Effect of racing on blood variables in Standardbred horses.

This study sought to determine the impact of racing on the blood variables of racehorses, specifically the timing of sampling post-race and how it affected analyte levels. The findings suggest that racing does indeed alter certain variables, however these changes weren’t significant enough to affect any clinical interpretation.

Objective and Methodology

• The primary objective of the research was to gauge if and how certain blood variable levels change after racing and if they return to their pre-racing levels within a 2 to 3-day period.
• The researchers extracted blood from 17 healthy Standardbred racehorses both before and after racing.
• Key variables examined in the plasma include cholesterol, albumin, creatinine, calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), potassium (K), and cortisol alongside several others.
• Additional variables such as hematocrit (HCT), white blood cell (WBC) count, and red blood cell (RBC) count, among others, were assessed from blood collected in EDTA-coated vials.

Results of the Study

• Three days after racing, calcium levels were lower compared to two days before racing.
• Levels of phosphorus (P) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) were noticeably higher two and three days post-racing compared to the pre-racing timepoints.
• Variables like red blood cell (RBC) count, hematocrit (HCT), hemoglobin (HGB) were found to be higher two days after racing as compared to their pre-racing and three-day post-racing levels.

Conclusions

• A few notable variances were observed in blood biochemical and hematologic variables two and three days after racing.
• However, these deviations in value didn’t significantly alter the clinicopathologic interpretation of the results. This suggests they aren’t substantial enough to indicate any health concerns or abnormalities in the horses’ physical condition.