Effect of Different Water Cooling Treatments on Changes in Rectal and Surface Body Temperature in Leisure Horses after Medium-Intensity Effort.
Abstract: Cooling a horse after intensive exercise under hot conditions is commonly recommended. The study aimed to analyze changes in the rectal and surface temperature of the horses subjected to various water cooling treatments. This followed medium-intensity exercise performed by leisure horses under moderate air temperature. The experiment involved a control group without water application, and three variants of water cooling applied to 19 warmblood geldings after medium-intensity effort. Cooling of lower, upper, and lower and upper body parts was performed. In each variant, the rectal and body surface temperatures were measured five times: before; immediately after; and 10, 20, and 30 min after effort. Using water cooling under the studied conditions did not influence a post-exercise decrease in the rectal temperature. The decrease in body surface temperature depended on the used variant of cooling down the horse. Cooling the limbs by pouring water several times changed the surface body temperature from 34.2 ± 0.37 °C to 32.0 ± 0.32 °C and was more efficient than the repeated application of cool water on both the upper and lower body parts, leading to a temperature change from 34.6 ± 0.26 °C to 33.2 ± 0.36 °C. Thus, the application of cold water on the limbs only is sufficient for cooling the horse after medium-intensity exercise under moderate air temperature (about 24 °C).
Publication Date: 2022-02-21 PubMed ID: 35203233PubMed Central: PMC8868132DOI: 10.3390/ani12040525Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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This research paper examines the impact of different water cooling treatments on the changes of rectal and surface body temperatures in horses after medium-intensity effort. The study found that cooling the legs of the horse more efficiently reduced body surface temperature than cooling both the upper and lower parts of the horse’s body.
Aim and Methodology of the Research
- The researchers aimed to study the variations in rectal and body surface temperatures of horses subjected to different water cooling treatments post medium-intensity exercise in moderate air temperature conditions.
- The study involved 19 warmblood geldings divided into four groups, including a control group which did not undergo any water application, and three other groups subjected to lower, upper, and upper-lower body parts cooling.
- The rectal and body surface temperatures were measured five times: before and after the exercise, and at 10, 20, and 30 minutes post-exercise.
Study Findings and Conclusion
- The research found that water cooling did not influence the decrease in rectal temperature post-exercise. However, the decrease in body surface temperature was dependent on the cooling method used.
- Cooling the limbs of the horse led to a temperature change from 34.2 ± 0.37°C to 32.0 ± 0.32°C. The study found that cooling the limbs was more efficient than applying water to both the upper and lower body parts, which resulted in temperature changes from 34.6 ± 0.26°C to 33.2 ± 0.36°C.
- The research concludes that applying cold water only on the limbs is sufficient for cooling a horse after medium-intensity exercise under moderate air temperature, around 24°C.
Cite This Article
APA
Janczarek I, Wiśniewska A, Tkaczyk E, Wnuk-Pawlak E, Kaczmarek B, Liss-Szczepanek M, Kędzierski W.
(2022).
Effect of Different Water Cooling Treatments on Changes in Rectal and Surface Body Temperature in Leisure Horses after Medium-Intensity Effort.
Animals (Basel), 12(4), 525.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12040525 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Horse Breeding and Use, Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
- Department of Horse Breeding and Use, Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
- Department of Horse Breeding and Use, Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
- Department of Horse Breeding and Use, Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
- Department and Clinic of Animal Internal Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, ul. Akademicka 13, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
- Department of Horse Breeding and Use, Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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Citations
This article has been cited 4 times.- Lisboa BRF, da Silva JAR, da Silva WC, Barbosa AVC, Silva LKX, Lourenço-Júnior JB. Evaluation of thermoregulation of horses (Equus caballus) submitted to two methods of post-exercise cooling, in hot and humid climate conditions, in the Eastern Amazon.. Front Vet Sci 2023;10:1150763.
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