Changes in blood coagulation induced by exercise training in young athletic horses.

The study investigates the impact of exercise training on blood coagulation elements such as Prothrombin Time, Activated Partial Prothrombin Time, Fibrinogen concentration, and Platelet number in young athletic horses. It indicates that there are significant changes in these elements throughout the training period, suggesting that these variations could be a normal physiological response of the body’s hemostatic system to exercise.

Objective and Method of the Study

• This research was aimed at examining the changes in the blood coagulation process in young athletic horses induced by exercise training. The elements of the blood coagulation process that were under study were Prothrombin Time (PT), Activated Partial Prothrombin Time (APTT), Fibrinogen concentration (Fbg), and Platelet number (Plt).
• The study was conducted on 20 young athletic horses. A standardized exercise test (SET) was conducted on these horses every month for three months.
• The V4 variations – the speed, in meters per minute, reached at the blood lactate concentration of 4 mmol/l, were calculated for each of the test to assess the effect of the training program on the horses’ athletic performance.
• Blood samples were periodically collected from the beginning of the training program at intervals of 20 days over an 80 day period.

Findings of the Study

• The variations in V4, PT, APTT, Fbg, and Plt throughout the training program were statistically significant, indicating that these elements were impacted by the training.
• These results propose that modifications in the clotting mechanism may be considered as a regular physiological response of the horse’s hemostatic system to exercise.

Implications of the Study

• The significant changes in the blood coagulation process throughout the exercise training suggest that the horse’s hemostatic system is responsive to exercise, adapting its clotting mechanism accordingly.
• This might help in developing more optimized training programs for these athletic horses considering the body’s physiological responses. Moreover, understanding these changes could also help to prevent potential hemostatic disorders related to excessive training.