Effect of a warm-up on energy supply during high intensity exercise in horses.

The research delves into the impact a warm-up can have on the energy output of racehorses during high intensity exercise. The detailed findings suggest that a warm-up session can serve to enhance aerobic energy delivery, consequently enabling more efficient gas exchange kinetics and increased energy contribution from aerobic sources during high-intensity exercise.

Objective and Hypothesis

• The main objective of this research was to explore the effects of a warm-up on energy supply during high-intensity workouts in racehorses.
• The researchers hypothesized that a warm-up has the potential to boost the aerobic energy delivery in racehorses during such high intensity exercises.

Methodology

• The research was conducted on thirteen Standardbred racehorses that were in good shape, all of whom were subjected to fatigue by having to run to at a speeds of 115% VO2(max) on a treadmill placed at a slope of 10%.
• Before the test run, horses either got a 5-minute exercise at 50% VO2(max) followed by a 5-minute walk, or a simple 2-minute walk.
• During the run, samples of expired gas were collected after every 10 seconds to determine VO2 and VCO2, and to measure the maximal accumulated oxygen deficit (MAOD).
• Concentration of blood lactate was also observed 5 minutes following the exercise.

Findings

• Horses that underwent a warm-up displayed quicker gas exchange kinetics. They also manifested more energy supply from aerobic sources as compared to horses who were not warmed-up.
• The aerobic contribution to total energy requirement for those with and without a warm-up was determined as 79.3 +/- 1.0% and 72.4 +/- 1.7% respectively (with a P value < 0.01). This suggests a substantial increase in aerobic contribution with a warm-up.
• There was a higher MAOD observed in horses that did not receive a warm-up, implying less effective energy conversion.
• There wasn’t a significant difference noticed in terms of total energy expenditure or total run-time between the two groups. This signifies that a warm-up does not influence total energy consumption or run duration, but rather its distribution among energy types.

Conclusion

• The study concludes that during high-intensity exercise lasting 1 to 2 minutes, more than 70% of supplied energy is derived from aerobic sources. This contribution is seen to increase notably if a warm-up is carried out prior to the exercise. Thus, warm-ups serve to enhance aerobic energy supply in racehorses, enabling better exercise performance.