Comparison of the workload of Dutch warmblood horses ridden normally and on a treadmill.

This research studied the workload of six Dutch warmblood horses under four different conditions. It found that the horses experienced greater workload when they cantered on a firm shell track compared to when they ran on a horizontal treadmill at the same speed. Increasing the treadmill’s speed or inclining it replicated the horses’ workload during normal exercise more closely.

Overview of the Experiment

• The research involved six Dutch warmblood horses. They were ridden by an experienced rider who led them in a canter for 3320 meters.
• This was done under four different groups of conditions in order to compare the variations in the horses’ workload.

Different Test Conditions

• In the first test, the horses were ridden on a firm shell track with the speed varying from 6.5 to 9.4 m/s.
• In the second test, the horses were ridden on a horizontal treadmill for the same duration and at the same speeds as in the first test.
• In the third test, the horses were ridden on a horizontal treadmill for the same duration as in the first two tests, but at a 10 per cent higher speed.
• In the fourth test, the horses were ridden on a treadmill at the same speed and for the same duration as in the first test, but at an individually adjusted inclination of 1 to 2 per cent.

Findings of the Study

• The researchers used heart rates and plasma lactate concentrations to determine the horses’ workload.
• They found that the workload was significantly higher during the first test (normal exercise on a shell track) compared to the second test (exercise on a horizontal treadmill).
• In the third test, increasing the speed of the treadmill by 10 per cent resulted in heart rates and plasma lactate concentrations similar to those recorded during the first test.
• In the fourth test, inclining the treadmill led to less consistent results compared to increasing the speed. However, it imitated the normal exercise conditions of the first test better than the horizontal treadmill in the second test.