests, the horses underwent a str...
Marlin DJ, Scott CM, Schroter RC, Harris RC, Harris PA, Roberts CA, Mills PC.To investigate whether horses were able to acclimate to conditions of high temperature and humidity, 5 horses of different breeds were trained for 80 min on 15 consecutive days on a treadmill at 30 degrees C and 80%RH. Training consisted of a combination of long duration low-intensity exercise, medium duration medium intensity exercise and short duration high intensity exercise. Between training sessions the horses were maintained at 11+/-3 degrees C and 74+/-2%RH. Before (PRE-ACC) and after acclimation (POST-ACC) the horses undertook a simulated Competition Exercise Test (CET), designed to re...
Wilson JA, Kronfeld DS, Gay LS, Williams JH, Wilson TM, Lindinger MI.Sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) responses to repeated sprints and to physical conditioning were studied in 10 Quarter Horses. Exercise tests (four repeated sprints on a treadmill) were conducted before and after 12 wk of sprint conditioning. Muscle samples from the middle gluteal muscle were taken before and after each exercise test, and SR vesicles were isolated. Calcium uptake was determined spectrophotometrically using antipyrylazo III, and Ca2+-ATPase activity was determined using an enzyme-linked optical assay. Conditioning increased calcium uptake rate and Ca2+-ATPase activity by 14 and 38%,...
Frisbie DD, Kawcak CE, Baxter GM, Trotter GW, Powers BE, Lassen ED, McIlwraith CW.To determine effects of intra-articularly administered 6alpha-methylprednisolone acetate (MPA) in exercised horses with carpal osteochondral fragmentation. Methods: 18 horses: 3 groups of 6 each. Methods: An osteochondral (chip) fragment was created in 1 randomly chosen middle carpal joint of each horse. Polyionic fluid (PF) was injected into both middle carpal joints of horses in the control group. In horses of the MPA-control group, MPA was injected into the middle carpal joint without an osteochondral fragment; a similar volume of PF was injected into the contralateral middle carpal joint. ...
Schuback K, Essén-Gustavsson B.The purpose of this study was to develop a standardised maximal treadmill exercise test performed until fatigue in order to find reproducible markers for anaerobic metabolism, specifically adenine nucleotide degradation. Six Standardbred trotters performed an incremental maximal treadmill exercise test in 1 min steps (starting with 7 m/s) until they could no longer keep pace with the treadmill. The test was performed twice with at least one week between the tests. Heart rate was recorded and venous blood samples were obtained during the test and in the recovery period for determination of plas...
Gross DK, Hinchcliff KW, French PS, Goclan SA, Lahmers KK, Lauderdale M, Ellis JA, Haines DM, Slemons RD, Morley PS.The purpose of this experiment was to determine if exercising horses, infected with influenza virus, exacerbates the severity of clinical disease. Eight horses were trained on a treadmill for 42 days and then challenged with aerosolised influenza A/equine/Kentucky/91 (H3N8). Following challenge, 4 horses (exercise group) continued training for 28 days, while the other 4 horses (nonexercise group) were confined to their stalls. All horses developed clinical signs within 36 h of challenge (fever, coughing, and mucopurulent nasal discharge) and clinical scores were greater in the exercise group. ...
Dyke TM, Sams RA, Hinchcliff KW.To determine the effects of acute exercise on hepatic blood flow by studying hepatic clearance of bromsulphalein for several submaximal exercise intensities. Methods: 8 adult Standardbred mares. Methods: Horses were subjected to 4 submaximal exercise intensities (resting and 40, 60, and 80% maximal oxygen consumption). After horses had been running at the required treadmill speed for 1 minute, bromsulphalein (BSP; 5 mg/kg of body weight, IV) was administered during a 45- to 60-second period, and horses continued at the desired speed for an additional 15 minutes. Blood samples were collected at...
Keegan KG, Wilson DA, Wilson DJ, Smith B, Gaughan EM, Pleasant RS, Lillich JD, Kramer J, Howard RD, Bacon-Miller C, Davis EG, May KA, Cheramie HS....To estimate sensitivity and accuracy of subjective evaluation of mild lameness in horses during treadmill locomotion and to correlate subjective evaluation with kinematic analysis. Methods: 19 lame and 5 clinically normal horses. Methods: Lameness was evaluated by subjective score and kinematic analysis before and after palmar digital nerve block (PDNB). Evaluations were made by 6 clinicians and 7 interns or residents. Within- and between-observer agreement analyses (kappa values) were calculated and compared, using a Student's t-test. Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficients were cal...
Dyke TM, Hubbell JA, Sams RA, Hinchcliff KW.To determine effects of walking or standing on hepatic blood flow of horses after brief, intense exercise. Methods: 6 adult Thoroughbreds (4 mares, 2 geldings). Methods: Horses were preconditioned on a treadmill to establish uniform level of fitness. Once fit, treadmill speed causing each horse to exercise at 120% of maximal oxygen consumption was determined and used in simulated races at 14-day intervals. In a three-way crossover study, horses were exercised at a speed inducing 120% of maximal oxygen consumption until fatigued or for a maximum of 2 minutes. Three interventions were studied: r...
Caudron I, Grulke S, Farnir F, Vanschepdael P, Serteyn D.Adaptation of an in-foot shoe force sensor and the gait analysis system 'Fscan' makes it possible to monitor the distribution of the vertical forces under the equine foot in motion. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of two different trimmings on forces under the foot during the trot. The first one increased the height of the lateral hoof wall and the second one restored the mediolateral balance of the foot. These two trimmings were examined by using a radiographical method that quantifies the interphalangeal articular asymmetries due to asymmetrical bearing. The location of t...
Peham C, Licka T, Mayr A, Scheidl M, Girtler D.Treadmills are widely used in equine motion analysis. For the evaluation of the trot of a horse, a trotting speed with low variation between motion cycles is necessary to make the measurements reproducible. The aim of this study is to show how an individual 'optimum' trotting speed for lameness quantification can be determined. In this study, the stability of a horse's gait pattern was evaluated by calculating the standard deviation (S.D.) of motion-cycle speed (MCS). In trot, eighteen horses were analysed at several speeds. The measurements were taken with the ExpertVision System (Motion Anal...
Chiaradia E, Avellini L, Rueca F, Spaterna A, Porciello F, Antonioni MT, Gaiti A.Since it has been suggested that lipid peroxidation following free radical overproduction may be one of the causes of physical exercise-induced myopathies and hemolysis in horses, we looked for the possible relationships between these phenomena and muscle fiber damage. We use a homogeneous group of Maremmana stallions which, after a 3-month training period, underwent a series of physical exercises of increasing intensity. We determined the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA), one of the main lipid peroxidation end-products, and glutathione the substrate of one of the most important free radical ...
Sandin A, Girma K, Sjöholm B, Lindholm A, Nilsson G.Plasma gastrin concentrations were determined in 6 Standardbreds (4 geldings and 2 mares) after 3 different meals consisting of unlimited amounts of hay (8-9 kg per horse), a restricted amount of hay (0.6 kg/100 kg body-weight) and grain (0.2 kg/100 kg body-weight) in combination or of grain alone (0.2 kg/100 kg body-weight). In another series of experiments the possible role of gastrin as a stress hormone was investigated. Plasma gastrin and cortisol concentrations were determined during fasting and compared with concentrations during hay feeding. In addition, gastrin and cortisol concentrati...
Weiss DJ, Evanson OA, McClenahan D, Fagliari J, Walcheck B.To determine whether platelets become activated and form platelet-platelet or platelet-neutrophil aggregates, or both, when subjected to shear. Methods: Blood obtained from 3 Thoroughbreds. Methods: Blood, with PCV adjusted to 32 (low hematocrit) or 60 (high hematocrit)%, was subjected to shear rates of 11.25, 22.5, 45, 90, 225, and 750/s for 3 minutes by use of a cone-plate viscometer. Flow cytometric techniques were used to identify activated platelets, platelet-platelet aggregates, and platelet-neutrophil aggregates. Results: Shear resulted in decreased platelet count, increased mean platel...
Dyke TM, Sams RA, Hinchcliff KW.The effects of exercise training on hepatic function in horses were determined by studying the plasma clearance of antipyrine (20 mg/kg iv) in adult mares that either underwent treadmill training for 5 wk (n = 7) or remained in box stalls for the same time period (n = 6). Training consisted of treadmill exercise at 60% (12 min/day) and 90% (3 min/day) of pretraining maximal oxygen consumption (V(O2)max) for 6 days/wk for 5 wk. V(O2)max and velocity to obtain a blood lactate concentration of 4 mmol/l were significantly increased (from 129 to 149 ml x min-1 x kg-1 and from 5.6 to 6.1 m/s, respec...
Taylor LE, Kronfeld DS, Ferrante PL, Wilson JA, Tiegs W.Rectal temperature (Tre) is often used to adjust measurements of blood gases, but these adjusted measurements may not approximate temperatures during intense exercise at main sites of gas exchange: muscle and lung. To evaluate differences in blood gases between sites, temperatures (T) were measured with thermocouples in the rectum (re), in mixed venous blood (v), in gluteal muscle (mu), and on the skin (sk) in seven Arabian horses as they underwent an incremental exercise test on a treadmill. Blood samples were drawn from the carotid artery and pulmonary artery (mixed venous) 30 s before each ...
Minetti AE.By refining a previously published model, a simple equation for the estimation of the mechanical internal work during locomotion is presented. The only input variables are the progression speed, the stride frequency and the duty factor, i.e. the fraction of the stride duration at which a foot is in contact with the ground. The inclusion of this last variable, easily measurable, allows to obtain a single equation for both walking and running. The model predictions have been compared with the mechanical internal work experimentally obtained on humans in several conditions: speeds (range 0.8-3.3 ...
Pearson RA, Dijkman JT, Krecek RC, Wright P.Two experiments were designed to compare the energy used in carrying loads by donkeys and ponies. In the first experiment 3 donkeys and 3 ponies were compared on treadmills in the UK. Density of load (lead shot or straw) had no significant effect on the energy cost of carrying loads; however, the energy cost of carrying a load decreased significantly (p < 0.001) as the weight of the load increased (in donkeys 6.44, 4.35 and 3.03 J/kg load/m, in ponies 5.82, 3.75 and 3.68 J/kg load/m, for loads of 13, 20 and 27 kg/100 kg liveweight (M) respectively). Differences between species were not sign...
Murray RC, DeBowes RM, Gaughan EM, Zhu CF, Athanasiou KA.Intra-articular corticosteroids are widely used as anti-inflammatory agents for symptomatic management of arthritis, but their administration with concurrent exercise remains controversial. Biochemical and morphologic analysis of treated cartilage has revealed conflicting results, but previous biomechanical assessment has not been undertaken. Objective: To compare the biomechanical properties of intra-articular methylprednisolone acetate (MPA) and diluent treated cartilage in treadmill exercised horses. Methods: Eight 2-year-old female horses had MPA or diluent administered into contralateral ...
Tyler CM, Golland LC, Evans DL, Hodgson DR, Rose RJ.Thirteen standard-bred horses were trained intensively for 34 weeks and detrained for 6 weeks to study skeletal muscle adaptations to prolonged training, overtraining and detraining. Training included endurance (phase 1, 7 weeks), high-intensity (phase 2, 9 weeks) and overload training (OLT) (phase 3, 18 weeks). During phase 3, horses were divided into two groups, OLT and control (C), with OLT horses performing greater intensities and durations of exercise than C horses. Overtraining was evident in OLT horses after week 31 and was defined as a significant reduction in treadmill run time in res...
Holcombe SJ, Beard WL, Hinchcliff KW.To investigate the effect of a mask and pneumotachograph on ventilation, respiratory frequency, and tracheal and nasopharyngeal pressures in horses running on a treadmill. Methods: Six horses ran at 50, 75, and 100% of the speed that resulted in maximum oxygen consumption, with and without a mask and pneumotachograph. Tracheal and pharyngeal inspiratory and expiratory pressures, respiratory frequency, and arterial blood gases were measured. Methods: Six Standardbred horses. Methods: Oxygen consumption was measured during an incremental exercise test to determine the speed that resulted in maxi...
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 ...
Seeherman HJ, Morris EA.This paper describes the methodology necessary to perform a clinical exercise test and the expected variability in an individual horse's exercise test measurements based on comparing the results of two repetitions of the test with six horses. The exercise test measurements were obtained with an open flow respiratory gas analysis system, fast time response lactate analyser and an on-board heart rate monitor during an incremental inclined treadmill exercise test. With the exception of peak venous lactate concentration (LACpeak), the results indicate that the mean variability in peak oxygen consu...
Pan LG, Forster HV, Bisgard GE, Lowry TF, Murphy CL.Our purpose was to assess compensatory breathing responses to airway resistance unloading in ponies. We hypothesized that the carotid bodies and hilar nerve afferents, respectively, sense chemical and mechanical changes caused by unloading, hence carotid body-denervated (CBD) and hilar nerve-denervated ponies (HND) might demonstrate greater ventilatory responses when decreasing resistance. At rest and during treadmill exercise, resistance was transiently reduced approximately 40% in five normal, seven CBD, and five HND ponies by breathing gas of 79% He-21% O2 (He-O2). In all groups at rest, He...
Hackett RP, Ducharme NG, Gleed RD, Mitchell L, Soderholm LV, Erickson BK, Erb HN.To test the hypothesis that the pulmonary vascular pressures of Thoroughbred and Standardbred horses behave similarly during exertion. Measurements were made on 5 Thoroughbred and 5 Standardbred horses on a treadmill at rest and during 3-minute exercise intervals at speeds predicted to produce 75%, 90%, and 100% maximal heart rate. Left forelimb acceleration, heart rate, esophageal pressure, and pulmonary artery pressure were measured continuously. Pulmonary capillary and wedge pressures were measured during intermittent occlusion of the pulmonary artery. Breathing rate and gait frequency were...
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; ...
Takahashi T, Kai M, Hada T, Eto D, Muka K, Ishida N.It has been reported that a small decrease in the strain in the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) occurs if the toe is raised during walking. Although walking on a slope appears similar to raising the toe, it is unclear whether uphill exercise decreases the strain in the SDFT. Because the force or strain on tendons is one of the important factors leading to tendon stress injury, we hypothesised that reducing the force in the SDFT during exercise may prevent tendinitis. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of treadmill inclination on the force in the SDFT in the walking...
Bayly WM, Redman MJ, Sides RH.It has been postulated that the hypoxaemia and hypercapnoea that characterize strenuous equine exercise are partly due to flow limitations imposed by high breathing frequencies (fb), and that gas exchange would be improved if fb could be lowered. To evaluate this possibility, 6 Thoroughbred horses underwent 4 incremental treadmill exercise tests at inclines of 0, 5, 10 and 25%, respectively. In the test, horses were given a warm-up for 2 min, then ran sequentially for 1 min each at 60, 100 and 115% VO2max. Oxygen consumption (VO2), blood gas tensions (PaO2, PaCO2), fb, tidal volume (VT), minut...
Schott HC, Düsterdieck KF, Eberhart SW, Woody KA, Refsal KR, Coenen M.Incomplete recovery from endurance exercise after an overnight rest period is reflected by persisting weight loss and an elevated plasma aldosterone concentration, even in successful competitors. To determine whether supplementation with high doses of electrolytes, with or without glycerol, enhances recovery, the following were measured in 6 Arabian horses before and after completion of a 60 km treadmill exercise test simulating an endurance ride and after 12, 24, 48, and 72 h of recovery: bodyweight; plasma osmolality; plasma concentrations of protein, electrolytes, aldosterone and cortisol; ...
Taylor LE, Ferrante PL, Kronfeld DS, Meacham TN.Seven Arabian horses performed a standard incremental exercise test on a high-speed treadmill at 6% slope then were randomly assigned to two diets, a control diet of ground hay and concentrates and a similar diet with 10% added fat (by weight). Horses were sprint-trained 4 d/wk, and two additional exercise tests were performed at 5-wk intervals. Heart rates and rectal temperatures were monitored and venous blood samples were collected at rest and at each speed increment. Whole blood was analyzed for glucose, lactate, and hemoglobin concentrations, and plasma was analyzed for pH, pCO2, albumin,...
Manohar M.Right atrial (RA), right ventricular (RV), pulmonary artery (PA), and pulmonary artery wedge (PAW) pressures were examined, using catheter-mounted micromanometers, in 8 healthy horses at rest and during galloping on a treadmill at belt speeds of 8, 10, and 13 m/s. The in vivo signals from the micromanometers were matched with those from conventional fluid-filled catheter transducers leveled at the scapulohumeral joint. Thirty minutes after completing control exercise measurements, furosemide was administered IV at a dosage of 1 mg/kg of body weight, and resting, as well as exercise, measuremen...
Geor RJ, Weiss DJ, Smith CM.Hemorheologic alterations induced by incremental treadmill exercise were examined in 5 Thoroughbreds. Blood viscosity; PCV; RBC filterability, density gradient profile, and shape; serum and RBC electrolyte concentrations; and plasma total solids and lactate concentrations were measured before exercise, at treadmill speeds of 9 and 13 m/s, and 10 minutes after exercise. Exercise was associated with significant (P < 0.05) increases in PCV, blood viscosity, and plasma total solids concentration. After adjustment of PCV to 40% by adding or removing each horse's own plasma, blood viscosity ...
Duren SE, Pagan JD, Harris PA, Crandell KG.Six Thoroughbreds were used to evaluate time of feeding on changes in exercise response in horses receiving either a textured feed or a fat-supplemented textured feed. Using a crossover design, 3 horses were fed a fat-supplemented diet while 3 horses received a control ration of textured feed. Horses performed a standardised exercise test (SET) on a high speed treadmill. The SET was performed at 3 different times: 1) following an overnight 12 h fast, 2) 3 h after feeding and 3) 8 h after feeding. The SET consisted of a 2 min walk at 1.4 m/s, 800 m trot at 4.2 m/s, 800 m gallop at 7.7 m/s, 1600...
Graves EA, Schott HC, Marteniuk JV, Refsal KR, Nachreiner RF.Limited information exists about changes in circulating thyroid hormone concentrations during prolonged endurance exercise in horses. Objective: To examine the effects of prolonged exercise on serum iodothyronine concentrations in horses performing endurance exercise of varying distances. Methods: Serum concentrations of iodothyronines were measured in horses before and after completion of 40, 56, 80 and 160 km endurance rides (Study 1); daily during a 5 day, 424 km endurance ride (Study 2); and before and for 72 h after completion of a treadmill exercise test simulating a 60 km endurance ride...
Pagan JD, Geor RJ, Harris PA, Hoekstra K, Gardner S, Hudson C, Prince A.This study was designed to determine the effects of fat adaptation on carbohydrate and fat oxidation in conditioned horses during low-intensity exercise. Five mature Arabians were studied. The study was conducted as a crossover design with 2 dietary periods, each of 10 week's duration: a) a control (CON) diet, and b) a fat-supplemented (FAT) diet. The total amount of digestible energy (DE) supplied by the fat in the CON and FAT diets was 7% and 29%, respectively. During each period, the horses completed exercise tests at the beginning of the period (Week 0) and after 5 and 10 weeks on the diet...
Art T, Lekeux P.This paper attempts to evaluate the changes in the mechanical work of breathing induced by the increase of ventilation in ponies exercising on a treadmill. Airflow, tidal volume (VT) and oesophageal pressure were simultaneously recorded in eight ponies (four to six years old and weighing 258 +/- 11 kg) before, during and after standardised exercise. Respiratory frequency, VT and minute volume (Ve) for each phase of the experimental protocol were calculated from the collected data. The pressure-volume diagrams were traced and the work per cycle (Wrm) was estimated by measuring the area enclosed...
Back W, Schamhardt HC, Van Weeren PR, Barneveld A.The trot at 3 m/s of 24 Shetland foals ('ponies') and 24 Dutch Warmblood foals ('horses') was recorded at age 4 months on a treadmill using a modified CODA-3 apparatus to characterise equine locomotion at young age. Locomotor variables of the ponies were qualitatively and, after scaling, quantitatively compared with those of horses. Ponies made shorter strides than horses, evidenced by a shorter stance and swing duration, although their relative stance durations were similar. Neither linear nor dynamic scaling procedures could completely compensate for differences in height at the withers comp...
Morris E.Each case of suboptimal equine athletic performance should be evaluated in a comprehensive manner, including physical examination; clinical pathologic analysis; and evaluation of the neurologic system, the musculoskeletal system, and the upper and lower respiratory system. A vital part of this examination is the clinical evaluation of dynamic upper respiratory tract function of the horse during treadmill exercise, which allows the observation of upper respiratory tract function during conditions simulating competitive racing. It generally is agreed that the endoscopic identification of an uppe...
Data in briefApril 1, 2022
Volume 42 108123 doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2022.108123
Gmel AI, Gmel G, Weishaupt MA, Neuditschko M.This article presents the data obtained from the scoring of 24 stallions of the Franches-Montagnes (FM) horse breed by six experts of this breed. The experts scored six traits at walk and eight at trot from the video recordings of these stallions walking and trotting on a treadmill during an incremental speed test. The scores were given on a scale of one to nine. All experts scored the same videos twice (two scoring tests) with a time interval of two years, and without feedback from the first scoring. Video sequences were presented in a different order between first and second scoring. The int...
Lumsden JM, Derksen FJ, Stick JA, Robinson NE.Flow-volume loops generated from 6 Standardbreds at rest and during treadmill exercise were evaluated for their use in detecting upper airway obstruction. Tidal breathing flow-volume loops (TBFVL) were obtained from horses at rest and exercising at speeds corresponding to 75% of maximal heart rate and at maximal heart rate. The TBFVL were evaluated, using a pulmonary function computer; calculated indices describing airflow rate and expiratory-to-inspiratory airflow ratio for individual loops were determined. In addition to TBFVL indices, standard variables of upper airway function also were me...
Johnson JL, Moore-Colyer M.Research into kinematics of the healthy equine back, has been performed in the walk and trot. This study focuses on back kinematics during canter, over a range of velocities. Flexion extension (FE) movements in canter are greatest in the lumbosacral (LS) region. Previous research has focused on canter velocity of 7 m/s; therefore quantification of LS kinematics at varying velocities is required to understand LS functions in equine locomotion. Objective: Range of flexion-extension movement through the lumbosacral joint increases with increasing velocity. Methods: Six Thoroughbred horses (mean a...
Hinchcliff KW, McKeever KH, Muir WW, Sams R.The effect of furosemide-induced weight loss on the energetic responses of horses to running was examined in a 3-way crossover study. Eight 2- to 3-year-old Standardbred mares received, in random order, 10 ml of saline solution 4 hours before running on a treadmill (control trial, C); or, during 2 trials, 1 mg of furosemide/kg of body weight, i.v., 4 hours before running. During one of the trials when the horses received furosemide, they carried weight equal to that lost over the 3.75 hours after furosemide administration while running (furosemide-loaded, FL), and during the other trial they d...
Graham-Thiers PM, Kronfeld DS, Kline KA.Dietary protein during conditioning and exercise must support additional needs while avoiding adverse metabolic effects. Ten Arabian horses were assigned randomly to 2 diets formulated to contain 7.5 or 14.5% crude protein and 12% fat. The low-protein diet (LP) was supplemented with lysine and threonine to match the levels of these amino acids in the high-protein diet (HP). Feed intake averaged 8.1 kg/day. Dietary cation-anion difference was 181.6 and 260.4 mmol/kg for high and low protein, respectively. Following 9 weeks conditioning, horses performed a repeated sprint test: 3 min walk at 1.5...
Meyer ND, Bayly WM, Sides RH, Wardrop KJ, Slinker BK.Prolonged equine exercise can cause hypochloraemic alkalosis and hypokalaemia secondary to the loss of hypertonic sweat. Movement of ions in and out of erythrocytes during exercise may help regulate acid-base balance and changes in plasma ion concentrations. The extent to which this happens during prolonged equine exercise has not been reported. Objective: To measure changes in blood gases and major plasma and intraerythrocytic (iRBC) ion concentrations of horses undergoing prolonged submaximal exercise. Methods: Six horses were trotted at ∼ 30% VO2max on a treadmill for 105 min. Arterial ((...
Ebisuda Y, Mukai K, Takahashi Y, Yoshida T, Kawano A, Matsuhashi T, Miyata H, Kuwahara M, Ohmura H.Heat acclimatization or acclimation training in horses is practiced to reduce physiological strain and improve exercise performance in the heat, which can involve metabolic improvement in skeletal muscle. However, there is limited information concerning the acute signaling responses of equine skeletal muscle after exercise in a hot environment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the hypothesis that exercise in hot conditions induces greater changes in heat shock proteins and mitochondrial-related signaling in equine skeletal muscle compared with exercise in cool conditions. Fifteen t...
Villarino NF, Lopez CM, Sams RA, Bayly WM.The primary objective of this study was to assess the disposition of furosemide in Thoroughbred horses treated intravenously with 1 mg/kg of furosemide 4 and 24 h before supramaximal treadmill exercise without and with controlled access to water, respectively. Another objective was to determine whether furosemide was detectable in the plasma of horses after exposure to supramaximal treadmill exercise. Thoroughbred horses (n = 4-6) were administered single intravenous doses of 1 mg/kg of furosemide at 4 and 24 h before supramaximal exercise on a high-speed treadmill, with controlled ...
Lacombe V, Hinchcliff KW, Geor RJ, Lauderdale MA.The purpose of this study was to develop a model of muscle glycogen depletion and to study the effect of this model on aerobic and anaerobic capacity of horses. The maximal rate of oxygen consumption (VO2max), maximal accumulated oxygen deficit (MAOD), muscle glycogen concentration and blood lactate concentration of 6 fit Standardbred horses were measured on 3 occasions 7 days apart (Trials 1, 2 and 3). Between Trials 2 and 3, strenuous exercise intended to deplete muscle glycogen was performed by exercising horses on the treadmill on 3 consecutive days. Strenuous exercise resulted in reductio...
Hinchcliff KW, McKeever KH, Schmall LM, Kohn CW, Muir WW.We investigated the effects of 1 h of sustained submaximal exertion on the renal and systemic hemodynamics of six horses. The horses ran on a treadmill at a speed that produced heart rates of 55-60% of each horse's maximum heart rate. Exertion produced heart rates of 121 +/- 6.6 and 126 +/- 6.1 (SE) beats/min after 15 and 60 min, respectively. Cardiac output increased significantly (P less than 0.05) from 70.1 +/- 3.1 to 246.2 +/- 4.7 ml.min-1.kg body wt-1 after 15 min of exertion and thereafter did not change. There was no significant change from rest in p-aminohippuric acid and creatinine cl...
Gottlieb-Vedi M, Persson S, Erickson H, Korbutiak E.The purpose of this study was to determine if training with short intervals at the velocity producing a lactate level of 4 mmol/l (VLA4) is sufficient to induce adaptations and better exercise tolerance. Five Standardbred mares (4-8 years) were interval trained on a treadmill 3 days a week for 12 weeks and subsequently detrained for 4 weeks. Standardized exercise tests were performed before, during and after the training period and muscle biopsies were taken. Measurements were made of heart rate, oxygen consumption, stride frequency, blood volume and blood lactate. Plasma volume was reduced af...
McKeever KH, Malinowski K.To test the hypothesis that, compared with unfit young horses, unfit older horses have lower aerobic capacity and reduction in other indices of exercise capacity. Methods: 6 young (mean +/- SEM, 5.3 +/- 0.8 years and 445 +/- 13 kg) and 6 aged (22.0 +/- 0.4 years and 473 +/- 18 kg) healthy Standardbred and Thoroughbred mares. Methods: The mares, accustomed to running on a treadmill, were tested by use of an incremental exercise test. None of the mares had received exercise training for at least 4 months prior to the study. During testing, mares ran up a fixed 6% grade, starting at a speed of 4 ...
