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Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / Distribution of Superficial Body Temperature in Horses Ridde...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2020; 10(2); 340; doi: 10.3390/ani10020340

Distribution of Superficial Body Temperature in Horses Ridden by Two Riders with Varied Body Weights.

Abstract: It was assumed that a horse with its rider body weight found in the upper limit may negatively impact the horse's welfare. The objective of this paper was to analyze the differences in body temperature and selected heart rate parameters in horses in response to physical exercise accompanied by various rider's body weight loads. The study was carried out on 12 leisure, 10-15-year-old warmblood geldings. The horses were ridden by two equally qualified riders whose body weights were about 20% and 10% of the average body weight (BW) of the animals (about 470 kg). Each rider rode each of the 12 horses for 13 min walking and 20 min of trotting. Images of the horse at rest, after physical exercise directly after unsaddling, and during the recovery phase (10 min after unsaddling) were taken with an infrared thermography camera. For analysis, the temperatures of selected body parts were measured on the surface of the head, neck, front, middle, and back (croup) parts of the trunk, forelimb, and hind limb. Immediately after the infrared thermography images were taken, the rectal temperature of the horse was measured. The heart rate parameters were measured at rest for 10 min directly before, during, and 10 min following the end of a training session. A multivariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) for repeated measurements was performed. Statistical significance was accepted for < 0.05. A rider BW load on a horse of approximately 20% of the horse's BW led to a substantial increase in the superficial temperatures of the neck, front, middle, and back parts of the trunk in relation to these body parts' average temperatures when the load was about 10% BW. The head and limb average temperatures were not significantly affected by the load of the exercised horse. A horse's load above 20% of his body weight, even with little effort, affects changes in surface temperature and the activity of the autonomic nervous system.
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Publication Date: 2020-02-21 PubMed ID: 32098105PubMed Central: PMC7071094DOI: 10.3390/ani10020340Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research explored the impact of rider body weight on the physical wellbeing of horses, particularly in relation to superficial body temperature and heart rate. Findings suggested that a rider’s body weight, equivalent to 20% of the horse’s weight, led to an increase in the superficial temperatures of the neck, front, middle, and back of the horse’s trunk.

Introduction

  • The study hypothesized that a rider’s body weight at the upper limit could negatively affect the horse’s welfare.
  • The primary aim of this research was to examine the variations in body temperature and certain heart rate parameters in horses due to physical exercise involving different rider’s body weight loads.

Methodology

  • The subjects of the study were 12 warmblood geldings, aged between 10 and 15 years, used for leisure riding.
  • The horses were ridden by two equivalently qualified riders whose body weights were approximately 20% and 10% of the average body weight (BW) of the horses (roughly 470 kg).
  • Each rider rode each of the 12 horses for periods involving 13 minutes of walking and 20 minutes of trotting.
  • Infrared thermography was used to capture images of the horses at rest, directly after exercise and unsaddling, and during the recovery phase (10 minutes after unsaddling).
  • The superficial temperatures of selected body parts such as the head, neck, parts of the trunk (front, middle, back), forelimb and hind limb were measured.
  • Immediately after the infrared thermography images were taken, rectal temperature of the horse was measured.
  • The heart rate parameters were measured at rest (10 minutes directly before, during, and 10 minutes following the end of a training session).
  • A multivariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) for repeated measurements was conducted, with statistical significance accepted for values less than 0.05.

Results and Conclusion

  • The results indicated that a rider’s body weight load amounting to roughly 20% of the horse’s weight led to a significant increase in the superficial temperatures of the neck, front, middle, and back regions of the horse’s trunk, compared to the average temperatures when the load was about 10% of the horse’s weight.
  • The average temperatures of the head and limbs of the horses were not significantly impacted by the exercise load.
  • The study concluded that a horse’s load above 20% of its body weight, even at light effort levels, influences changes in surface temperature and activity of the autonomic nervous system. This evidence supports the study’s initial hypothesis, underlining the need to carefully consider the rider’s weight in relation to the horse’s welfare.

Cite This Article

APA
Wilk I, Wnuk-Pawlak E, Janczarek I, Kaczmarek B, Dybczyńska M, Przetacznik M. (2020). Distribution of Superficial Body Temperature in Horses Ridden by Two Riders with Varied Body Weights. Animals (Basel), 10(2), 340. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10020340

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 10
Issue: 2
PII: 340

Researcher Affiliations

Wilk, Izabela
  • Department of Horse Breeding and Use, Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 13, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
Wnuk-Pawlak, Elżbieta
  • Department of Horse Breeding and Use, Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 13, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
Janczarek, Iwona
  • Department of Horse Breeding and Use, Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 13, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
Kaczmarek, Beata
  • Department and Clinic of Animal Internal Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 13, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
Dybczyńska, Marta
  • Department of Horse Breeding and Use, Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 13, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
Przetacznik, Monika
  • Department of Horse Breeding and Use, Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 13, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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